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Terminology in genetic-linguistic studies as a political issue

The case of the South Slavic dialectal continuum

ORCiD logo with link | University of Ljubljana
Published online: 13 October 2025
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https://doi.org/10.1075/term.25006.iva
Abstract
The recent version of the Slovenian Linguistic Atlas (SLA) classifies a significant number of speech varieties from the Republic of Croatia as part of the Slovenian language using genetic-linguistic criteria. A critical analysis of the conceptual framework and criteria employed in the SLA reveals that the project incorporates terminology from other scientific disciplines into the field of genetic linguistics, often without consistently adhering the original definitions and conceptual boundaries of those terms. When speech varieties are labelled with terms carrying sociolinguistic connotations, their analysis must be guided by sociolinguistic criteria. Conversely, if classification is based exclusively on genetic-linguistic criteria, new terminology specific to genetic linguistics should be developed to avoid confusion with established meanings in other disciplines. This paper highlights the potential for arbitrariness in genetic-linguistic studies and suggests safeguards to ensure methodological rigor in future research.
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
  • 2.The issue of the new boundaries
  • 3.Methodology
  • 4.Results and discussion
    • 4.1Ethnolinguistic terminology and its implications
    • 4.2Toward terminological clarity in Genetic linguistic
    • 4.3Rethinking labels in South Slavic language/dialect classification
    • 4.4Methodological gaps in genetic linguistic studies
  • 5.Conclusion
  • Notes
  • References
References (43)
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