Slovenian today
The Fran Ramovš Institute of the Slovenian Language at ZRC SAZU is launching a new review of the state of language policy in Slovenia, eight years after the last similar study. Language policy is a set of principles, measures, and strategies through which the state and other actors regulate the use of languages. It determines how languages are used in education, public administration, media, and public life, prescribes their protection in specific areas, and encourages speakers to use them and reflect on their relationship with language. It also includes language standardization, the creation of language portals, manuals, and tools. Language policy, therefore, concerns everyone who uses language. Every opinion on language use and its status matters for this research, as it contributes to caring for its future. The findings will serve as the basis for drafting guidelines for a modern language policy that best reflects the real needs of language users in the Republic of Slovenia.
The research is carried out by the Fran Ramovš Institute of the Slovenian Language at ZRC SAZU (lead partner) in cooperation with the Educational Research Institute (ERI) and the Slovene Research Institute (SLORI) in Trieste. It is funded by the Slovenian Research and Innovation Agency (ARIS) and the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Slovenia. The Slovenian Today survey is the central part of a new comprehensive longitudinal language policy study. It is a continuation of the first such study conducted in 2017, which for the first time provided a comprehensive overview of the language needs of various user groups – from those in key sectors (e.g. education, higher education and science, media, healthcare, culture) and users with specific needs (blind and visually impaired, deaf and hard of hearing, deafblind, users with intellectual disabilities), to speakers of minority languages, immigrant languages, and Slovene speakers living abroad or in neighboring countries.
The aim of the comprehensive study is to collect and analyze data through an in-depth online survey and other targeted research on the adequacy of legal and programmatic documents in key areas, their implementation, the state of Slovenian language infrastructure, the effectiveness of language education in the Republic of Slovenia, and language attitudes, practices, and challenges faced by speakers of various languages in Slovenia.
A particularly important part of the study is the online survey, which anyone can complete. The survey is anonymous and in-depth, requiring about 20 to 30 minutes to complete. It will remain open until May 5, 2025. As a thank you, the fastest participants will receive publications from the Fran Ramovš Institute of the Slovenian Language at ZRC SAZU, and possibly even a Fran portal backpack – more details in the survey. We invite all speakers of Slovenian and other languages in the Republic of Slovenia to participate – regardless of education, profession, or the language they use. More opinions mean a better foundation for implementing measures that will shape the everyday linguistic reality in Slovenia!
The survey link is available here.