LANGUAGE POLICY DIMENSIONS FOR SOCIAL COHESION IN MOLDOVA: THE CASE OF GAGAUZ AUTONOMY

Abstract

http://dx.doi.org/10.7220/2335-2027.4.2

The purpose of our research was to study the new pattern of minority-majority relationship in the post-Soviet political and social configuration from the perspective of the language policy implementation and its implications for the social cohesion, particularly focusing on the Gagauz minority. The study introduces the results of a wider research covering the use of languages in the Republic of Moldova and the effectiveness of the language education, focusing on the Gagauz minority. The authors made an effort to reach a better understanding of language use and language education in the Gagauz Autonomy as well as of the linguistic choices the speakers make and their perception of the interaction with the Moldovan majority. The major questions that the authors aim to analyse are as follows: has the language policy reinforced the ties between the ethnic majority and the Gagauz minority; has it contributed to social cohesion and the principle of unity through diversity? Through the research the authors attempted to answer these questions, examining the effectiveness of language policy application in line with the established objectives. The study has revealed the complexity of Moldovan sociolinguistic landscape where functional distributions and choices among Gagauzi, Russian and Moldovan/Romanian languages in Gagauz Autonomy still remain problematic.