Name-calling in Slovenia: “we” vs. “the others” Cover Image

Name-calling in Slovenia: “we” and the “others”
Name-calling in Slovenia: “we” vs. “the others”

Author(s): Marija Stanonik
Subject(s): Anthropology, Language studies, Language and Literature Studies, Applied Linguistics, Cognitive linguistics, Philology
Published by: Wydawnictwo Naukowe Uniwersytetu Marii Curie-Sklodowskiej
Keywords: nickname; Slovene; ethnic group; micro-genres of folklore; poetics of folklore

Summary/Abstract: The article deals with name-calling in Slovenia against the background of expressions characterizing a given ethnic group. The study is based on data from micro-genres of folklore, as well as from poetry and prose. The following problem is in focus: should nicknames be treated as a distinct genre or as an “ecological perspective”, manifesting itself in various genres, such as comparative expressions, adages, proverbs, riddles, poems and fables/tales. The article attempts to show that Slovenian nicknames constitute a system and proposes directions of further research. The analysis presents Slovenians as participants in an international “exchange of goods” at the level of spiritual culture. A study of variants of the nicknames also allows one to identify the foundations of the poetics of folklore.

  • Issue Year: 20/2008
  • Issue No: 20
  • Page Range: 123-148
  • Page Count: 26
  • Language: English