Paper short abstract:

This paper deals with the analysis of the efforts of local communities for affirmation, preservation and institutional protection of local speeches. It is about local / regional speech with a very small number of speakers (several hundreds). One of the key arguments of these efforts, in author's opinion, is the preservation of identity through language (local, regional, but also national - with government's support through status acknowledgment), but also a possible strategy to resist globalization.

Paper long abstract:

This paper deals with the analysis of the efforts of local communities for affirmation, preservation and institutional protection of local speeches. It is about local / regional speech with a very small number of speakers (several hundreds). Currently in Croatia the total number of eight managed to gain status of protected non-material goods from The Registry of Protected Cultural Heritage of the Republic of Croatia, and it is expected that this number would increase. This research is based on one case studies, i. e., example of local speech on the territory of Northwestern Croatia: the speech from Hum area. The research is consisted of 1) theoretical study (the analysis and interpretation of socio-political and cultural context in the region of Northwestern Croatia near the Slovenian border), 2) field research (structured and semi-structured interviews with speakers of those speech, from which the real linguistic speaking situation within the local community in question), 3) document work - the analysis of argumentation for demanding the status from the corresponding state institutions. One of the key arguments of these efforts, in author's opinion, is the preservation of identity through language (local, regional, but also national - with government's support through status acknowledgment), but also a possible strategy to resist globalization.