Selective bilingualism: official language use and linguistic landscape in Hungarian-Romanian mixed schools in Romania

Abstract

ABSTRACT In Romania most Hungarian-speaking children study in their mother tongue, in Hungarian-language classes. Some of these are organised in ‘mixed schools’, where parallel Hungarian and Romanian classes coexist in the same institution. Although these institutions seem a good solution for inter-ethnic coexistence, no systematic research has been conducted on their internal language policy and language practices yet. The aim of the paper is to examine the language policy of these institutions, by focusing on the language of two top-down elements of the linguistic landscape, school inscriptions and internal signs of rooms. The study argues that three language strategies can be distinguished: asymmetry, symmetry and quasi-asymmetry, which are influenced by the institutional characteristics of the school. Furthermore, the paper offers possibilities for applying its findings in different contexts and situations. By drawing attention to the limits of formal language policy, it argues that depending on the structural context they find themselves in, actors can openly contest or reinterpret even seemingly clear legal regulations, negotiating their applicability according to the dominant language hierarchies and ideologies they adhere to. Additionally, the paper provides insights concerning two methodological dilemmas in linguistic landscape research, namely, representativity and lack of explanatory depth of quantitative analysis.