Donald Dyer, Valentina Iepuri

Languages on the Move: The Linguistic Landscape of Moldova in the Second Decade of the 21st Century

Introduction

Languages on the move: the linguistic landscape of moldova in the second decade of the 21st century. Explore Moldova's 21st-century linguistic landscape, analyzing Romanian's dominance, Russian's retreat, and the regional strength of Ukrainian, Gagauz, and Bulgarian languages.

Abstract

For the past thirty years and since its separation from the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, language laws and politics have shaped the linguistic panorama of the independent Republic of Moldova. Among the issues examined in the present article are the current statuses of Romanian, the official language of the country today, spoken by the vast majority of citizens, and Russian, the former language of interethnic communication. Romanian today occupies an increasingly dominant position in the country’s administrative and social structures, while Russian finds itself in retreat, decreasing in the educational sector in particular. The Ukrainian, Gagauz, and Bulgarian languages remain strong regionally, with the number of speakers of the former growing quickly as a result of immigrants fleeing the war in Ukraine.

Review

This article, "Languages on the Move: The Linguistic Landscape of Moldova in the Second Decade of the 21st Century," presents a highly relevant and timely investigation into the evolving sociolinguistic dynamics of the Republic of Moldova. The abstract indicates that the study will delve into how language laws and political decisions, enacted since the country's separation from the Soviet Union, have fundamentally reshaped its linguistic panorama. By focusing on the "linguistic landscape," the research promises a concrete, observable analysis of these shifts, making it a valuable contribution to understanding the real-world manifestations of language policy in post-Soviet states. The abstract clearly outlines the central linguistic tensions and transformations that the article will explore. It highlights the ascendant status of Romanian as the dominant official language, now deeply embedded within administrative and social structures, contrasting this with the documented retreat of Russian, particularly evident within the educational sector, from its former role as a language of interethnic communication. Crucially, the article also acknowledges the enduring regional strength of Ukrainian, Gagauz, and Bulgarian, noting the rapid growth of Ukrainian speakers due to recent immigration from the conflict in Ukraine. This layered approach promises a comprehensive understanding of Moldova's multilingual reality. Overall, "Languages on the Move" appears to offer a robust and insightful analysis of Moldova's contemporary linguistic environment. The explicit timeframe ensures its currency, capturing recent developments and their impact on linguistic demographics and social structures. This research will undoubtedly be of significant interest to scholars in sociolinguistics, language policy, post-Soviet studies, and migration research, providing empirical data and analysis from a region at the intersection of various geopolitical and sociocultural forces. It is poised to make a substantial contribution to understanding the complex interplay between language, politics, and societal change.

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