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{|style="clear:right" align=right cellpadding="10"
⚫ '''Moldovan''' is the official name for the official language in the ] and in the territory of ]{{ref|pmr-gagauz}}. The Constitution of Moldova declares that the Moldovan language is the official language of the state. Most linguists, however, consider standard Moldovan to be identical to standard Romanian. {{fact}}
⚫ |{{Eastern Romance languages}}
|}
⚫ '''Moldovan''' is the official name for the ] in the ] and in the territory of ]{{ref|pmr-gagauz}}. The Constitution of Moldova declares that the Moldovan language is the official language of the state. Most linguists, however, consider standard Moldovan to be identical to standard Romanian.


"Moldovan" (''graiul moldovenesc'', in older sources ''limba moldovenească'') can also refer to the speech of the historical region of Moldavia in Romania, one of the northern varieties or dialects of colloquial Romanian. "Moldovan" (''graiul moldovenesc'', in older sources ''limba moldovenească'') can also refer to the speech of the historical region of Moldavia in Romania, one of the northern varieties or dialects of colloquial Romanian.


Moldovan may be written in either the ] or ] alphabets{{ref|name}}, the former currently official in the ], and the latter official in the ] of ] and in the ] until 1989. The language was assigned code <code>mo</code> in ] and code <code>mol</code> in ] and ]. Moldovan may be written in either the ] alphabet (currently official in the ]) or ] alphabet (official in the ] of ] and formerly in the ] until 1989){{ref|name}}. The language was assigned code <code>mo</code> in ] and code <code>mol</code> in ] and ].


==History and politics== ==History and politics==
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:''See main article: ]'' :''See main article: ]''


The linguistic history of Moldova is closely tied to the region's political status, with long periods of rule and lots of back-and-forth territory grabs by ], the ], and ] influencing the language's name and ]. Recent developments include the return to a Latin script from Cyrillic in 1989 and several changes in the statutory name of the official language of Moldova in the early 1990s, from Moldavian to Romanian and back. The history of the Moldovan (Romanian) language in Moldova is closely tied to the region's political status, with long periods of occupation by ] and the ] influencing the language's name and ]. Major recent developments include the return to a Latin script from Cyrillic in 1989 and several changes in the statutory name of the language used in Moldova, from Moldavian to Romanian and back.


==Controversy== ==Controversy==
The matter of whether or not Moldovan is a separate language is a contested political issue within and beyond the Republic of Moldova. The matter of whether or not Moldovan is a separate language is a contested political issue within and beyond the Republic of Moldova.


The ] languages law of the ], which is still effective in Moldova according to the Constitution{{ref|Constitution}}, asserts the real existence of "linguistic Moldo-] identicality". {{ref|languagelaw}} Title I, Article 13 of the Moldovan Constitution names "Moldovan" as the "national language" (''limba de stat'') of the country. In the ] of ], "Moldovan" is co-official with ] and ]. The ] law on language of the ], which is still effective in Moldova according to the Constitution {{ref|Constitution}}, asserts the real existence of "linguistic Moldo-] identity". {{ref|languagelaw}} Title I, Article 13 of the Moldovan Constitution, names it the "national language" (''limba de stat'') of the country. In the ] of ], it is co-official with ] and ].


Despite the official nomenclature, ] Moldovan is considered by most to be identical to standard Romanian{{ref|linguists}}{{fact}}<!--note: those sources do *not* say that--> (although one Moldovan linguist, ], disputes this{{ref|stati}}). Writing about "essential differences", Stati is obliged to concentrate almost exclusively on vocabulary rather than linguistic differences. Whatever language distinctions may once have existed, these have been decreasing rather than increasing: "... in the main, Moldovan in its standard form was more Romanian by the 1980s than at any point in its history"{{ref|king}}. Despite the official nomenclature, ] Moldovan is widely considered to be identical to standard Romanian{{ref|linguists}} (although one Moldovan linguist, ], disputes this{{ref|stati}}). Writing about "essential differences", Stati is obliged to concentrate almost exclusively on vocabulary rather than linguistic differences. Whatever language distinctions may once have existed, these have been decreasing rather than increasing: "... in the main, Moldovan in its standard form was more Romanian by the 1980s than at any point in its history"{{ref|king}}.


In 2002, the Moldovan Minister of Justice, ], said that Romanian and Moldovan are the same language and that the Constitution of Moldova should be amended, not necessarily by changing the word ''Moldovan'' into ''Romanian'', but by adding that "Romanian and Moldovan are the same language"{{ref|morei}}. Education Minister Valentin Beniuc said "I have stated more than once that the notion of a Moldovan language and a Romanian language reflects the same lingustic phenomenon in essence."{{ref|beniuc-mlecico}}. In 2002, the Moldovan Minister of Justice, ], said that Romanian and Moldovan are the same language and that the Constitution of Moldova should be amended, not necessarily by changing the word ''Moldovan'' into ''Romanian'', but by adding that "Romanian and Moldovan are the same language"{{ref|morei}}. Education Minister Valentin Beniuc said "I have stated more than once that the notion of a Moldovan language and a Romanian language reflects the same lingustic phenomenon in essence."{{ref|beniuc-mlecico}}.


The official language of Moldova is regulated by the ], which calls it ''Romanian''. {{fact}} The official language of Moldova is regulated by the ], which calls it ''Romanian''.


According to the '']'' newspaper, ], chief of the Department of Statistics and Sociology of Moldova, speaking about the preliminary results of the ], claimed that about 40% of the respondents (which would be the majority of the Romance-speaking population) reported their ] as Romanian.{{ref|gardianul}}. According to the '']'' newspaper, Vitalie Valcov, chief of the Department of Statistics and Sociology of Moldova, speaking about the preliminary results of the ], claimed that about 40% of the respondents (which would be the majority of the Romance-speaking population) reported their ] as Romanian.{{ref|gardianul}}.


There are, however, more differences between the colloquial spoken languages of Moldova and ], most significantly due to the influence of ] in Moldova which was not present in Romania. There are, however, more differences between the colloquial spoken languages of Moldova and ], most significantly due to the influence of ] in Moldova which was not present in Romania.


==Orthography== ==Orthography==
: ''Main article: ], ]'' :''Main articles: ], ].''


Latin replaced Cyrillic as the official alphabet for the Moldovan language in 1989. When switching to the Latin alphabet, standard Moldovan adopted entirely the orthographic rules of Romanian at that moment. However, a short time after that, the ] made several orthographic reforms in order to bring it closer to the standard of the pre-communist era: e.g., based on etymological arguments, the Romanian phoneme previously exclusively transcribed as î (except the derivatives of “român”) was to be written â or î, depending on its location in the word; also, the 3rd person plural form of the verb “to be” was to be spelled “sunt” instead of “sînt”. The â/î reform had no impact upon the pronunciation (unlike the “sunt/sînt” change). On the other hand, the regulating institution in Moldova, the Institute of Linguistics at the ], has made no similar recommendations. Latin replaced Cyrillic as the official alphabet for the Moldovan language in 1989. When switching to the Latin alphabet, standard Moldovan adopted entirely the orthographic rules of Romanian at that moment. However, short time after that, the ] reformed the orthography in order to bring it closer to the standard of the pre-communist era: e.g., based on debatable etymological arguments, the Romanian phoneme previously exclusively transcribed as î (except the derivatives of "român") was to be written â or î, depending on its location in the word; also, the third person plural form of the verb "to be" was to be spelled "sunt" instead of "sînt". The â/î reform had no impact upon the pronunciation (unlike the "sunt/sînt" change). On the other hand, the regulating institution in Moldova, the Institute of Linguistics at the ], has made no similar recommendations.


The result of this reform is some ambiguity in the orthographic practices of both countries. While in Romania, some prestigious publications (such as '']'', '']'') refused to apply the new rules based on linguistic arguments. In the Republic of Moldova, the issue is seen as mirroring a political attitude. In fact, almost all Moldovan newspapers in Romanian opposing the national ideology of the ruling communist party follow consistently the orthography official in Romania (e.g., “Timpul”, “Jurnal de Chişinău”, “Ziarul de Gardă”, “Flux”, etc.), while the papers voicing pro-governmental positions (e.g., “Moldova Suverană” and rarely “Comunistul”) use a mixed orthography from article to article. The result of this reform is some ambiguity in the orthographic practices of both countries. While in Romania, some prestigious publications (such as '']'', '']'') refused to apply the new rules based on linguistic arguments, in the Republic of Moldova the issue is seen as mirroring a political attitude. In fact, almost all Moldovan newspapers in Romanian opposing the national ideology of the ruling communist party follow consistently the orthography official in Romania (e.g., “Timpul”, “Jurnal de Chişinău”, “Ziarul de Gardă”, “Flux”, etc.), while the papers voicing pro-governmental positions (e.g., “Moldova Suverană” and rarely “Comunistul”) use a mixed orthography from article to article.


In the countryside, some people still prefer writing in the Cyrillic script<!--, while knowing the latin script nonetheless -- reference doesn't say that, find one that does or it can't be in the article-->.{{ref|cyrillic}} In the countryside, some elder people might prefer writing in cyrillic script, while knowing the latin script nonetheless. {{ref|cyrillic}}

⚫ {{Eastern Romance languages}}


==Notes== ==Notes==
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== References == == References ==

* Dyer, D. (1999). ''The Romanian Dialect of Moldova: A Study in Language and Politics''. Lewiston, NY: Edwin Mellen Press. (ISBN 0773480374) * Dyer, D. (1999). ''The Romanian Dialect of Moldova: A Study in Language and Politics''. Lewiston, NY: Edwin Mellen Press. (ISBN 0773480374)
* Dyer, Donald Leroy, ed. ''Studies in Moldovan''. New York: Columbia University Press (East European Monographs), 1996. (ISBN 0880333510) * Dyer, Donald Leroy, ed. ''Studies in Moldovan''. New York: Columbia University Press (East European Monographs), 1996. (ISBN 0880333510)
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] ]
⚫ ]
] ]
⚫ ]
] ]
⚫ ]
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] ]
] ]

Revision as of 11:00, 5 February 2006

Eastern Romance languages
Vulgar Latin language
Substratum
Thraco-Roman culture
Romanian
Aromanian
Megleno-Romanian
Istro-Romanian

Moldovan is the official name for the Romanian language in the Republic of Moldova and in the territory of Transnistria. The Constitution of Moldova declares that the Moldovan language is the official language of the state. Most linguists, however, consider standard Moldovan to be identical to standard Romanian.

"Moldovan" (graiul moldovenesc, in older sources limba moldovenească) can also refer to the speech of the historical region of Moldavia in Romania, one of the northern varieties or dialects of colloquial Romanian.

Moldovan may be written in either the Latin alphabet (currently official in the Republic of Moldova) or Cyrillic alphabet (official in the unrecognized state of Transnistria and formerly in the Moldavian SSR until 1989). The language was assigned code mo in ISO 639-1 and code mol in ISO 639-2 and ISO/DIS 639-3.

History and politics

See main article: History of the Moldovan language

The history of the Moldovan (Romanian) language in Moldova is closely tied to the region's political status, with long periods of occupation by Russia and the Soviet Union influencing the language's name and orthography. Major recent developments include the return to a Latin script from Cyrillic in 1989 and several changes in the statutory name of the language used in Moldova, from Moldavian to Romanian and back.

Controversy

The matter of whether or not Moldovan is a separate language is a contested political issue within and beyond the Republic of Moldova.

The 1989 law on language of the Moldavian SSR, which is still effective in Moldova according to the Constitution , asserts the real existence of "linguistic Moldo-Romanian identity". Title I, Article 13 of the Moldovan Constitution, names it the "national language" (limba de stat) of the country. In the unrecognized state of Transnistria, it is co-official with Ukrainian and Russian.

Despite the official nomenclature, standard Moldovan is widely considered to be identical to standard Romanian (although one Moldovan linguist, Vasile Stati, disputes this). Writing about "essential differences", Stati is obliged to concentrate almost exclusively on vocabulary rather than linguistic differences. Whatever language distinctions may once have existed, these have been decreasing rather than increasing: "... in the main, Moldovan in its standard form was more Romanian by the 1980s than at any point in its history".

In 2002, the Moldovan Minister of Justice, Ion Morei, said that Romanian and Moldovan are the same language and that the Constitution of Moldova should be amended, not necessarily by changing the word Moldovan into Romanian, but by adding that "Romanian and Moldovan are the same language". Education Minister Valentin Beniuc said "I have stated more than once that the notion of a Moldovan language and a Romanian language reflects the same lingustic phenomenon in essence.".

The official language of Moldova is regulated by the Academy of Sciences of Moldova, which calls it Romanian.

According to the Gardianul newspaper, Vitalie Valcov, chief of the Department of Statistics and Sociology of Moldova, speaking about the preliminary results of the 2004 Moldovan Census, claimed that about 40% of the respondents (which would be the majority of the Romance-speaking population) reported their mother language as Romanian..

There are, however, more differences between the colloquial spoken languages of Moldova and Romania, most significantly due to the influence of Russian in Moldova which was not present in Romania.

Orthography

Main articles: Romanian alphabet, Moldovan alphabet.

Latin replaced Cyrillic as the official alphabet for the Moldovan language in 1989. When switching to the Latin alphabet, standard Moldovan adopted entirely the orthographic rules of Romanian at that moment. However, short time after that, the Romanian Academy reformed the orthography in order to bring it closer to the standard of the pre-communist era: e.g., based on debatable etymological arguments, the Romanian phoneme previously exclusively transcribed as î (except the derivatives of "român") was to be written â or î, depending on its location in the word; also, the third person plural form of the verb "to be" was to be spelled "sunt" instead of "sînt". The â/î reform had no impact upon the pronunciation (unlike the "sunt/sînt" change). On the other hand, the regulating institution in Moldova, the Institute of Linguistics at the ASM, has made no similar recommendations.

The result of this reform is some ambiguity in the orthographic practices of both countries. While in Romania, some prestigious publications (such as Academia Caţavencu, Cotidianul) refused to apply the new rules based on linguistic arguments, in the Republic of Moldova the issue is seen as mirroring a political attitude. In fact, almost all Moldovan newspapers in Romanian opposing the national ideology of the ruling communist party follow consistently the orthography official in Romania (e.g., “Timpul”, “Jurnal de Chişinău”, “Ziarul de Gardă”, “Flux”, etc.), while the papers voicing pro-governmental positions (e.g., “Moldova Suverană” and rarely “Comunistul”) use a mixed orthography from article to article.

In the countryside, some elder people might prefer writing in cyrillic script, while knowing the latin script nonetheless.

Notes

  • Kogan Page 2004, p 242
  • The Cyrillic script has not been in official use in the Republic of Moldova since independence 1989, but is official in Transnistria, and is still used by smaller groups elsewhere. For an example, see the Constitutional Court of Transnistria site, written in Moldovan Cyrillic.
  • Kogan Page 2004, p 291 ; IHT, 16 June 2000, p. 2 ; Dyer 1999 , 2005
  • Stati 2003
  • King 2000

References

  • Dyer, D. (1999). The Romanian Dialect of Moldova: A Study in Language and Politics. Lewiston, NY: Edwin Mellen Press. (ISBN 0773480374)
  • Dyer, Donald Leroy, ed. Studies in Moldovan. New York: Columbia University Press (East European Monographs), 1996. (ISBN 0880333510)
  • Stati, V.N. Dicţionar moldovenesc-românesc. Chişinău: Tipografia Centrală (Biblioteca Pro Moldova), 2003. (ISBN 9975782485)
  • Dumbrava, V. (2004). Sprachkonflikt Und Sprachbewusstsein In Der Republik Moldova: Eine Empirische Studie In Gemischtethnischen Familien (Sprache, Mehrsprachigkeit Und Sozialer Wandel). Bern: Peter Lang Publishing. (ISBN 3631507283)
  • Movileanu N. Din istoria Transnistriei (1924-1940), Revista de istorie a Moldovei, 1993, #2.
  • Negru E. Introducerea si interzicerea grafiei latine in R.A.S.S.M, 1999, Revista de istorie a Moldovei, #3-4.
  • (2004). Europe Review 2003/2004. Kogan Page.
  • King, C. The Moldovans: Romania, Russia and the Politics of Culture, Hoover Institution Press, 2000, ISBN 081799792X.

External links

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