Slovene Standard Language between the Centre and the Periphery

Abstract

Until the mid-19th century, Slovenia had two distinct territorial fields of language use that coexisted in the central and eastern Slovene linguistic, administrative-political, and geographical areas: (1) central Slovene (the so-called kranjščina) and (2) eastern Slovene (the language of Prekmurje and eastern Štajerska). Their half-century long convergence, permeation and entwinement resulted in a formation of the unified norm of standard Slovene in the middle of the 19th century (the so-called new Slovene or unified standard Slovene). In the past, this double development of the Slovene standard language was incorrectly explained – instead of applying a double notion based on historical development (central Slovene standard language and eastern Slovene standard language), an inaccurate opposite emerged: standard language vs. standard language delusions. The attempt of a black and white portrayal of the linguistic circumstances in the development of Slovenian was to enact the linguistic equation central vs. peripheral = norm vs. particularism. Through this attempt, standard Slovene was equal to the central, correct and distinguished language with its opposite, the incorrect regional language of the Slovenian language periphery.