Original scientific paper
https://doi.org/10.15291/csi.5084
Ethnic Stereotypes in the Croatian Dialect Idioms
Perina Vukša Nahod
orcid.org/0000-0003-2602-9832
; Institute of Croatian, Zagreb, Croatia
*
Dubravka Ivšić Majić
; Institute of Croatian, Zagreb, Croatia
*
Tomislava Bošnjak Botica
orcid.org/0000-0003-1476-5680
; Institute of Croatian, Zagreb, Croatia
*
* Corresponding author.
Abstract
Idioms are an inexhaustible source for analysing human per-
ception of the world and one’s relationship to it. In this con-
text, a high frequency of negatively connoted idioms is often
observed. Analyses usually focus on differences among na-
tional idioms, while dialectal idioms are treated only mar-
ginally. Previous phraseological research has confirmed that
many idioms reflect a large number of prejudices and stere-
otypes. Some of these stereotypical phraseological units are
attested in several languages – some only in a single lan-
guage, and others only in a particular dialect or local speech.
Although interest in the study of stereotypes in individual
dialects has been increasing in recent years, a comprehen-
sive description of ethnic stereotypes across all Croatian di-
alects is still lacking. Therefore, the aim of this research is to
examine the available dialectal phraseological material from
all three Croatian dialects: Kajkavian, Čakavian, and Štoka-
vian. The material was collected in two ways: by excerpting
idioms from available written sources in which ethnic ste-
reotypes are attested, as well as through field research. The
analysis sought to determine which ethnonyms are the most
frequent, which are attested in idioms of all three Croatian
dialects, which are specific to a particular local speech, and
which stereotypes prevail. The results have shown that, re-
gardless of dialectal and spatial differences among Croatian
dialects, most ethnic stereotypes are shared by the entire
speech community. The differences that do appear reflect
the specific characteristics of individual communities and
the roles that members of certain ethnic groups have played
or continue to play within them.
Keywords
stereotypes; phraseology; dialects; Štokavian dialect; Kajkavian dialect; Čakavian dialect
Hrčak ID:
349359
URI
Publication date:
14.7.2026.
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