Slovene language and society

In terms of Slovene language and society, the following themes will be discussed:
Monolingual and multilingual communities: language selection, diglossia, code switching, and code mixing. Language maintenance: language competition, language loss and language death, language revival, understanding the concept of endangered languages. The number of languages and language speakers, world languages, language groups. Linguistic policy and planning. Literary and standard language, standardisation processes, myths on the literary language and the question of prestige of a language variant. Regional and social stratification of a language. Language and social gender, (im)politeness, stereotypes. Language change, reasons for change, following changes in language. Language and communication customs, reasons for change in communication customs, following changes in communication customs. Intercultural communication and pragmatics.
Students learn about intercultural communication in terms of the close interconnectedness of language and society; the selected themes that they encounter help them understand social and regional linguistic stratification, cultural stereotypes, communication customs, the issue of politeness, etc. The subject draws attention to sexism, racism, homophobia, and other marked elements in Slovene discourse from the viewpoint of the social majority and in relation to similar types of discourse in other languages.

• A. Goddard, L. Meân Patterson, 2009: Language and Gender. London: Routledge. COBISS.SI-ID – 38328162
• R. A. Hudson, 1996: Sociolinguistics. Cambridge: CUP. COBISS.SI-ID - 5434120
• A. Vidovič Muha (ur.), 1996: Jezik in čas. Ljubljana: ZIFF, str. 15–76. COBISS.SI-ID - 61283072
• N. Šabec, 1995: Haf pa pu. The Language of Slovene Americans. Ljubljana: ŠKUC (Studia Humanitatis), str. 39–50 in 65–184. COBISS.SI-ID 48574208
• V. Požgaj Hadži, T. Balažic Bulc in V. Gorjanc (ur.), 2009: Med politiko in stvarnostjo. Ljubljana: ZZFF, str. 13–95. COBISS.SI-ID - 247800576
• M. Stabej, 2010: V družbi z jezikom. Ljubljana: Trojina, str. 64–126. COBISS.SI-ID - 253607168
• R. Kuhar, N. Kogovšek Šalamon, Ž. Humer in S. Maljevac, 2012: Obrazi homofobije. Ljubljana: Mirovni inštitut. COBISS.SI-ID - 257827072

Resources online:
• http://www.ljudmila.org
• http://www.mirovni-institut.si