Aspects of Slovenia’s Language Policy after the Transition from the Perspective of the ‘Diglossia’ and ‘Windisch Theory’

The transition to Eastern Europe and the disintegration of the ‘Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia’ were the most significant events in Slovenian history. This change allowed Slovenia to gain its first independent state since settling in the Balkans in the 7th century. The history of Slovenia was, in short, the history of the incorporation. In previous history, Slovenia has always maintained their ethnicity and language under the umbrella of a powerful nation. In 1991, for the first time in history, Slovenia established an independent ‘nation-state’. The first priority of Slovenia was the establishment of a national identity, a national identity. The Slovenian language is a symbol of the Slovenian nation and national identity. In previous history, Slovenia did not complete this task, and the bigger problem was the Slovenian public's perception of the Slovenian language. Due to the continued cultural dominance of foreign powers, the Slovenians themselves turned a blind eye to the pure Slovenian language. Slovenian language was always a low variety in the ‘Diglossia Phenomenon’. The Slovenian accepted the ‘Windisch Theory’ and ‘Diglossia’ without resistance. The regime change and the establishment of the earliest national state were important turning points for improving the status of Slovenian both internally and externally. Slovenia tried to solve this through a state-led language policy. In the early days of the regime change, Slovenian language policy attempted to force the use of pure Slovenian language in all public sphere. However, Slovenes lived in previous history as Europeans rather than Balkans, Slavs. The general public in Slovenia tended to perceive the purist language policy as a product of backward Balkan nationalism. Contrary to the government's intention, the general public hoped for a Slovenian language policy that could be linked to globalization and Europeanization. The expansion of English, which can be called the language of globalization, is becoming increasingly concerned about another ‘Diglossia phenomenon’ despite the Slovenian government's regulations. After the regime change, Slovenian language policy changed according to the tendency of the regime and failed to present a consistent direction. To this day, the completion of pure Slovenian language, the sacred symbol of the Slovenian people, remains an unresolved national task.