Journal of Siberian Federal University. Humanities & Social Sciences / Between Minority Education and the State Language

Full text (.pdf)
Issue
Journal of Siberian Federal University. Humanities & Social Sciences. 2026 19 (3)
Authors
Sýkora Hernády, Katalin; Pauliková, Klaudia; Horváth, Kinga
Contact information
Sýkora Hernády, Katalin : J. Selye University (Komárno, Slovak Republic); ORCID: 0009-0008-6338-7974; Pauliková, Klaudia: J. Selye University (Komárno, Slovak Republic); ; ORCID: 0000-0001-7761-2716 ORCID:; Horváth, Kinga: J. Selye University (Komárno, Slovak Republic); ORCID: 0000-0002-2995-2473
Keywords
professional linguistic identity; language socialization; state language; minority education; language practices
Abstract

The study investigates the sociolinguistic dimensions of state language use beyond institutional settings among teachers from Slovakia with Hungarian as the language of instruction on a nationally representative questionnaire survey (N = 257). The study explores linguistic practices, language choice, and professional linguistic identity in a minority educational context where Slovak is the state language and Hungarian the language of instruction, focusing on teachers’ use of Slovak beyond school and their motivational and career-oriented attitudes. With two latent dimensions characterizing teachers’ relationship to the use of Slovak outside educational institutions identified by an exploratory factor analysis, our findings indicate that although participants largely perceive Slovak as essential for social integration and professional advancement, its use remains limited in family and leisure- time domains. At the same time, the intensity of Slovak language use beyond school is found as a significant predictor of teachers’ instructional language choice and is closely related to their evaluations of pupils’ linguistic competences in Slovak. The results highlight the central role of teachers’ language practices beyond institutional contexts in processes of language socialization and in shaping the perceived legitimacy of the state language within minority education. By foregrounding language use rather than instructional methodology, the study contributes to sociolinguistic research on state language practices in minority education and offers insights into the interplay between language practice, motivation, and professional identity

Pages
506–515
EDN
VCNXNC
Paper at repository of SibFU
https://elib.sfu-kras.ru/handle/2311/158211

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