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Language and Cultural Identity in Moldavia

(2021)

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OleseaCegodari_79141600_2020-2021_Appendices.pdf
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OleseaCegodari_79141600_2020-2021.pdf
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Abstract
This current master thesis is an investigation which was built on two-fold parts. The first part included the attempt to provide light on the fundamental question concerning nowadays controversy over linguistic and cultural identity in Moldavia: ‘Do Moldavians shape distinct language(s) and cultural identity/identities?’ from a socio-linguistic perspective. More precisely, the first part applied a two-stage qualitative analysis dedicated to explore the language and cultural identity phenomena shaped in Moldavia by examining the experiences of two distinct representative groups. Study 1 consisted in developing a notion of identity and answering the paramount question of our work (namely, ‘How do they ‘self-identify’ culturally?’) in a self-paced and open-ended self-concept questionnaire format, whereas Study 2 consisted in answering ten questions regarding language and cultural identity in Moldavia in a semi-structured interview format. The qualitative research also aimed to address two essential questions, the answers to which will provide a multi-perspective analysis of Moldavian identity formation by examining the ways that social actors perceive their own cultural identities: I. How do people from Moldavia self-identify linguistically and culturally? II. What factors have influenced the construction of Moldavian identity over time? Three hypotheses were generated from the rationales of the participants in Study 1: • Cultural identity is perceived by our focused group as a hereditary phenomenon. • Language and cultural identity are tied to national identity. • Cultural identity is correlated with ethnicity. The second part of this thesis consisted of conducting a quantitative questionnaire on language attitudes and cultural identity in order to elicit attitudes and representations of language practices of a segment of Moldavian people. The questionnaire method was employed to answer the most essential research questions of Study 3 (see below): I. What are the primary languages used and spoken in Moldavia and what attitudes people have towards them? • Are there any languages that are highly regarded than the others? • What are the factors (if any) that make some languages more regarded than the others? • Do many Moldavian people have positive or negative attitudes towards speaking foreign languages spoken in diasporic contexts? II. How do the language attitudes influence cultural identity among the people in Moldavia and in diasporic contexts? • Do people use the same language in all areas of their socialisation or do they use different languages in different contexts? • Is it easy to identify people from a different culture/group based on the language they use/speak? Furthermore, it provides a review of identity theories originating from different perspectives and language attitudes in general, analysed in the light of the current social and linguistic situation in Moldavia. Then, it outlines the most relevant findings on language attitudes of respondents, in particular. It is important to detail that the research findings of Study 1, Study 2 and Study 3 were discussed separately. However, a pertinent comparative analysis between several questions of Study 3 was performed in parallel in order to bring in new insights into understanding of language attitudes and identity fields.