Slovenščina v Prekmurju in Porabju – med knjižno normo in narečjem*
The Slovene Language in Prekmurje and Porabje – between Standard Norm and Dialect

Author(s): Marko Jesenšek
Subject(s): South Slavic Languages
Published by: Wydawnictwo Uniwersytetu Śląskiego
Keywords: Slovene identity; Slovene language duality development; Slovene language in Prekmurje and Porabje; Central-Slovene standard language; Eastern-Slovene standard language; standard variants of the Sloven
Summary/Abstract: The Slovene language in Prekmurje and Porabje has been developing separately from the Central-Slovene Carniola language for a long time. Until the beginning of the 18th century, the surrogate Kajkavian language had been used in church by Slovene people living between Mura and Raba, which proved to be more understandable compared to the Central-Slovene standard language. Catholic priests, educated in Kajkavian centres (Zagreb, Varaždin), used Kajkavian prayer books for their worship services. Similarly, Protestants were under the influence of the Croatian Kajkavian language, supplemented by linguistic elements from the Ravensko-Goričko dialect. Due to the dual development of the Slovene language, the Prekmurje language in the Pannonian area differed from Trubar’s and Dalmatin’s Carniola language in the Slovene Alpine area up until the mid- 19th century.The Slovene standard language unified in the mid-19th century, when the Central- Slovene and Eastern-Slovene language variations merged into New Slovene, or unified Slovene standard language. However, in the eastern part of Slovenia, this unification was followed only by Catholic authors, while Protestant authors continued using their own linguistic norm until the end of World War I, when part of the Prekmurje area was merged with Slovenian territory in 1921.Today’s linguistic situation in the Porabje area shows a substantial gap between the dialect and Slovene standard language. In the past, this has been successfully regulated by the Prekmurje standard language, although in the second half of the 19th century the New Slovene language has deepened the divide. Nowadays, the standard language in Porabje is considered as an artificial language, taught in school, while the archaic Porabian dialect, used in everyday communication, is beginning to disappear in the face of contact with Slovene, Kajkavian, and Hungarian.Lately, there has been a desire in the Porabje area to preserve the use of the dialect in worship services, while Porabian Slovene, used in artistic language, radio (Slovene radio Monošter), and newspapers (newspaper Porabje), is trying to find a balance between the standard literary norm and the dialect.

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