slovakspeaking

Slovakspeaking refers to people who use Slovak as their primary language, and to communities in which Slovak is the customary language of everyday communication. It is closely associated with Slovak national and cultural identity.

The largest Slovakspeaking population is in Slovakia, where Slovak is the official language and the principal medium of education, media, and public life. Smaller Slovakspeaking communities exist beyond Slovakia’s borders, notably in the Czech Republic, Hungary, Serbia (Vojvodina), and Romania (notably in Banat and surrounding areas). In these countries Slovak communities often maintain bilingual or multilingual practices.

Linguistically, Slovak is a Western Slavic language with its own standard form used in education, government, and media, and with several dialects (Western, Central, Eastern). The language has mutual intelligibility with Czech to a significant degree, reflecting their shared history in the Czech–Slovak state. The Slovak alphabet uses Latin script with diacritics.

Historically, standard Slovak was shaped during the 18th–19th centuries amid national revival, with key figures such as Ľudovít Štúr advocating a codified literary Slovak. Today Slovakspeaking communities participate in Slovak literature, folklore, and culture; diaspora communities preserve language through associations, media, and education in minority contexts.