Language and identity: L2 acquisition in post-Soviet Moldova

The study draws on diverse fields from second language acquisition theory and linguistic anthropology to history and language policy. It focuses on two research questions: (1) To what extent do attitudes toward languages correlate to competing notions of national and social identity within the Republic of Moldova? (2) How does the variability in these attitudes and identities affect the acquisition of second language (L2) proficiency in standard Russian, Romanian, and English? The first question is addressed using ethnographic and psychometric methods, including the matched guise technique and follow-up interviews. Survey respondents include over one hundred students of English in Moldova's capital city. The second question is tested by comparing attitude data with measures of L2 proficiency in a small subset of the survey respondents. Together with qualitative explorations of Moldova's recent history and its social milieu, the quantitative results of the surveys suggest that language attitudes and social identities create predispositions with regard to the acquisition of a particular L2. Specifically, evidence is found for a post-colonial effect that continues to maintain the status of Russian, despite policy efforts to establish a stronger role for Romanian. In addition, the role of English, as an international language associated with ideologies of progress, is argued to further complicate the dynamics of multilingualism and identity crisis in the country. The use of multiple methods and models related to linguistic and social identity creation contribute to a textured, complex presentation of socially situated L2 acquisition in Moldova, informing both language policy in the region and the often overlooked social aspects of L2 acquisition theory.