The article deals with the constructive role of the language of sermons by Slovenian bishop Anton Martin Slomšek (1800–1862) in the formation of a unified Slovenian literary language. It stems from findings that Slovenian literary language from Trubar to Slomšek has normatively been developing and forming along with sermon language. The author establishes Slomšek’s important role in this continuity on the basis of phonetic and morphologic features of his sermon language which show Slomšek as an advocate of the unification of the Slovenian language and are also tightly bound to his theoretical bases, language planning and general efforts for the Slovenian language. Namely, Slomšek maintained linguistic tradition, people’s language which he upgraded to a solid literary system. Thus, he consciously followed the Central Slovenian language in choosing linguistic variations and faced it with characteristics of his own language environment. In this regard, he did neither accept Franc Metelko’s Central Slovenian literary system nor Peter Danjko’s Eastern Styrian. Instead, he followed Anton Murko’s systemic linguistic solutions showing the way of accepting new inflective forms which he, as an advocate of unification, accepted into his sermons, even though not consistently at that time. Apart from its religious and educational role, Slomšek’s sermons have irreplaceably formed and reinforced literary norm. With its stylistic perfection he also permanently marked the 19th century church rhetoric and above all, his sermons have been an effective means of cultivating Slovene nation and language.
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