Moldovan Culture and the Importance of Language

I've mentioned previously the unique challenges of language understanding and learning, since the language here is either Russian or Romanian or a combination of both. What I find really interesting is that language is such an important part of the broader culture that is Moldova, and I’m sure that this is true for many other cultures as well.

As an American, I’ve never taken seriously the effort it takes to learn another language. I know many Americans study languages, but the old joke about language* is believed by people throughout the world (the stereotype has proven true often enough).

As I’ve been reading and talking with people here, I have come to appreciate more and more the role language plays in cultural identity. I’m also convinced that one is missing a lot when learning a language if they never have an opportunity to spend time with those from a foreign culture who speak it.

One book that has been highly enlightening to me is titled The Moldovans by Charles King. In tracing the history of this land, King explains the cultural battle that went on here between the Russians and the Romanians and how this battle was fought by trying to control the language spoken and read. During the prewar period before the Second World War, six separate alphabets had been used here. Then during the Soviet era, the Cyrillic alphabet was standard, but increasingly Romanian was spoken and written (yet still with Cyrillic letters).

Interestingly, the path of standardization of the language during the 1960s-80s was more toward Romanization. Linguists wanted to purify the language (instead of simply promoting the hodgepodge of two languages spoken in the villages), and Romanian appeared the more culturally relevant path. As King puts it, Moldova nation-builders rejected an independent Moldovan culture based on the language spoken by the peasants (this impure mix of languages). Thus, in terms of language “a distinct Moldovan culture was more stipulated than cultivated.”

In most places we take as given that cultural identity simply forms and evolves over time passed down from generation to generation. I am no expert on culture, but I would not have guessed that government would try to use language in such a way as to direct people toward a specific identity. I know there are many ways in which government attempts to promote culture in terms of education, art, music, food, etc. but learning about the role of language here in Moldova has been very enlightening.


*What do you call someone who knows three languages, trilingual; what do you call someone who knows two languages, bilingual; what do you call someone who knows one language, an American.