Some aspects of the sociolinguistic Situation in the ethnically mixed region along the Slovene-Hungarian border are examined. Some trends are revealed concerning the language Status, language uset and language attitudes in the Slovene-Hungarian contact area. It is hypothesized that language-maintenance and language-shift-related issues are governed by the context in which the dynamics ofthe intergroup Situation evolves. The study shows how a long-term research project has attempted to create, proceeding from selected theoretical issues, a common methodological framework for the investigation ofethnic identity features, including language maintenance and shift, and interethnic relationship dynamics.