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Abstract
Synopsis:
This article develops the notion of "shibbolethonyms"—group names derived from perceived speech differences—within Slovene as well broader Slavic contexts. Grounded in Roman Jakobson’s communication theory and the anthropological study of "othering," the research examines how teasing based on dialectal differences highlights the metalinguistic function of language. Building upon Marija Stanonik's typology of Slovene name-calling—the article being an accompanying text to Stanonik’s monograph—the author identifies language-based taunts as a significant subgenre capable of evolving into established ethnonyms.
The term shibbolethonym, coined by Patrick McConvell to describe Australian Aboriginal naming practices, is systematically applied to the Slavic domain. Prominent South Slavic examples include the designations Kajkavian, Čakavian, and Štokavian, which categorize dialect groups based on their respective words for "what". Although these terms began as scholarly designations, they eventually became accepted by speakers themselves as group-identification labels, both as endonyms and exonyms. Similar formations are observed among West and East Slavs, such as the Slovak Sotáci or Belarusian szczokały.
The author concludes that as genealogy-based tribal affiliations disappeared among Slavic populations, new identification patterns, sometimes based on speech differences, emerged. Particularly in the South Slavic context, where urban and state structures were historically less central than among East Slavs, dialectal differences became primary markers for "othering" and group identity. Consequently, shibbolethonyms demonstrate how specific linguistic features are selected to mark boundaries and encode broader cultural assumptions about neighboring groups.
Description
NB: The file is based on the preprint, which ends on p. 367, while the final published version ends on p. 366. The text is in Slovene and does not contain an English synopsis.
Date
2026
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Slovenska akademija znanosti in umetnosti
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Keywords
ethnonyms, shibboleths, dialectology, othering, Slavic languages, South Slavic languages
Citation
Greenberg, Marc L. 2026. Kaj je v imenu? Od zbadljivke preko šiboleta do etnonima” [What’s in a name? From a taunt to a shibboleth to an ethnonym]. In Marija Stanonik. Kakor ti meni, tako jaz tebi. Fragmentarna topografija krajevnih vzdevkov in zbadljivk iz slovenske slovstvene folklore in objav. Razprave II. Razreda, 34. Classis II: Philologia et Litterae Dissertationes Classis II, XXXIV: 356–366. Ljubljana: Slovenska akademija znanosti in umetnosti.