Linguistic Divisions and the Language Charter - The Case of Moldova

Oct 4, 2026

Linguistic Divisions and the Language Charter analyzes Moldova’s language divide and the resistance to ratifying the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. It explains how Russian and the state language Romanian/Moldovan form two largely separate linguistic spheres through distinct media and educational institutions. Using census and government figures, it links polarization to contested national identity and the residual prestige of Russian after the Soviet period, alongside changes in legislation after 1989.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages13

Reading Time33 min

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Linguistic divisions and the Language Charter: The case of Moldova

Moldova: a divided society

Competing identities and the state language question

Post-1989 developments and legislative change

Linguistic Divisions and the Language Charter -The Case of Moldova Federica Prina ECMI WORKING PAPER \#64 March 2013 ECMI-Working Paper The European Centre for Minority Issues (ECMI) is anon-partisan institution founded in 1996 by the Governments ofthe Kingdom of Denmark, the Federal Republic of Germany, and the German State of Schleswig-Holstein. ECMI was established in Flensburg, at the heart of the Danish-German border region, in order to draw from the encouraging example of peaceful coexistence between minorities and majorities achieved here. ECMI‟s aim is to promote interdisciplinary research on issues related to minorities and majorities in a European perspective and to contribute to the improvement of interethnic relations in those parts of Western and Eastern Europe where ethnopolitical tension and conflict prevail. ECMI Working Papers are written either by the staff of ECMI or by outside authors commissioned by the Centre. As ECMI does not propagate opinions of its own, the views expressed in any of its publications are the sole responsibility of the author concerned. ECMI Working Paper European Centre for Minority Issues (ECMI) Director: Dr. Tove H. Malloy © ECMI 2013 2 | P a g e ECMI-Working Paper | Linguistic Divisions and the Language Charter-The Case of Moldova | | --- | | Moldova is deeply divided along language lines. The principal polarization is found in the gulf between the speakers of Russian and of the state language, Romanian/Moldovan. To the first category belong not only Russians, but also national minorities such as Ukrainians, Gagauzians and Bulgarians, who tend to employ Russian more than the state language. The two main linguistic groups inhabit two largely separate societal spheres, with different media and educational institutions. Meanwhile, Moldova’s ratification of the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages (hereinafter the Language Charter)1 is still pending. While Moldova swiftly signed and ratified the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities (FCNM), 2 it limited itself to signing the Language Charter in 2002 - and still had to ratify ten years later. This working paper analyzes the reasons behind Moldova’s linguistic divide, which seemingly translates into a resistance to the ratification of the Language Charter.3
Federica Prina, March 2013 ECMI Working Paper \# 64
I. MOLDOVA: A DIVIDED
SOCIETY
According to the 2004 census, the last for which data is available, in Moldova (minus Transnistria) 75.81% of the population selfidentified as Moldovan, 8.35% as Ukrainian, 5.95% as Russian, 4.36% as Gagauz, 2.17 % as Romanian, 1.94% as Bulgarian, and 1.32% as representatives of other ethnic groups.4 The Moldovan government reported in 2009 that 75.2% of the population uses as main language Romanian/Moldovan, 16% Russian, 3.8% Ukrainian, 3. 1% Gazauz and 1. 1% Bulgarian.5 These figures tell us that those who use the state language as main language of communication (75.2% of the population) largely coincide with the percentage of the population that selfidentify as either Moldovan or Romanian (77.97%) . It also follows that national minorities
(22% of the population) overwhelmingly use Russian as main language of communication. The remainder uses Ukrainian, Gagauz and Bulgarian, although they are likely to use Russian as language of inter-ethnic communication, as will be seen below. This creates two largely separate linguistic spheres. Behind the linguistic divide are two principal factors: first, an uncertain Moldovan national identity,6 which inter alia causes the state language to lack the prestige and full acceptance as the sole official language of Moldova; and the fact that Russian, the dominant language during the Soviet period, enjoys a residual prestige, which however does not mean that its speakers do not feel menaced by their language‟s loss of its official status in 1989. | 3 | P a g e | ECMI-Working Paper |

FAQs

What are the main linguistic groups in Moldova discussed in the paper?

The paper highlights a divide between speakers of Russian and speakers of the state language, Romanian/Moldovan. It also notes major national minorities such as Ukrainians, Gagauzians, and Bulgarians, whose language use tends to differ.

Why does the paper connect Moldova’s language polarization to the ratification of the Language Charter?

It argues that Moldova’s linguistic divide translates into resistance to ratifying the Language Charter. The underlying reasons include uncertainty about national identity and the social standing of Russian after the Soviet period.

How does the paper describe the evolution of the state language issue after 1989?

It states that post-1989 events intensified the split, including the breakaway of Transnistria. It also describes how new legislation proclaimed Romanian/Moldovan in Latin script as the state language and adopted laws regulating language use.

Oct 4, 2026

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