Name-calling in Slovenia: “we” and the “others”
Name-calling in Slovenia: “we” vs. “the others”

Summary/Abstract: The article deals with name-calling in Slovenia against the background of expressions characterizing a given ethnic group. The study is based on data from micro-genres of folklore, as well as from poetry and prose. The following problem is in focus: should nicknames be treated as a distinct genre or as an “ecological perspective”, manifesting itself in various genres, such as comparative expressions, adages, proverbs, riddles, poems and fables/tales. The article attempts to show that Slovenian nicknames constitute a system and proposes directions of further research. The analysis presents Slovenians as participants in an international “exchange of goods” at the level of spiritual culture. A study of variants of the nicknames also allows one to identify the foundations of the poetics of folklore.

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