Within the framework of Slavic linguistics the Slovene dialects are highly informative due to their marginal geographic position and consequent archaic features and are frequently used as a source in clarifying the history of development for several complex linguistic phenomena. They are also a remarkable resource for etymological, comparative and contrastive studies of Slavic and other Indo-European languages. Indirectly they are used in revealing of ethno- and linguogenesis of the Slovene and other European nations. In these circumstances an important aim of the programme group - besides the research on individual dialects - has also been the development of methodology for the presentation of a language with such numerous dialects in terms of linguistic geography and dictionary treatment. This aim has been realized through working on the Slovene and two further multilingual atlases, and also on dialectal dictionaries; thorough theoretical research has been presented in two doctoral theses. In this period a realistic scientific framework has been created for the publication (in favourable circumstances) of another fundamental work in Slovene linguistics, i.e. the Slovene linguistic (dialectal) atlas.