Cooperative research project
Project promotion: SLORI and Dijaški dom S. Kosovela
Project supervision: Dr Maja Melinc Mlekuž
Participants: Dr Matejka Grgič, Dafne Marko
Project implementation period: 2017-
The SM(e)Jse web portal (the acronym SM(e)Jse stands for SLOVENŠČINA KOT MANJŠINSKI JEZIK i.e. Slovene as a minority language)
is a repository for existing and new material and information that allows its users to improve their linguistic skills and competency in the Slovene language.
The portal provides exposure to different varieties of the Slovene language (dialects, literary language, spoken language, jargon, slang, etc.) in a geographical area where the Slovene and the Italian language are in close contact. More precisely, the portal is designed for Slovene speakers living in Italy.
The goals of the portal are the following:
promote advanced communication skills in the Slovene language and balanced bilingualism; these can be achieved by developing additional language skills that would enable the speakers of Slovene as a minority language to use Slovene effectively, efficiently and confidently in any given situation, including situations in which they normally speak Italian or a mixture of Italian and Slovene;
foster a continued use of local language varieties (dialects, spoken language, etc.) within a Slovene continuum in a geographical area and an environment where such usage is acceptable and welcomed, while at the same time building up on the knowledge of other language varieties that are widely used in Slovenia, but are not as common within the Slovene ethnic community in Italy due to the specific status of Slovene as a minority language. These include an “official”, more formal language, as well as its more informal varieties, including spoken language, slang and jargon.
encourage a long-term active use of the Slovene language in the geographical areas of the Friuli Venezia Giulia region historically inhabited by the Slovene ethnic minority.
The web portal is aimed at various target groups and offers a variety of contents.
In 2020, a new section of the SMeJse website entitled Pouk na daljavo – korona čas (Distance Learning – Corona Times) was prepared, which stores distance learning materials which teachers and lecturers can adapt and use in class. The section consists of the following:
- lesson plans and other teaching materials intended for the development of language and communication skills among various target groups – from preschool children, pupils, students, to the professional public;
- hyperlinks to existing resources, websites, tools, learning materials, and other content created by various professional, scientific, and educational institutions;
- announcements and news about events, activities and projects aimed at developing Slovene language skills in various communicative situations;
- hyperlinks to books, articles and other materials intended for the professional public;
- short popular science articles in the form of blogs from the fields of Italian-Slovene language contact, didactics of minority languages, language planning, language use and development of language skills.
A thorough expansion and updating of the portal is planned for 2020 and 2021, made possible by funding from the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Slovenia.