Moldova - LanguageMoldova - Language
The proper naming of the official language spoken in Moldova is sometimes a matter of debate, even among ethnic Moldovans, as some insist upon calling the language Moldovan, while others acknowledge that it is Romanian. With the exception of a few usage norms, in its standard form it is identical to Romanian. During the Soviet period, the language, exclusively called Moldovan, was written in Cyrillic and hence was clearly distinguishable from Romanian, but with the reversion to Latin script following independence, the distinction between the two disappeared. One may hear that the language spoken in Moldova is roughly as similar to the one spoken in Romania as American English is to British English, though the difference is that Americans acknowledge their language as being English, without insisting that it be called American. Some people contend that besides the typical regional accent, the main difference between Moldovan and Romanian is that Moldovans intersperse their speech with Russian words. In formal documents or settings, however, the preference is always given to standard Romanian. Most inhabitants of Chisinau speak both Russian and Romanian. In Chisinau, quite often the shopkeepers and business people use the Russian language among themselves and with foreigners. At outdoor (agricultural) markets one will hear more Romanian. In most of the villages, Romanian is the primary language; however, there are rural areas where only Russian is preferred. Nowadays, many young people can converse in English.
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