42nd Seminar of Slovene Language, Literature and Culture

Seminar of Slovene Language, Literature and Culture was the first window opened in the last century so that we could see who lived on the other side, who we could invite to visit and who we could exchange ideas with. Students, researchers, translators and others interested in Slovene society, culture, art and language will be our welcome guests for the 42nd time. The long tradition of the seminar means that we have impressive organisational experience, while the carefully chosen language teachers, lecturers, experts from various institutions and artists bestow a high level of academic excellence. For this reason, many of the participants are regular visitors and have become true friends. We invite you all to the Slovene capital, which is in the summer colourfully clothed and very relaxed. You can become familiar in a direct and active way, through informative and entertaining activities, with how we actually live, speak, study, think and create. By taking part you can satisfy your curiosity as a student or researcher and meet people of similar interests, while your stay in Ljubljana will also offer us enrichment, as an interest in Slovenes and their language is what guides our work.

 

The common thread of this year’s seminar activities will be reflection on and discussion of the modern urban way of life. Under the overall theme of The town and its inhabitants we shall uncover the semiotic space, historical traces, process of urbanisation, the positive and negative aspects of concentrated inhabitation. We shall show what is happening in the centre and on the margins; how language once used to develop in the urban environment and what dialects are present there today; what the everyday urban way of life is and how the town is represented in art; and what monuments, buildings, streets, squares and institutions link together the inhabitants. Our aim is to present from a linguistic, literary, historical, sociological and ethnological viewpoint how we live together in the town and how we live as individuals. Come and get to know us.

 

 

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The seminar is organized by the Centre for Slovene as a Second/Foreign Language at the Department of Slovene Studies, Faculty of Arts, University of Ljubljana, Kongresni trg 12, SI-1000 Ljubljana.

 

 

Participants in the seminar – about 130 each year – are foreign Slovenicists, Slavicists, literary writers, EU and other translators, experts in comparative linguistics and literature, and others who research or teach Slovene, translate, or include Slovene in any other way in their life and work: teachers, researchers and students of Slovene and Slavonic Studies at universities and research institutes abroad and in ethnic Slovene areas, etc. They attend the seminar with the desire to deepen and enrich their knowledge, to learn about the latest findings and to have genuine contact with the Slovene language, literature and culture.

 

 

The morning programme takes place entirely at the Faculty of Arts, the University of Ljubljana, Aškerčeva 2, Ljubljana, while the afternoon and evening programme is organized at different locations in Ljubljana.

 

 

The lecturers, lectors and other teaching staff at the seminar are established experts and researchers from the Department of Slovene Studies, the Department of Slavonic Studies, other departments of the Faculty of Arts, other Faculties of the University of Ljubljana, or other Slovene universities and leading research and national institutions.

 

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Beginners are invited to take part in a preliminary week immediately preceding the 2-week seminar. In this period the emphasis is on intensive practical classes in small groups with experienced teachers and on phonetics classes in the language laboratory. During this week there are also some afternoon/evening activities, e.g. an afternoon excursion, visits to museums or a creative workshop.

 

 

The two-week seminar features a busy morning programme of practical classes, lectures, round table width=100% width=100% discussions or creative workshops, special courses, phonetics classes and conversation classes, and is accompanied by a rich afternoon and evening programme.

 

 

These classes comprise about 15 hours a week, with a total of 30 hours in the 2-week seminar and 60 hours in the 3-week seminar. Classes are organized in 3 beginners’ groups, 6 intermediate and 3 advanced groups. According to their interests, participants can choose among linguistic, literary-historical and general groups. Individual participants are assigned to an appropriate group on the basis of a language test completed before arrival at the seminar, and oral testing carried out at the beginning of the 2-week/ 3-week seminar.

 

 

Lectures, round table width=100% width=100% discussions and creative workshops (approximately 20 hours), which are meant primarily for those at a more advanced level, present and discuss the latest ideas about Slovene linguistic, literary and cultural creative work. At the 42nd Seminar of Slovene Language, Literature and Culture they will focus on the overall theme of The town and its inhabitants. As always, the results will appear in the seminar proceedings.

 

 

Three elective courses of 5 hours each look in depth at current issues relating to the Slovene standard language and literature, translation, Slovene culture and Slovene as a second/foreign language. Classes take the form of workshops. The lecturers’ contributions are published in the seminar proceedings. Participants in the intermediate and advanced groups must attend one of the three courses. Alternatively, they may attend a series of afternoon lectures, known as the “parade of youth”, that offers an insight into the research and other activities of the youngest generation of Slovene specialists and researchers.

 

 

These classes are divided into two parts: (a) beginners classes are obligatory and start with an introductory presentation of the Slovene spoken language and its special phonetic features, using examples from texts. This is followed by practical exercises to improve pronunciation and listening skills necessary for more efficient learning and use of the language. The exercises are adjusted to the participants’ level of knowledge and to their mother tongue; (b) intermediate classes are optional and primarily intended for those who wish to improve their spoken Slovene. The work is organized in small groups and adjusted to the individual.

 

 

These classes are aimed at improving communication skills, extending vocabulary, internalizing communication patterns and eliminating mistakes. They will deal with themes taken primarily from everyday life, with an emphasis on practical communication and on extending acquaintance with Slovenia and its culture. The conversation classes are obligatory for beginner and lower intermediate groups.

 

 

During the seminar the participants will have an opportunity to engage in a few hours of free conversation (i.e. no fee) with students from the Ljubljana Department of Slovene Studies. Such individual conversation provides genuine contact with native speakers and was very well received by seminar participants in previous years.

 

 

The seminar also offers a rich afternoon-evening programme, which generally includes the showing of a Slovene film, a theatre performance, visits to museums, galleries and libraries, musical and literary evenings, guided tours of Ljubljana, etc. This additional programme includes a whole-day study excursion, which will take place this year on Saturday, 8 July 2006.

 

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The library of the Departments of Slovene/Slavonic Studies keeps an open door for seminar participants. Throughout the duration of the seminar they can borrow books and turn for advice to the friendly librarians. The library also prepares an exhibition every year, presenting recent professional literature, the best works of Slovene literature, and translations into foreign languages. The participants will visit the exhibition during their practical classes.

 

 

All those who attend the seminar for the first time can get a mentor to guide them through the seminar programme, helping them to select the most appropriate lectures, special courses and accompanying events. Our desire is that participants will gain as much as possible from the seminar. So we shall approach for assistance those who have attended the seminar several times, who therefore know it well and also know how to find their way around its extensive programme. In this way, we expect the participants will get to know each other even better and form useful links.

 

 

Participants have access to the Internet on all floors of the Faculty of Arts and also in their accommodation, Dijaški dom Vič.

 

 

Accommodation is organised at the Vič hostel (Dijaški dom Vič), Gerbičeva 51/a, which is between the Svoboda sports ground and the Murgle housing development. It is 15 minutes walk to the faculty. Accommodation is in twin rooms or single rooms (at additional charge). A self-service breakfast is provided. More information is available on the website http://www.dd-vic.si.

 

 

Participants of the 3-week seminar should arrive at the hostel on Sunday, 25 June 2006; the programme begins on Monday morning, 26 June 2006 at the Faculty of Arts, Aškerčeva 2, Ljubljana.

 

Participants of the 2-week seminar should arrive at the hostel on Sunday, 2 July 2006; the programme begins according to the timetable width=100% width=100% on Monday, 3 July 2006 at the Faculty of Arts.

 

The departure date is Saturday, 15 July 2006, around noon.

 

 

The Seminar of Slovene Language, Literature and Culture is a central event through which the Republic of Slovenia promotes Slovene language, literature and culture throughout the world, by granting financial support on the basis of international contracts and co-operation programmes for ethnic Slovene organizations and researchers who are professionally engaged in Slovene, and for students at foreign universities who study Slovene. In allocating these grants, priority is given to Slovenicists and Slavonicists.

 

In addition to these scholarships available abroad, some are also granted by the seminar committee (either for the professional and accompanying programmes, together with bed-and-breakfast accommodation, or for the professional and accompanying programmes only). Applications will be accepted up to 31 March 2006 at the seminar address. The seminar committee will decide on the scholarships in April.

 

The number of scholarships varies each year, depending on the available funds.

 

 

Participants at the Seminar of Slovene Language, Literature and Culture receive a certificate of attendance if they take regular part in the obligatory section of the programme. The certificate states the group and the course attended. On request, an additional certificate can be issued, stating the exact number of hours of attendance.

 

 

All participants are recommended to obtain a certificate of medical insurance in their own countries before leaving, otherwise they must pay the expenses of medical care and medication themselves.

 

 

If the seminar fee is paid abroad, please send the money to the Faculty of Arts bank account: Banka Slovenije, Slovenska cesta 35, Ljubljana, IBAN SI56011006030707216, SWIFT code BS LJ SI 2X, with the following indication of recipient: SSJLK, 103002. Please write your surname in capital letters and add 15 EUR for bank charges. The cost of the seminar programme together with accommodation should be paid at the latest by 24 June 2006 and a copy of the receipt should be presented when registering at the seminar.

 

The fee can also be paid in Slovenia, at the Faculty of Arts Financial Office (room 520 on the 5th floor) from Monday to Thursday between 11.00 and 13.00, or into the Faculty of Arts bank account T.R.R. 01100-6030707216, with the recipient indicated: 00 103002. Do not forget to write your surname as well. The fee must be paid during the first three days of the seminar and a copy of the receipt should be handed in at the seminar office.

 

 

The registration form for the 42nd Seminar of Slovene Language, Literature and Culture should be sent by 31 May 2006.

 

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President: Assoc. Prof. Dr. Irena Novak Popov

Head of the lectors: Assist. Prof. Dr. ?ur?a Strsoglavec

Organization of the seminar: Tjaša Alič, B.A.

Seminar publications: Metka Lokar, M.A.

 

E-mail address: [email protected]