Resian: Genealogical and Sociolinguistic Definition

Abstract

The article presents a genealogical and sociolinguistic classification of Slavic idioms, drawing on the example of Resian. Resian is an autochthonous idiom, spoken in the Resia Valley (Ital. Val Resia), which belongs to the Municipality of Resia (Rozajanski kumün, Ital. Comune di Resia) within the Province of Udine (Ital. Provincia di Udine) in Friuli–Venezia Giulia, an autonomous Italian region. The genealogical linguistics studies the genealogical relationship between idioms and on the basis of the nature of their mutual relationship establishes their genealogical classification. In this respect, Resian must be viewed as a dialect of Slovene. Sociolinguistics, on the other hand, tends to view languages as systems of communication and on the basis of different spheres of usage assigns their sociolinguistic classification. From the latter viewpoint, Resian can be defined as a literary/standard microlanguage within Slovene, which due to the absence of the Slovene standard language is put into the role of the local literary language with a rather limited scope of functional varieties.