Romanian linguistic integration into Europe
Romanian linguistic integration into Europe

Summary/Abstract: The paper tackles the topic of the linguistic integration of Romanians, as speakers, and that of Romanian, as a language, into the allegedly multicultural and multilingual environment of the European Union. The study establishes whether European policies have had any impact upon the Romanian foreign language policy, especially in the formulation of the language curricula. In this section, there is special focus on the translatability of European policies into the language policy at university level, with a careful examination of the case of Babeş-Bolyai University. The core of the study dwells upon what a multicultural and multilingual environment should be, that is, its defining features. It also focuses on the main linguistic trends within the European Union which value one language over another and on the groups of people that have arisen around these trends, with the arguments that account for their position. Furthermore, it aims to establish the degree of multiculturalism and multilingualism in Europe and Romania and to decide whether any hierarchy in the importance of studying one language over another, which is the case in most E.U. countries including Romania, is not a threat to multilingualism. Instead of conclusions, a series of alternatives are presented that could enrich the multilingual environment in Romania. These options are considered not only to secure equal rights to European languages within Romania, but also to contribute to a better multicultural living experience in so multilingual a background as Transylvania.

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