The purpose of our research was to study the new pattern of minoritymajority
relationship in the post-Soviet political and social configuration from the
perspective of the language policy implementation and its implications for the social
cohesion, particularly focusing on the Gagauz minority. The study introduces the
results of a wider research covering the use of languages in the Republic of Moldova
and the effectiveness of the language education, focusing on the Gagauz minority.
The authors made an effort to reach a better understanding of language use and
language education in the Gagauz Autonomy as well as of the linguistic choices the
speakers make and their perception of the interaction with the Moldovan majority.
The major questions that the authors aim to analyse are as follows: has the language
policy reinforced the ties between the ethnic majority and the Gagauz minority;
has it contributed to social cohesion and the principle of unity through diversity?
Through the research the authors attempted to answer these questions, examining
the effectiveness of language policy application in line with the established objectives.
The study has revealed the complexity of Moldovan sociolinguistic landscape where
functional distributions and choices among Gagauzi, Russian and Moldovan/Romanian
languages in Gagauz Autonomy still remain problematic.