LAUSR

ABSTRACT The paper considers whether bilingualism has an economic value in Slovenia’s two ethnically mixed regions, or whether its value is more related to identity, and restricted primarily to the personal, educational and cultural spheres. Specifically, it asks whether bilingualism is rewarded on the labour market and what local people think about this issue. The two regions of the country that are officially bilingual are presented, with a focus on minority rights, language planning and education policy. In addressing the central question of the paper, the situation in both the public and private sectors is examined to see whether bilingual language skills play a role during recruitment processes and whether those who function bilingually in the work environment are financially rewarded. In addition, the opinions of bilingual speakers regarding the value of the minority language in their areas are also explored. A picture of prevailing attitudes towards the economic value of bilingualism and foreign language knowledge is obtained from a survey of the views of leading managers in companies based in Slovenia. Empirical data are also offered as to which languages are favoured by individuals and companies investing in informal language learning or training.