On Language Policy in the Education of Young People in Multinational States

Abstract

This article presents theoretical aspects of language policy in the education of young people in multinational states, drawing on the experience of the Republic of Moldova. An emphasis is placed on the interaction between language and state education policy, clarifying the legal framework in the multinational state in question. The opprtunities different ethnic groups, which historically live on the territory of the Republic of Moldova, have with regard to studying their mother tongue in the country‘s schools are outlined. In order to look for opportunities to implement a language policy in accordance with the new educational realities in European countries, a study is organized in the Republic of Moldova, and part of the results are presented in the article. The obtained empirical data on attitudes to language learning expressed by students of various ethnic origins give reason to conceptualize the idea of implementing multilingual learning models in the educational system of the Republic of Moldova. These results provide important guidelines about continuing studies in this direction and about developing language policies in the field of education.