Impact of Language Ideologies on Language Practices in Pridnestrovie

Journal of Siberian Federal University. Series: Humanities & Social Sciences. 2022. Vol. 15. No. 11. P. 1552–1572.

Andrei S. Tulum, Denis Yu. Zubalov

Over the last 30 years Pridnestrovie, a de facto independent state in the post--
Soviet space, has remained one of the few countries in the world where the Russian
language is not only widely used but still enjoys the official status. This article aims to
explain what factors have led to the current state of affairs. First, the paper provides a
historical background of the region in the 19th century when the community of people
from different ethnic backgrounds, which Pridnestrovie represents now, was formed. Then,
following the theoretical framework of language ideologies, the present paper analyses
the issues of language policy during the Soviet period and the impact they have had on
the contemporary language attitudes people of the region hold now. In addition, the study
outlines the language legislation of Pridnestrovie that secures linguistic pluralism in the
country in theory but is more of a symbolic value in practice. Drawing on the analysis of
quantitative data, obtained from 135 online questionnaires, we argue that the ethnic identity
of the respondents drives, to a large degree, the decision to select particular languages as
their mother tongue(s), which is, however, not the case when it comes to the question about
the ethnicity of the participants. Additionally, it appears that the top-down imposition of
language ideologies has influenced the participants’ language attitudes and their beliefs
about the role the Russian language plays in the republic, especially in the sphere of
education, career and the maintenance of interethnic peace in the region.
 

Keywords: идентичность, identity, multilingualism, мультилингвизм, language attitudes, language ideology, языковая идеология, Приднестровье, Pridnestrovie, языковые установки

Publication based on the results of: Discourse Practices across Professional, Cultural, and Social Groups (2022)