몰도바공화국 가가우지야의 언어 문제 연구

Abstract

The purpose of this research is to study the conflict between titular ethnic group (Moldovans) and minorities, especially Gagauzes in Moldova. Gagauz-Yeri, the land of the Gagauz, is a special autonomous territorial unit situated in the southern part of the Republic of Moldova. The Gagauzes are Christian-Orthodox Turk people. On 31 August 1989, the Supreme Soviet of the Moldavian Soviet Socialist Republic (MSSR) passed a new language law, declaring Moldovan in Latin script the state language of MSSR. The language was called 'Moldovan' and not 'Rumanian' and Russian retained an official status as the language for inter-ethnic communication. Nevertheless, Gagauzes, the Russian-speakers perceived the new language law as an outright threat. In reaction to the Moldovan declaration of sovereignty, August 1990 Gagauzes proclaimed a 'Gagauz Soviet Socialist Republic', which would be independent from Moldova. On December 1994 the Moldovan Parliament passed the 'Law on the Special Juridical Status of Gagauzia (Gagauz-Yeri)', which is referred to here as 'Autonomy Statute'. There are about 155,600 people in Gagauzia today, of which 82.1% are ethnic Gagauzes. Though the revival of Gagauz language occupies a prominent place in the new autonomy, with Moldovan (Rumanian) and Russian also acting as official languages, most of Gagauzes still speak Russian and prefer Russian to his mother tongue. Russian language heavily dominates all spheres of public life and the schools in the Gagauz autonomy. Though relations between Moldovan authorities and Gagauzia still are not ideal, the achieved solution (recognition of a special autonomous territorial unit, a form of self-determination of the Gagauzes within Moldova) can serve as an example of the cohesion of the interests of a language minority and the integrity of the common state. This also guarantees to Gagauzes the possibility to declare independence in the case of the uniting of Moldova with Rumania, the granting of the status of official language to Gagauzian and the region was further granted ethnical-territorial autonomy, which can serve as an example for solutions to similar problems in other areas, such as Abkhazia, South Ossetia and Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic.