Situation of the Csángó Dialect of Moldavia in Romania

Authors

  • Siarl Ferdinand University of Wales Trinity Saint David

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.5195/ahea.2016.231

Keywords:

Csángó, language shift, Romania, Szeklers, Roman Catholics in Romania, Bacău

Abstract

The following paper analyses the situation of the Csángó dialect spoken in the Romanian region of Moldavia. After a review of the global phenomenon of language death, its causes, and some resources to evaluate language vitality, the study focuses on the Csángó community and its Hungarian dialect. A short description of some fundamental facts about the group, such as ethnicity, religious affiliation, and linguistic background sets the base for an in-depth study of the language situation. In order to achieve that goal, the language was scrutinized according to the nine factors proposed by the UNESCO’s Language Vitality and Endangerment (LVE) framework. The results confirm previous research in the field and show that Csángó is experiencing a decisive and most difficult phase in its history. It is expected, however, that this paper can contribute to create a successful planning to preserve not only Csángó but many other languages and dialects in similar situations.

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Published

2016-10-11

Issue

Section

General Articles