Projects / Programmes
Slovene national identity in the light of tourist discourse
| Code |
Science |
Field |
Subfield |
| 6.05.02 |
Humanities |
Linguistics |
Theoretical and applied linguistics |
| Code |
Science |
Field |
| H350 |
Humanities |
Linguistics |
| Code |
Science |
Field |
| 6.02 |
Humanities |
Languages and Literature |
national identity, national attributes, tourism, tourism discourse, intercultural communication, language and culture, specialized corpora
Researchers (16)
Organisations (4)
Abstract
Nowadays, the global market pushes the national and the regional area towards greater recongisability. The public debate in Slovenia has pointed at the low identification level of the population of Slovenia with elements of Slovene culture, and therefore a weaker recognisability of Slovenia in the international environment. This leads to a dispersion of social objectives which guide the economic and general social development, altough the Development Strategy for Slovenia defines identity, recognisability and reputation of the country in the international environment as the developmental strategic goal of Slovenia. Also, some results taken from the Marketing Strategy of Slovene Tourism 2007-2011 state that Slovene tourism does not have a clearly defined message and identity, and does not have a recognisable story or benefits related to it. Similarly, the "Proposal for the Development Strategy of Slovene Tourism 2012-2016" defines as one of the main substantive goals the visibility of Slovenia in the world.
On the basis of common agreeement, expressed in discourse, national communities choose those national attributes that represent their permanent identification within its borders as well as in relation to other countries. This means they accept them as values that define it as a national community and guide its social development, while making use of them as elements of international recognisability, also for tourist promotion. This holds true especially in the contemporary processes of constant contact between languages and cultures, accelerating the formation of ideas about a community's national identity. In tourism, this is reflected in the so-called country branding, i.e. the formation of a brand of a country as a tourist destination.
The objective of the research is to shed light on the construction of Slovene national identity, using the example of tourist texts, and to point at their influence on the representation of national identity in general. With this aim, an interdisciplinary (linguistic, historic, geographic, sociologic) analysis of documents, linguistic and discourse analysis in the Multilingual Corpus of Tourist Texts and other tourist texts and an analysis of results of a public opinion poll will be carried out. On this basis, key attributes of Slovene national identity will be identified and a strategy for their dissemination in public will be prepared, with special emphasis on the young generations. The ultimate aim of the project is to produce long-term strategic development guidelines of the country, related to its national attributes, and communication strategies for the promotion of national attributes in the international arena.
The results of the project can, in this respect, be divided into three categories:
a) completed interdisciplinary analysis of documents, linguistic and discursive analysis of the TURK multilingual corpus and other tourist texts, analysis of the results of opinion polls,
b) identification of key national attributes of Slovenia at the beginning of the 21st century, including a strategy for their promotion and dissemination to the public, as well as further monitoring of its development,
c) the creation of long-term strategic guidelines for social development and design of communication strategies for the promotion of national attributes in the international arena.
The project results will represent the basis for strategic decisions and decisions on the design of social policies and will therefore form the basis for long-term prosperity and sustainable development of Slovenia. The project results will also have a direct impact both on increasing the competitiveness and social cohesion of Slovenia. This is particularly important in the current circumstances of social and economic crisis, when saving is necessary, but so is planning long-term economic growth. The devised methods will enable longitudinal monitoring of the development of Slovene national attributes.
Significance for science
The project proceeded the previous researches on tourism discourse at the same Institute, therefore it introduces a systematic and constant approach to the analysis of marketing of tourism products and services. Linguistic analysis in the Multilingual corpus of tourist texts in terms of semantics, discourse analysis and intercultural pragmatics represents one of the first broader reasearch in discourse analysis based on a text corpus in Slovenia. Specialized text corpora, in our case in the field of tourism, represent important language infrastructure, so research on this basis represents a lasting contribution to the development of LSP language. Original scientific results of the project will be relevant for understanding how the concept of national identity is constructed in language / language practice, especially at the semantic-pragmatic level. The results will have long-term potential impact as one of the first systematic analyses of the Slovenian national identity, as reflected in tourist discourse. They represent an interdisciplinary approach (linguistic, sociological, geographical, historical) to the coherence of national identity, language and tourism. The results will be useful both for planning the strategic social objectives that guide the overall social development of the Slovenian state, with an emphasis on tourism, as well as in translation and education, where the results of research can contribute towards a more effective intercultural communication. This approach represents an original methodology on a global scale, which can also be used to advantage in designing a national strategy of tourism and the general design of the tourist image and identity in other countries.
Significance for the country
An attempt to define national attributes on the basis of authentic texts in the field of tourism is highly relevant, since the national attributes represent the key components of national identity, which may be based on the entire society and which can therefore form the fundamental development policies of the Slovenian society. The project also has sustainable effects both in terms of presenting the country as a tourist destination as well as for the long-term impact on the national economy as a whole and its effectiveness and visibility in the international context. This is especially vital for securing economic growth in a time of economic and financial crisis. The project results will also have a direct impact on individual economic entities in the travel industry and other economic activities, on the one hand, as well as on increasing the competitiveness of Slovenia and greater social cohesion on the other side. Moreover, the results of the project represent the basis for strategic decisions in this field in the future. The indirect relevance of the project for the society is manifested especially in its effects on the promotion of the country since the formation and strengthening of the corporate image of the country represents the foundation for equal and effective functioning of the country in the international context, and in all fields, from economic to the areas of diplomacy, culture and other social areas. Only a country which has clearly defined the attributes of national identity can be a confident and successful partner in the modern integration processes both within the European Union and globally, which enables effective integration into the international division of labor. At the same time, raising awareness about Slovene national attributes and promoting Slovenia helps build the awareness of the identity of the European Union and reinforces it an important tourist destination. This approach can also be used to advantage in designing a national and European strategy of tourism and the general design of the national and transnational identity in other countries, where access to foreign knowledge can further enhance the methods. On the basis of the project results special attention should be given to to the continuous process of raising awareness of national attributes among the entire Slovenian population, specially among the young population, involved in all stages of the educational process. Young people represent major players of Slovene society in the future who will decisively contribute to the further development of the identity and visibility of the Slovenian state.
Most important scientific results
Annual report
2013,
2014,
2015,
final report
Most important socioeconomically and culturally relevant results
Annual report
2013,
2014,
2015,
final report
