The Intertwining of Languages in Songs and Changes of Identifications in the Gail Valley

Abstract

The song traditions of the Gail Valley (Gailtal/Ziljska dolina, Carinthia, Austria) are characterized by many Slovenian-German songs, the oldest evidence of bilingualism dating back to the early 19th century. Code-switching also characterized the song “Buǝg nan dajte ‘n dobǝr čas” (God, give us auspicious time), which correlates with the bilingual written entry of the Gail Valley parish fair and the Gail Valley costume description in the Inventory of the Intangible Cultural Heritage in Austria. The Gail Valley region and its inhabitants have undergone significant changes in ethnic identification, which raises two questions: first, the role of bilingualism in the historical context, and second, the relevance of songs in revealing this context.