“To you, Slovenia is a place abroad, to me it is not”: Sociolinguistic Practices of the Slovene Minority in Belgrade

Abstract

This article examines the linguistic practices of the Slovene minority living in Belgrade through the lens of belonging and identity, looking at the linguistic habits of three Slovene individuals residing in Belgrade. Based on data collected through semi-structured interviews conducted in December 2021, I analyze how these individuals deal with the sociolinguistic and identity challenges typical of Slovene people in Serbia. The study addresses issues related to language use within their primary families during childhood, as well as their current family contexts, and explores how they adapt their language according to different social contexts. Furthermore, it examines how their linguistic behaviors have evolved in response to significant external events, particularly the violent dissolution of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, a turning point that redefined cultural and linguistic identities throughout the region. The research highlights how the changing sociopolitical landscape has influenced Slovene-Serbian identity and linguistic practices, including the experience of becoming “foreigners” within a region once marked by shared Yugoslav identities. Participants’ narratives reveal how they negotiate their sense of belonging through language, adapting their language and identity in response to Serbia’s complex national dynamics. The unique position of Slovenes as a national minority in Serbia is thus explored through participants’ reflections on their linguistic adaptation and the challenges of otherness in post-Yugoslav society. This study offers insights into the broader sociolinguistic dynamics faced by national minorities in societies in transition and sheds light on the specific, often nuanced, linguistic practices of Slovenes in Serbia, a context that differs from other Slovene emigrant communities around the world.