Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
To curb the tide of nationalism from Slovenes who resented their unbalanced con-
tribution to the socialist economy, Tito gave cultural freedoms to minorities, and con-
stituent states had some autonomy. In 1980, Tito's 35-year rule ended with his death
in Ljubljana, opening the floodgates of political and economic disaster. Slovenia rep-
resented less than 10% of the Yugoslavian population but brought in over 25% of its
export wealth, and with Tito's death Slovenes affirmed their desire to break free from
their Balkan neighbors. In December 1990 over 90% of the population voted for
independence which it declared in June 1991, sparking a short, bloody war with pres-
ident Slobodan Milosevic. The small Slovene defense force resisted for 10 days before
Milosevic was forced to withdraw his troops to focus on Bosnia and Croatia. Slovenia
was formally recognized as an independent state in January 1992, joining the United
Nations later that year, and the European Union in May 2004.
SLOVENIAN PEOPLE & CULTURE
Slovenes, one of the smallest ethnic minorities on the Continent, are a proud, prosper-
ous people, with a distinct cosmopolitanism that has evolved out of the assimilation of
foreign and neighboring influences over the centuries. Seen as former-Yugoslavia's well-
to-do sibling, Slovenia is a nation of vivacious, cultured, and gregarious people, and
you'll find it easy to meet locals, many of whom speak several languages (typically
Slovenian, English, German, and Italian). While city life is energetic and modern, you
may also come across tiny bucolic communities where a traditional agricultural lifestyle
is augmented with the odd beer festival or carnival, complete with a lineup of cheerful
polka bands. For while they're considered a nation of hard workers, Slovenes love to kick
back, relax, and party; with life this good there's plenty to celebrate.
LANGUAGE
Most Slovenes you meet will understand English, so you won't have much call to try
Slovenian, a complicated and difficult-to-learn South Slavonic language. Using
Roman letters, written Slovenian includes three modifications, of the letters s, c, and
z, which receive a
hacek
top in order to slur them; thus,
s
sounds like “sh,”
c
sounds like
“ch,” and
z
sounds like “zh.”
USEFUL TERMS & PHRASES
English
Slovene
Pronunciation
Hello
Z
ivijo
Jhi-
vi
-jah
Please/”Can I help you?”
Prosim/Prosim?
Pro
-sim
Goodbye
Nasvidenje
Naz-vee-
dan
-ja
Dober dan/ve
c
er
Good day/evening
Do-
ber
dun/
ve
-tcher
Good night
Lahko no
c
La-
ko
noc
What's your name?
Kako ti je ime?
Kak
-o tee
ye
-may
Cheers!
Na zdravje
Naz-
dra
-vee
Yes/No
Ja/Ne
Ya/Neh
Thank you (very much)
Hvala (lepa)
H-
vah
-la (lee-pa)
Excuse me
Oprostite
O-pros-
tit
-eh
Open/Closed
Odprto/Zaprto
Od-
pr
-to/Zap-
pr
-to
Entrance/Exit
Vhod/Izhod
Vod/
Ee
-zod
Bon appétit
Dober tek!
Dob-er tek
