Abstract (eng)
The present thesis represents an empirical study of the perception of linguistic and ethnic conflicts in the Austrian Littoral and their textual representation in articles published in different governmental and privately-financed newspapers of Trieste in the early 20th Century. Even though article XIX of the law of 1867 established linguistic equality at all levels, local practice was different and in this area conflicts between Slovenians and Italians were intensified by the language census of 1910.
The analysis is based on the presentation of the strategies used for the portrayal of different ethnic groups. Amongst the methods used to manipulate the public opinion diverse mechanisms are being uncovered in the empirical part of the thesis.
The representation of the Slovenes, who are depicted as being socially subordinated in comparison to the Italian inhabitants, is elaborated. In Italian newspapers the speakers of other languages and especially Slovenes are being made responsible for the impending loss of the hegemony of the Italian population. The rising self-confidence of the Slovenes regarding their language and their cultural heritage reveals itself in the census of 1910 in which the supremacy of Italian was called into question by the Slavic languages.