Language and Identity: Vignettes on Language Use among Members of the Slovenian Minority in Austrian Carinthia
Language and Identity: Vignettes on Language Use among Members of the Slovenian Minority in Austrian Carinthia

Author(s): Saša Poljak Istenič
Subject(s): Anthropology, Inter-Ethnic Relations, Politics and Identity, Identity of Collectives
Published by: Етнографски институт САНУ
Keywords: mother tongue; identity; private and public situations; Slovenian minority in the Austrian Carinthia
Summary/Abstract: Language has been a crucial element in constituting national identity throughout Slovenian history. The study of communication is therefore of key importance in estimating the vitality of the ethnic group. Because of the language policies and the asymmetry in the relationship between minority and majority languages, the decision to use the mother tongue among the Slovenian minority in Austria nowadays becomes an affirmation of Slovenian identity. This paper, based on two case studies in Austrian Carinthia, presents the use of language in everyday private and public situations.

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