Multiculturalism and Multilingualism in the Gagauz Region

Abstract

UTA Gagauzia is a region of the Republic of Moldova that has acquired autonomy; therefore, the Gagauz population want to keep their Gagauz language alive. In everyday communication contexts, Gagauzians prefer the Russian language. They admit, more and more frequently, that they don’t speak the Romanian language very well or very often, although it is a state language. Gagauzia is thus defined by multiculturalism and multilingualism, considering the multitude of ethnicities, confessions and languages ​​that interact daily in this small but complex region on the territory of the Republic of Moldova. In the contemporary context, the people of the region show tolerance and mutual acceptance of the Other, a different Other due to linguistic, cultural, and sometimes, why not, confessional peculiarities. The present study aims to capture some aspects of interculturality and multilingualism in education since the educational contexts cultivate and exploit the elements of linguistic and cultural interference.