Foreign-language elements in a language are a consequence of languages in contact and the transfer of linguistic elements between languages. The perception of the "foreign" in a language varies among different language communities. In the Slovene language community, the acceptance of foreign-language elements has always been an issue that transcends pure linguistics and varies according to ideology. The category of "foreign" emerges through the procedures of standardisation and codification that are set down in normative manuals. This article traces the codification of the "foreign" in Slovene orthographies, which provides evidence as to the perception and designation of "foreign" in different periods of history. The tendency in the first three orthographies differs from that of their successors, in particular the 1990 guide. Levec, Breznik and Ramov{ highlight foreign-language elements by putting them down in the original form and cautioning against their use. In the dictionary part of the Levec and Breznik orthography, foreign-language elements are designated with a cross and thus labelled as inappropriate for use. In the 1990 edition, foreign-language elements are largely adapted to the Slovene linguistic system in spoken as well as written language, and usage is not as explicitly discouraged as in the first two orthographies.
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