The power and role of language in the life of a community have been increasingly acknowledged by governments across the western world over the past few decades. Over this period, language planning with a focus on minority groups has been an effective tool employed in the process of empowering indigenous people (May, 2012). And yet, since the 12th century, Europe has also been home to a group that is not indigenous, nor are they new migrants; the status of this group, the Roma, remains problematic. Their troubled history has resulted in a plethora of legal and social issues surrounding them. Large numbers of Roma now live in Eastern Europe; Romania houses one of their largest communities. Over the past 30 years, this country has invested significant resources into creating policy and implementing social initiatives aimed at improving the status of this community; however, until recently, a focus on their language, Romani, seemed to be missing from policy. Is there truly an oversight in this respect, and if so, how does this impact on the lives of the Roma today?
This paper investigates the current legal status of Romani in Romania, examines the ways in which Romani-related policy is implemented by Romanian institutions today, and explores the role of the language in the daily lives of its speakers. Data was collected via documentary analysis, interviews with both Romanian and Roma authorities and representatives, and narrative interviews with both Romanian and Roma citizens. The findings reveal several surprising aspects about Romania: firstly, the legal frameworks for the speaking and teaching of Romani have been in place since after the 1989 revolution. Secondly, all public institutions legislate and implement Roma-focused policies in cooperation with Roma representatives. One example illustrating the success of this cooperation is the fact that there are several Romani-immersion schools functioning around the country today. The richest and most surprising data on Roma-focused policy-in-action, however, (unsurprisingly) came from the life stories of regular citizens – both Romanian and Roma; the presentation will explore these stories in more detail.
Key words: Language planning and policy, Roma language rights, linguistic human rights
