IDENTITÁSŐRZÉS SZORÍTÁSBAN: EMBERKÖZPONTÚ NYELVMŰVELÉS KÁRPÁTALJÁN
PRESERVING IDENTITY UNDER PRESSURE: PEOPLE-CENTERED LANGUAGE CULTIVATION IN TRANSCARPATHIA

Summary/Abstract: This study examines the possibilities of preserving the identity of the Hungarian minority in Transcarpathia through the lens of people-centred language cultivation. The author outlines the 20th-century historical and socio-cultural background of the region, shaped by frequent changes of state borders, disadvantages stemming from national minority status, and the characteristics of a multilingual environment. The paper argues that traditional, norm-oriented language cultivation cannot adequately address multilingual speech situations, code-switching, and contact phenomena. In contrast, a people-centred approach prioritizes the real language use, needs, and rights of speaker communities, offering ethical frameworks and practical methods to strengthen linguistic self-confidence, multilingual competence, and cultural participation. The study discusses the core principles of people-centred language cultivation (the triad of norm–use–value, linguistic well-being, additive multilingualism, translanguaging, and community participation) and analyses the challenges concerning Hungarian-language education and its legal regulation, especially in light of Ukrainian educational reforms introduced after 2017. The author concludes that the survival of the Hungarian language depends on preserving the cultural and linguistic identity of the Hungarian community in Transcarpathia, which requires the support of mother tongue education, Hungarian-language media, cultural institutions, and civil organisations.

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