Memento Mori: Ethnic and Linguistic Aspects of (South-)Carinthian Culture of Remembrance

Abstract

South Carinthia has seen an ethnic and linguistic change taking place in the recent 100 years. Slovene is still present in the cultural landscape; however, it lost the role of a conversational language that is widely understood and spoken in many parts. The article explores the changing signifi cance of the Slovene language on the basis of the south Carinthian culture of remembrance, paying partic-ular attention to memorials commemorating the dead (cemeteries, gravestones, and war memorials). This culture of remembrance, which can be also referred to as sepulchral culture, is characterized by the violence experienced in the 20th century and the decreasing importance of the Slovene lan-guage.