Slovene is spoken by approximately 2.5 million people, most of whom live in Slovenia. While people in Slovenia mostly speak various foreign languages very well, Slovene is the best way to get to know the country and its inhabitants.
Today we commemorate International Mother Language Day. The mother tongue is the language that a person first learns and most commonly uses in everyday communication. It is the language through which we express ourselves, think, write, dream, and communicate in general.
On 31 October, we celebrate Reformation Day, which honours the religious, political and cultural movement of the 16th century. It was then that Slovenians received the first printed book in the Slovenian language, published by Primož Trubar.
A cumulative catalogue of Frankfurt book fairs between 1564 and 1592 was issued in 1592. Ten years later, an overview of the books presented at what was already a prestigious event in the 16th century was issued. The titles were categorised by languages: Latin first, followed by German and then books in Italian, French and Spanish. Within these three sections, the books were further categorised into professions, i.e. theology, law, medicine, history, philosophy and music.
Slovenia is a small country, but remarkably diverse and dynamic. Its colourfulness is also reflected in the Slovenian language, which prides itself on its many dialects. The dialects reflect the specific features of individual Slovenian regions, their culture, as well as linguistic and ethnographic heritage.
Around the world, the number of people with vision impairment is growing. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), "Globally, at least 2.2 billion people have a vision impairment or blindness, of whom at least 1 billion have a vision impairment that could have been prevented or has yet to be addressed." In Slovenia, eight to ten thousand people suffer from severe vision impairment, and a further thirty to forty thousand have moderate vision impairment.
The official language in Slovenia is Slovenian, as determined by the Constitution of the Republic of Slovenia, which also guarantees the Italian and Hungarian minorities the right to use their respective languages and develop their cultures in the areas in which they live.
Have you ever thought about which word in your language is the most beautiful? I'm sure you have. If not, I invite you to try.
But can we really say we find the opportunity to do it every day? We mostly just tap the keys on a computer or mobile phone. We don't even send handwritten holiday cards any more. The "Radi pišemo z roko" (We like writing by hand) Society has been raising this issue since 2017.
Are you planning a visit to Slovenia? Do you speak Slovene? Don't worry, we speak English very well but we will be pleased if you can say HELLO or GOOD DAY, PLEASE and THANK YOU in Slovene. You can turn to the elephant for help. How?
The Reading Badge programme, which promotes voluntary reading during children’s free time, was initially adopted by elementary schools throughout Slovenia. In the last two decades, it has also been thrilling children who read at home with their parents and can win a pre-school Reading Badge.
The Slovene at Foreign Universities (STU) programme has been running at the Faculty of Arts of the University of Ljubljana, both celebrating their 100th anniversary in 2019, since the 1960s. In terms of organisation, professional focus and content, the programme is a part of the Centre for Slovene as a Second and Foreign Language in the context of the Department of Slovene Studies.
