Romania/Moldova: Divided By A Common Language

[Harold Schiffman]

Romania/Moldova: Divided By A Common Language

By Ahto Lobjakas and Valeria Vitu


As the Yiddish linguist Max Weinreich once said, "A language is a
dialect with an army and a navy." Landlocked Moldova doesn't have a
navy, and isn't known as a regional military heavyweight, but that
isn't keeping it from battling with Romania over the existence of a
"Moldovan" language.  The Moldovan government asserts that its
official language is distinct from Romanian -- a claim vigorously
contested by Romania, which believes the language Moldovans speak is
merely Romanian by another name. The outside world was recently
offered some insight into the controversy when Moldovan President
Vladimir Voronin and Romanian Foreign Minister Adrian Cioroianu
squared off for some verbal sparring during an international security
conference in Munich.

Despite the fact that their native languages, whatever their label,
differ mainly in accent and in some vocabulary words, the Romanian
foreign minister chose to address the Moldovan president not in his
mother tongue, but in French. "In my opinion, the Moldovan Republic
has a very important place in the line proposed by Europe's  neighbor
policy," Cioroianu said. "I hope the detail that the Moldovan Republic
and Romania share the same language will be an advantage, at least in
a technical sense."

The Moldovan president responded in kind -- speaking in Russian. "I
have answered a million times, and I will answer again a billion
times: It's up to the population to name its country's language,"
Voronin said. "We held a referendum on October 1, 2004, in which 87
percent defined their language as Moldovan. But we're still having
never-ending debates with Romania about which came first, the chicken
or the egg."

Linguistic Proliferation

It is Voronin who has carried the torch in Moldova's quest for
linguistic independence since he took power in 2001. While the
language issue has since then been irritant in Moldova's relations
with Romania, which was forced to cede most of what is today Moldova
to the Soviet Union after World War II, the European Union is
increasingly finding itself in the middle of the debate.  This is
because Brussels must placate one of its newest members, Romania,
while also facilitating ties with one of its newest neighbors,
Moldova. Good-neighborly relations with Moldova are of great
importance to the EU because developments in the country's separatist
republic of Transdniester could have Europe-wide ramifications.

Romania, meanwhile, has insisted that the EU make no reference to a
"Moldovan language" it in its official documentation regarding
Moldova, which belongs to the bloc's European Neighborhood Policy.
That argument sits well with those officials who believe the EU, which
already has 23 official languages, is struggling with "linguistic
proliferation." To further complicate matters, such language issues
are overseen in the EU by a specially appointed commissioner for
linguistic diversity. And currently that post is held by Leonard
Orban, whose Romanian citizenship makes him subject to questions of
neutrality.

Orban says that "on the one hand, the EU recognizes the right of every
[outside] country to [name] their language according to their wish."
But on the other hand, "there is the sensitivity of a member state
regarding this subject," he added. "And from this point of view, the
European institutions should and are accommodating this issue of the
sensitivity of the member state [concerned]." During a recent speech
on January 14 before the European Commission, Moldovan President
Voronin was thwarted in his efforts to speak "Moldovan," as the
commission could only provide a Romanian interpreter.

At Voronin's insistence, the little makeshift booth housing the
interpreter initially sported a sign saying "English -- moldovenesc."
Before the long wait for the press conference was over, however, the
sign had disappeared. European Commission officials had apparently
been advised that it offended the sensitivities of EU member Romania.
The interpreter herself provided the icing on the cake -- when, upon
emerging from her booth, she told RFE/RL she was Romanian.

Does Moldovan Exist?

The controversy isn't only confusing within the walls of bureaucratic
institutions, however. Ask nearly any Romanian if the Moldovan
language exists, and you will likely receive a negative answer. And
you will commonly get a similar answer within Moldova's borders, as
RFE/RL found out on the streets of Chisinau. "Well, someone thinks it
exists," answered one Moldovan man. "Romanian is a holy language and
it will remain our language for good. Romanian will always be
Romanian. The only language I speak," another Moldovan said. "I don't
think the Moldovan language exists; it was simply invented." When
RFE/RL asked another man what language he speaks, he answered,
"Bessarabian!" Bessarabia was the official name of the former Romanian
province that makes up much of modern Moldova.

When asked if there is a difference between the Romanian language and
the Moldovan language, another Moldovan answered, "There is no doubt
about it; normally it's Romanian." He continued: "People who have
completed [higher] studies realize what language they speak. Common
people may be fooled, because from 1812 [to 1918] this land was a
Russian province, and Russian has clearly made its way into our
lexicon, in this way modifying the Romanian language. It is easy to
realize that we do not need translators between two brothers, who can
understand each other alone. Mr. Voronin mixes up two things: his
political ideology with the roots of this people and the history of
this people."

Despite his critics, Voronin is carrying on in his crusade -- even if
he has to resort to Russian to make his point. "The Moldovan state
will celebrate its 650th anniversary next year, while the Romanian
state is only 170 years old," Voronin said. "So what came first: the
chicken or the egg? The Moldovan Republic's Constitution says that the
country's national language is Moldovan, not Romanian. Yes, they are
identical. But historically it's called Moldovan, and it's going to
stay that way."

http://www.rferl.org/featuresarticle/2008/02/774237ba-969c-4696-8f55-dde671585cea.html

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