Slovenhood Dimensions between Local and Global at the Beginning of the Third Millennium

About the Research Programme

ARIS Reference Number: P5-0409

Period: 1. 1. 2019–31. 12. 2027

Head of research programme: Vesna Mikolič, PhD

In its first programme period (2020–2025), the research programme Slovenhood Dimensions between Local and Global at the Beginning of the Third Millennium develops a contemporary concept of Slovenhood as a spiritual and social phenomenon situated within the relationships between the local, European, and global spheres. Building on this foundation, the programme is further developed and deepened in its second programme period (2026–2031), focusing on current social, linguistic, and cultural challenges facing contemporary mobile and multilingual society.

In its second period, the programme operates within five thematic areas that retain its fundamental research premises while broadening their scope. The research focuses on the continued redefinition of the concept of Slovenhood and on the question of what it means to be Slovenian in contemporary social circumstances. Particular attention is devoted to the Slovenian language, culture, and identity within the context of northern Adriatic, European, and global multilingualism and interculturality, while the Slovenian language is also examined as a European language facing the challenges of globalisation from linguistic-systemic, pragmatic, and cognitive perspectives. An important part of the programme is devoted to research into responsible social policies, particularly in the field of education, examining the relationships between Slovenian, Italian, minority, neighbouring, immigrant, and foreign languages in educational settings, as well as the inclusion of vulnerable groups in educational processes. At the same time, the programme examines the transformation of Slovenian national identity over time, including in light of the relationships between the homeland, Slovenian minorities in neighbouring countries, and Slovenian diasporas, from both diachronic and synchronic perspectives. The overarching objective of the second programme period is to continue developing the concept of Slovenhood as a model for comparable smaller nations and minority communities. The programme seeks to contribute to the development of balanced relationships between the state language, the languages of the local environment, neighbouring languages, and immigrant languages, enabling the preservation and development of less widely spoken languages, as well as to a considered relationship between natural languages and the languages of artificial intelligence, oriented towards their complementary development. The Slovenian state, culture, and language, with all their social and intercultural dimensions, provide the basis for reflection on the development of the national idea in the third millennium, oriented towards sustainable development and the long-term resilience of human civilisation.

The research conducted within the research programme “Slovenhood Dimensions between Local and Global at the Beginning of the Third Millennium” (P5-0409) is funded by the Slovenian Research and Innovation Agency (ARIS).

Research Team

The programme team consists of researchers whose research is grounded in the multicultural and cross-border environments of the Slovenian cultural space, as well as in Slovenian minorities and diasporas. The members of the programme team come from three key research institutions in this field: the Science and Research Centre Koper, the Institute for Ethnic Studies in Ljubljana, and the Slovene Research Institute (SLORI) in Trieste. The programme team is characterised by its interdisciplinary approach, bringing together researchers in the fields of national questions, ethnic studies, sociology, Slovene studies, linguistics, history, and related social sciences and humanities, thus enabling a comprehensive examination of Slovenhood in contemporary social contexts.

Head of research programme:

Research Team:

Members of the Programme Team from Partner Institutions:

Marija Jurič Pahor, PhD, Institute for Ethnic Studies, Ljubljana

Robert Devetak, PhD, Institute for Ethnic Studies, Ljubljana

Andreja Kalc, MSc, Slovene Research Institute (SLORI), Trieste

Research Activities:

Research activities are conducted within five thematic areas whose common objective is to provide a comprehensive and in-depth understanding of Slovenhood as a contemporary spiritual and social phenomenon. The programme focuses on redefining the concept of Slovenhood and on the question of what it means to be Slovenian in contemporary social, cultural, and political contexts. Particular attention is devoted to research on Slovenian thought, culture, and identity in relation to European and global interculturality, as well as to the study of the Slovenian language as a European language facing the challenges of globalisation, mobility, and multilingualism. Research activities also focus on examining the processes of transformation of Slovenian national identity in light of the relationships between the homeland, Slovenian minorities in neighbouring countries, and Slovenian diasporas. An important part of the research addresses responsible social policies, with an emphasis on the inclusion of vulnerable social groups and the strengthening of social cohesion. The research is conducted from intercultural, border, cross-border, and transnational perspectives and is oriented towards developing contemporary theoretical concepts and empirical insights that contribute to an understanding of Slovenhood in local, regional, European, and global contexts.

Purpose and Significance of the Programme:

The purpose of the research programme is to develop a contemporary, theoretically and empirically grounded concept of Slovenhood that goes beyond the traditional understanding of national identity as a static category tied exclusively to language, culture, and territory. The programme approaches Slovenhood as a dynamic spiritual and social phenomenon shaped in relation to local, regional, European, and global processes and within the context of a mobile and intercultural society. The research contributes to the development of contemporary concepts of national and ethnic identity and enables an understanding of their contextuality, hybridity, and variability. The programme is of considerable significance for the advancement of research in the fields of national questions, border and minority studies, sociology, linguistics, Slovene studies, history, and related social sciences and humanities. At the same time, it provides a scientific basis for the development of more contemporary social, cultural, language, and education policies and contributes to greater social cohesion, intercultural dialogue, and the responsible inclusion of vulnerable social groups. The concept of Slovenhood developed in this way also has broader comparative relevance, as it can serve as a model for other smaller nations and minority communities.

Description of Programme Implementation:

The research programme was implemented through interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary approaches combining theoretical and empirical research, discourse analysis, linguistic, cultural, sociological, and historical studies, as well as comparative and transnational methodological approaches. The research was conducted in multicultural, border, and cross-border environments within the Slovenian cultural space and in the contexts of Slovenian minorities and diasporas. Research findings were systematically integrated into university-level teaching, professional training, and cooperation with public institutions and local communities. An important part of the programme’s implementation involved disseminating research findings to the academic community and the wider public through scholarly monographs, original research articles, edited volumes, professional publications, conferences, public lectures, online content, and other forms of science communication. The programme also developed a number of innovative social models, strategies, and recommendations aimed at supporting decision-makers and advancing social, cultural, language, and educational practices.

Research Programme Results:

The results of the research programme are reflected in scholarly monographs, edited monographs, original research articles, contributions to international conference proceedings, professional publications, teaching manuals, textbooks, and other publications directly resulting from the implementation of the programme. The bibliographic references, including publication titles and details, are directly related to the programme’s research areas.

Scientific Monographs:

1. Mikolič, Vesna. Izrazi moči slovenskega jezika.  Koper: Znanstveno-raziskovalno središče, Annales ZRS; Ljubljana: Slovenska matica, 2020. COBISS.SI-ID: 17199619.

The monograph examines language intensity, which the author explores both grammatically and through examples from various discourses, namely science, tourism advertising, and politics. The work also addresses the power of language in literature and translated literature and includes noteworthy intercultural comparisons. In the final part of the monograph, the author focuses entirely on the relationship between language intensity and violent and hate speech. This is the first study of language intensity in Slovenian linguistics. The work was published in the Razsežnosti slovenstva series, the series of the programme team, Annales ZRS, and Slovenska matica.

2. Bufon, Milan. Ethnos in topos: družbene spremembe in narodnostna podoba slovenskih krajev na Tržaškem od leta 1910 do leta 2015.  Koper: Znanstveno-raziskovalno središče, Annales ZRS; Ljubljana: Slovenska matica, 2020. COBISS.SI-ID: 33174531.

The monograph presents the social changes and ethnic composition of Slovenian settlements in the Trieste area from 1910 to 2015, thus providing a century-long overview of the political, spatial, and ethnic transformations of Trieste and its immediate area of influence. It is a fundamental study in political geography on the Slovenian community in the Trieste area, produced in cooperation with SLORI in Trieste. The work was published in the Razsežnosti slovenstva series, the series of the programme team, Annales ZRS, and Slovenska matica.

3. Bohinc, Rado. Univerza in država: pravna analiza družbenega položaja univerze.  Ljubljana: Fakulteta za družbene vede, Založba FDV, 2020. ISBN 978-961-235-964-5. COBISS.SI-ID: 55943939.

The book highlights the considerable gap between the constitutionally guaranteed and the actual autonomy of the university within the current legal order of the Republic of Slovenia and in practice, as well as the difficulty of establishing a relationship of genuine partnership between the university and the state within the existing legal framework, which is a prerequisite for fulfilling the university’s social responsibility. On this basis, the author develops an innovative concept of social responsibility.

4. Čok, Tina. Cognitive implications for raising cross-language awareness in foreign language acquisition. Cham: Palgrave Macmillan, cop. 2023. XV, 197 str., ilustr. ISBN 978-3-031-27828-0. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-27829-7, DOI: 10.1007/978-3-031-27829-7, COBISS.SI-ID: 151464963.

In the monograph, the author focuses on the role of cross-language awareness in foreign language acquisition, particularly in the learning and teaching of unrelated languages. The work combines theoretical and empirical approaches to the study of foreign language acquisition, with particular emphasis on differences in the cognitive processing of speakers of typologically different languages, placing the monograph among works employing state-of-the-art approaches in cognitive linguistics.

5. Bufon, Milan (editor), Mikolič, Vesna (editor). Čezmejno sobivanje in komunikacija v času pandemije. Koper: Znanstveno-raziskovalno središče, Annales ZRS, 2023. 396 str., ilustr. ISBN 978-961-7195-09-5. COBISS.SI-ID: 151464963.

This scientific monograph is the result of additional funding obtained by the programme team for research related to COVID-19. Its eleven chapters, written by eleven members of the programme team (Rado Bohinc, Milan Bufon, Irina Cavaion, Lucija Čok, Tina Čok, Diana Košir, Maja Melinc, Vesna Mikolič, Barbara Riman, Maša Rolih, Jernej Vičič), provide a comprehensive examination of crisis strategies, policies, and measures in public systems such as healthcare, education, culture, and the media, with particular attention to the similarities and differences between Slovenia’s response to the pandemic and the approaches characteristic primarily of its two neighbouring countries, Italy and Croatia.

6. Bufon, Milan. Tržaški Slovenci: zgodba nekoč največje slovenske urbane skupnosti. Ljubljana: Slovenska matica; Koper: Znanstveno-raziskovalno središče, Annales ZRS; Trst: Založništvo tržaškega tiska, 2023. 503 str., fotogr., ilustr., zvd. ISBN 978-961-7195-13-2; 978-88-7174-363-9. COBISS.SI-ID: 169970691.

This monograph represents a fundamental academic work in the field of research into urban minority communities, the likes of which has not yet been undertaken in such a methodologically comprehensive form at either local or European level. In it, the author analyses the changing socio-economic situation and social structure of Slovenians in Trieste and identifies the various phases of the assimilation of Slovenian life into the Trieste ‘melting pot’. The first part provides a socio-political overview of the Slovenian presence in Trieste through the lens of a reinterpretation of the 1910 census. The second part, based on original research data, examines the concept of the Slovenian community in Trieste within the context of a contemporary mobile society as a diverse blend of cultural and linguistic elements and origins, self-definition and multifaceted allegiances.

7. Čok, Tina. Medjezikovno zavedanje in večjezična didaktika : kognitivni model za vključujočo večjezičnost. Koper: Znanstveno-raziskovalno središče, Annales ZRS, 2025. 157 str., ilustr. ISBN 978-961-7195-99-6. COBISS.SI-ID: 256662275.

This monograph offers a new scholarly contribution to the understanding of multilingualism as a key starting point for the linguistic integration of children with immigrant backgrounds in the Slovenian educational system. It presents a cognitive-didactic model based on linguistic relativity, interlingual awareness, and collaborative learning, and incorporates innovative tools for the formative assessment of these competencies. The model has been successfully tested in Slovenian elementary schools, where it promotes effective language learning, the valorization of native languages, and a tolerant, inclusive school environment, thereby contributing to better coexistence and peer relationships.

8. Mikolič, Vesna (editor), Košir, Diana (editor) and Rolih, Maša (editor). Jeziki sožitja, jeziki konflikta. Koper: Znanstveno-raziskovalno središče, Annales ZRS, 2026. 473 str., ilustr., graf. prikazi. ISBN: 978-961-7276-15-2. COBISS-ID: 272481283.

This scientific monograph presents an interdisciplinary collection of essays that shed light on the complex relationship between language, society and culture, and highlight the role of languages as factors in both uniting and dividing people in the contemporary multilingual landscape. The collected contributions, drawing on various theoretical and methodological perspectives, address issues of multilingualism, language policy, intercultural communication, discursive power and didactic approaches to the teaching of languages and literature, whilst also paying particular attention to the challenges of the digital age. This monograph makes a significant contribution to the understanding of language practices as a space for the formation of identities, social relations and values, and opens up possibilities for the development of inclusive, democratic and interculturally sensitive communication and educational practices.

9. Jurić-Pahor, Marija. Med krukastim in kljukastim križem: koroški Slovenci v času zgodnjega nacizma.  Celovec: Mohorjeva družba, 2026. 669 str., ilustr. ISBN 978-3-7086-1379-6. COBISS.SI-ID 265843715.

Drawing on a vast body of ‘memoir literature’, which also includes eyewitness accounts, daily and weekly newspapers, documentary material and relevant academic publications, demonstrates that the establishment of Nazism and Nazi rule in Carinthia coincided not only with the escalation of discrimination against Carinthian Slovenes, but also with the systematic incitement of efforts to eradicate everything associated with the Slovenian language and culture. The ‘Anschluss’ of 1938 was prepared against a backdrop of Austria’s transformation into an authoritarian ‘corporate state’ with fascist characteristics. The author demonstrates that this state regarded itself as ‘Christian’ and, in comparison with Nazi Germany, as a ‘better German state’, and that it found its appropriate expression even within the Slovenian national community. The book also provides an in-depth insight into the activities of a diverse range of ideological, political and other actors, as well as into the strategies of survival and resistance adopted by Carinthian Slovenes following the ‘Anschluss’ (up to 1942). It also recalls figures who are scarcely known today.

10. Devetak, Robert. “In zopet kliče domovina ženo na pomoč”: ženska dobrodelna društva na Goriškem in Gradiškem v obdobju Avstro-Ogrske. Trst: Založništvo tržaškega tiska ZTT-EST; Ljubljana: Inštitut za narodnostna vprašanja, 2025. 377 str., ilustr. ISBN 978-88-7174-377-6. COBISS.SI-ID: 244641027.

This historical study examines women’s transition from the private sphere of home and family to public life through their involvement in charitable societies in the 19th century. The book examines the activities of women’s charitable societies in the Goriška and Gradiška regions during the Austro-Hungarian era and situates their work within the broader socio-historical context of the Slovenian, Italian (Friulian) and, to some extent, German border regions. It illustrates how women of various nationalities gradually established themselves in the public sphere through organised charity work. Drawing on a wealth of sources, the author reveals that charity enabled women to develop skills, networks and social influence, and laid the foundations for later emancipation efforts.

Original Scientific Articles:

• Furlan-Štante, Nadja. Ženski glasovi in akcije v medreligijskem dialogu in religijski izgradnji miru v slovenskem kontekstu. Poligrafi: revija za religiologijo, mitologijo in filozofijo. 2019, letn. 24, št. 95/96, str. 23–41. ISSN 1318-8828. COBISS.SI-ID: 2616275.

The article takes as its fundamental point of departure the importance of fostering active and sincere interreligious dialogue in the context of contemporary migration—a dialogue that recognises and challenges negative stereotypes and prejudices, increases tolerance and respect, and strengthens mutual understanding both in the everyday lives of individuals of different religious and spiritual backgrounds and at the hierarchical institutional level of religion. Within this context, the article analyses the importance of incorporating women’s voices and the gender dimension into interreligious dialogue, as well as the positive contribution of women’s efforts to religious peacebuilding.

• Cavaion, Irina Moira. Italian in the mainstream schools of the bilingual border area of the Slovenian coast: language policy, teachers’ perspectives and a vision for the future. International multilingual research journal. 2020, letn. 14, št. 2, str. 130–145.  ISSN 1931-3152. COBISS.SI-ID: 15014915.

The study is based on the perceptions and views of Italian-language teachers working in mainstream primary and secondary schools on the Slovenian coast. The aim was to identify potential areas of research in order to understand the reasons for declining interest in the Italian language and to explore possible new approaches to teaching. The article further presents examples of newly tested teaching approaches as potential new methods of teaching and learning, thereby making an important contribution to the development of didactic approaches to language teaching.

• Jurić Pahor, Marija. Border as method: impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on the border area between Italy and Slovenia and on the Slovene minority in Italy. Razprave in gradivo: revija za narodnostna vprašanja. Dec. 2020, št. 85, str. 57–81, zvd. ISSN 0354-0286. COBISS.SI-ID: 46283779.

During the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, it became apparent that the concept of “border as method” (Mezzadra & Neilson) was paradigmatically established and intensified in the border regions of nation-states. Drawing on prevailing political, media, and public discourse and focusing on the border area between Italy and Slovenia, the article illustrates that borders are not located solely at the margins of a territory but extend both within and beyond it. They form part of broader social processes involving the internalisation of borders in the governance of population movements, particularly “illegal” migration. The tendency towards stricter controls at the Schengen and Italian-Slovenian borders gained renewed momentum during the pandemic. The border manifested itself in the fear of infection, implying adiaphorisation and exclusion (“We are not Italy!”), but also as a locus that—particularly among representatives of the Slovenian minority and people living along the border—prompted greater awareness of the need for empathetic, cross-border, and European integration aimed at transcending national borders. According to the ARIS evaluation, the article is considered an outstanding research achievement and has been cited several times since its publication.

• Cavaion, Irina Moira. Slovene as a minority and foreign language in italian mainstream schools in the province of Trieste. Razprave in gradivo – Inštitut za narodnostna vprašanja (1990). 2022, št. 88, str. 27–47. COBISS.SI-ID: 114119683.

This paper describes the history, presence, actions and perspective of Slovene language teaching and learning in Italian primary mainstream schools in the province of Trieste as an extraordinary opportunity – after 30 years of Slovenia’s independence and almost 25 years of open borders – to reflect on the role of Slovene as a minority and foreign language among the majority population of neighbouring Italy, on the interethnic relationships it fosters, and on its potential to become an element of identity awareness development within the process of identity formation for both the kin state Slovenia homeland and the Slovene community in Trieste.

• Devetak, Robert. Razvoj slovenske prisotnosti v goriškem javnem prostoru pred prvo svetovno vojno. Zgodovinski časopis: glasilo Zveze zgodovinskih društev Slovenije. 2023, letn. 77, št. 3/4, str. 380–404, ilustr. ISSN 0350-5774. COBISS.SI-ID: 178558723.

The article deals with the development of Slovenian presence in the public space of the city of Gorizia – the multi-ethnic centre of the region of Gorizia and Gradisca – at the turn of the 19th to 20th century. The Slovenian strategy of entering the city’s public space, where the Italian community dominated, focused on strengthening the economic and political power in the city. In practice, this was refl ected in the growing number of Slovenian economic subjects, various associations and organisations, and the purchase and construction of representative buildings. The Slovenian expansion into the city centre culminated in the construction of the Trade House in 1904.

• Košir, Diana. Kulturna in jezikovna dediščina Hijacinta Repiča, frančiškana pri sv. Ani v Kopru. Annales: anali za istrske in mediteranske študije = annali di Studi istriani e mediterranei = annals for Istrian and Mediterranean studies, Series historia et sociologia. ISSN 1408-5348. 2023, letn. 33, št. 3, str. 471–488. COBISS.SI-ID: 180001539.

The article provides an overview of the written legacy of the Franciscan friar Hijacint Repič (1863–1918) from the Monastery of St Anne in Koper. The archival sources are currently held by the Local History Department of the Koper Library, the Regional Archives Koper, the provincial archives of the Order of Friars Minor in Ljubljana and Venice, and the Monastery of St Anne. The author analyses and describes these sources and situates them within the Slovenian cultural history of Istria at the turn of the twentieth century. Based on an analysis of primary and secondary sources, the prolific work of Fr Repič is presented in a new light. His efforts to promote the Slovenian written word demonstrate that, despite living within monastery walls, he was one of the earliest representatives of Slovenian literary culture in Istria at the turn of the century, thereby allowing the author to shed new light on the cultural circumstances of the period under consideration in the Koper area.

• Jurić Pahor, Marija. Diaspora and diasporisation: Slovene national identity in the contemporary globalised world. Razprave in gradivo = Treatises and documents: revija za narodnostna vprašanja; journal of ethnic studies. ISSN 0354-0286. 2023, letn. 91, str. 199–224. COBISS.SI-ID: 179392259.

After a brief presentation of the history of the concept of diaspora and its derivatives, and a critical review of the relevant literature, the article explores the phenomenon of diasporic Sloveneness, with a particular focus on the contemporary Slovenian diaspora. The concept encompasses, but is not limited to, Slovenes and members of Slovene national communities (with an emphasis on Carinthian and Trieste Slovenes) who have dispersed around the world since Slovenia’s independence in 1991. The author concludes that the contemporary Slovene diaspora consists mainly of young, highly educated people who are actively striving to establish themselves in the global world. Even though they have emigrated from their country of origin, they remain – especially through modern communication technologies – connected to it. The article provides an insight into the complex and multifaceted process of diasporic grouping and long-distance nationalism, which also includes processes of transculturation and sheds light on Slovene national identity in the contemporary globalised world.

• Čok, Tina. Survey on the attitudes of school community members regarding the role of the language(s) of schooling in the integration process of pupils with an immigrant background in Slovenia. CEPS journal = Revija Centra za študij edukacijskih strategij: Center for Educational Policy Studies Journal. ISSN 1855-9719. 2024, letn. 14, št. 3, str. 89–115. COBISS.SI-ID: 208843779.

In this paper, we present the results of research on the role of languages of schooling in the success of all pupils in Slovenian primary education institutions, with a focus on those with an immigrant background.  To  achieve  this  goal,  we  conducted  an  anonymous  survey  (n = 78) among teachers and support staff and interviewed principals from nine  Slovenian  primary  schools.  The  main  aim  of  the  survey  and  inter-views  was  to  investigate  the  status  and  understanding  of  the  role  of  the  languages of schooling in the context of the newly proposed cognitive-in-clusive language didactics based on collaborative learning. The study found that while school staff recognise the importance of multilingual education and  linguistic  integration,  there  are  significant  gaps  in  training  and  sup-port mechanisms for teachers. Although schools generally support the use of multiple languages, there is a lack of cross-language awareness and vis-ible promotion of multilingualism in the school environment. The findings of  the  study  suggest  the  need  to  introduce  comprehensive,  standardised  training and support for teachers that focuses on improving cross-language awareness and inclusive educational practices, which can ultimately lead to better  integration  outcomes  for  immigrant  pupils  and  enrichment  of  the  educational environment for all members of the community.

• Mikolič, Vesna and Košir, Diana. Sočasno poučevanje jezika in književnosti ob kanonski mladinski literaturi v drugem triletju osnovne šole. Jezik in slovstvo. ISSN 0021-6933. 2024, letn. 69, št. 3, str. 61–77. COBISS.SI-ID: 209208067.

In this article, we present the use of more modern teaching approaches, in particular the simultaneous teaching of literature and language, using the example of the short story Pehar suhih hrušk (A cup of dried pears) by Ivan Cankar in the second triennium of the elementary school. In doing so, we turn away from the established traditional approach, which focuses on the author and his psychological relationship with his mother, and direct the research focus towards the literary text and its reception. The work is interpreted using the hermeneutic method and by analysing individual elements (linguistic, stylistic, motivic-thematic, etc.) and the whole in its socio-cultural context. In this way, students are better motivated to learn both literature and language while developing reception, (meta)linguistic skills, communication skills and critical thinking.

• Devetak, Robert. “The cause of our poverty is colonia.”: the colonate sistem in the County of Gorizia and Gradisca during the Austro-Hungarian empire. Prispevki za novejšo zgodovino = Contributions to the contemporary history; Contributions á l’histoire contemporaine; Beiträge zur Zeitgeschichte. ISSN 0353-0329. 2024, letn. 64, št. 2, str. 48–68. COBISS.SI-ID: 210664195.

The paper examines the colonate system – a specific form of land dependency that persisted for almost a century following the abolition of feudal relations in 1848. It was a civil law relationship that involved mostly poor peasant families who did not own property, leasing land, a house, or an entire estate based on a contract, most often from noble families or wealthy rural landlords. The system resembled serfdom and was passed down from generation to generation between the coloni. It pushed colonate families to the margins of society and into poverty. The system persisted in the Habsburg monarchy, notably in the region of Gorizia and Gradisca, especially in the western parts. This paper will present the general features of the system, as it existed at the turn of the 19th century, as well as the attempts of the authorities to formally regulate it.

• Mikolič, Vesna. Intenziteta jezika v slovenščini in nekaterih drugih južnoslovanskih jezikih = Language intensity in some South Slavic languages. Slavistična revija: časopis za jezikoslovje in literarne vede; = journal for linguistics and literary studies. ISSN 0350-6894. 2025, letn. 73, št. 3, str. 499–521. COBISS.SI-ID: 264079363.

The paper focuses on modality and language intensity in some South Slavic languages (Slovene, Bosnian, Croatian, Serbian and Montenegrin). Based on a corpus-linguistic approach, the study draws on the theoretical frameworks of pragmatics and intercultural pragmatics. Using web text corpora in the aforementioned languages, collected within the CLARIN Knowledge Centre for South Slavic Languages (CLASSLA), a comparative linguistic analysis was conducted to identify linguistic means and communicative patterns associated with language intensity. The comparative study revealed that intensifiers are used more frequently and mitigators less frequently in BCSM languages than in Slovene, indicating a higher level of intensity in online texts in these languages. Despite the lower overall use of intensifiers in Slovene, their frequency in advertising and opinion-based texts suggests that high language intensity is also characteristic of Slovene online communication.

• Košir, Diana in Erjavec, Tomaž. Korpusna analiza pripovednega sloga in jezikovne norme v starejši verski periodiki. Prispevki za novejšo zgodovino = Contributions to the contemporary history; Contributions á l’histoire contemporaine; Beiträge zur Zeitgeschichte. ISSN 0353-0329. 2025, letn. 65, št. 3, str. 67–84. COBISS.SI-ID: 262770691.

The article presents the process of creating the CVET corpus, which contains the texts of Father Hijacint Repič published in the religious journal Cvetje z vertov sv. Frančiška between 1881 and 1916. The corpus then serves as the basis for a linguistic and stylistic analysis, carried out with the noSketch Engine tool. Frequency analysis of selected variables is used to describe Father Repič’s vocabulary and narrative style. Finally, the synchronic-diachronic and normative aspects of the older Slovenian language in the texts of the corpus are considered using the example of words of the type bralec/bravec.

• Devetak, Robert. »V tistem trenutku smo začutili, da smo si blizu in da smo porušili mejo«: stiki Osnovne šole Milojke Štrukelj s San Vendemianom v obdobju med šestdesetimi in osemdesetimi leti 20. stoletja. Razprave in gradivo = Treatises and documents: revija za narodnostna vprašanja; journal of ethnic studies. ISSN 0354-0286. 2025, letn. 94, str. 5–24. COBISS.SI-ID: 240949507.

This article explores the contacts between Milojka Štrukelj Primary School in Nova Gorica and the lower secondary school in San Vendemiano, framing them as a form of regional cooperation between Slovenia and Italy. The partnership began in the 1960s, amidst bloc divisions and an unresolved national border between Italy and Yugoslavia. At the time, the legacies of fascism and the Second World War still deeply resonated on both sides. The article focuses on two key aspects of this collaboration: school holiday camps and the cultural exchange in 1972. Supported by local, regional, and national political institutions, the schools aimed to foster cross-border connections among young people, grounded in mutual respect and the overcoming of prejudice. This ambitious initiative also functioned as a form of cultural diplomacy between the two countries. Drawing on archival documents and press coverage, the article highlights the key features and lasting impact of these contacts, which helped shape the experiences of several generations of Slovene and Italian children.

• Rolih, Maša. Novi samostalniki in novi pomeni: semantična dinamika nestandardne spletne slovenščine v korpusu JANES v1.0 (družbena omrežja). Slavia Centralis. ISSN 1855-6302. 2026, letn. 19, št. 1, str. 132–152. COBISS.SI-ID: 284412419.

This paper explores the use of nonstandard lexis in contemporary internet Slovene based on the JANES v1.0 corpus (Fišer, Erjavec, Ljubešić 2018). It focuses on the identification and analysis of noun-based lexical items which are not included in general dictionaries, and on identifying new, contextually dependent meanings of words which are already included in dictionaries. The aim of the paper is to provide suitable lexicographic definitions for selected nonstandard expressions and to develop or, if necessary, also to complete the typology of qualifiers (Gliha Komac, Divjak Race 2022; Mikolič 2016) based on their stylistic, functional, and pragmatic use as revealed through concordance analysis. Special attention is given to the role of discourse and normative markedness. The study highlights the importance of archived corpora such as JANES v1.0 in the context of increasingly restricted access to user-generated content.

• Batič, Matic and Devetak, Robert. Nation-building in the borderlands: Slovene spatial politics in the County of Gorizia and Gradisca. Central European history [Elektronski vir]. ISSN 1569-1616. 2026. COBISS.SI-ID: 280413443.

The article examines the Slovenization of public space in the Habsburg crownland of Gorizia and Gradisca from the late nineteenth century to the outbreak of the First World War. As in other ethnically mixed regions of the empire, public space became a contested arena shaped by the rise of nationalism, with competing national groups seeking to inscribe their ideologies onto the urban landscape. The Slovene national movement aimed to assert its identity and political aspirations through symbolic spatial interventions. However, owing to the specific circumstances of the Slovene community in the region—characterized by a predominantly rural population and internal divisions between liberal and conservative currents—Slovene spatial politics exhibited distinctive features compared to other nationally driven spatial strategies. The article traces the gradual assertion of a Slovene presence in local public space, from the first nationally inspired monument erected in 1898 to the construction of the national hall in the center of the provincial capital, Gorizia.