The Slovenian linguistic environment is characterized by a great regional diversity of language in private use, a special role in which is played by dialects as a valuable part of Slovenian culture. Regional speech expressions and regional coloring are becoming increasingly visible in public use, in which the Prekmurje dialect, which served as an independent standardized language the longest, stands out as the most idiosyncratic dialect and the one with the most developed body of literature. Based on historical facts and a presentation of the former and current linguistic situation, alonga with concrete examples from Prekmurje, this article describes and analyzes the viability and independence of Slovenian dialects in Slovenian society in relation to standard Slovenian.
|