Identități fluide – identități negociate. Limbă și identitate în proza contemporană basarabeană
Fluid Identities – Negotiated Identities. Language and Identity in Contemporary Bessarabian Prose

Summary/Abstract: This study explores the complex relationship between language and identity in contemporary Bessarabian prose, starting from the hypothesis that in Moldova, more so than in other contexts, language and identity are particularly fluid and strongly negotiated within specific contexts. They are also significantly shaped by speakers’ perceptions and their interactions with audiences. The analysis focuses on three novels published after 2010 (Tatiana Țîbuleac’s Grădina de sticlă, Sașa Zare’s Dezrădăcinare, and Dumitru Crudu’s Un american la Chișinău). Using a theoretical framework based on Le Page and Tabouret- Keller’s concept of ‘acts of identity,’ which emphasizes the capacity of linguistic behavior to reflect both personal identity and the search for social roles, the study examines how these dynamics are portrayed in the novels. Additionally, the study identifies three defining aspects of the relationship between language and identity: the inferiority complex, the unpredictability of linguistic behavior, and the controversial nature of the language standard. These features reveal a fluid and problematic identity connected with the ‘Moldovan language,’ which at times is viewed in relation to Romanian identity and deemed inferior, while at other times, the Romanian-Moldovan distinction results in feelings of double alienation and imposture. Ultimately, the study highlights how language serves as a means of negotiating identity within a complex framework of competing linguistic and cultural norms.

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