[ - The two anniversaries approaching — 19 years of the declaration of the Romanian language as Moldova’s official language and 10 years of the opening of the institution that you head, the Romanian Language House - give distinct thematic orientations to this interview. Did the Romanian Language House achieve the objectives that it set in 1998?] - In 1998, the social-economic conditions favored the recovery of the national identity. There was an increased interest in knowing well or even very well the official language of the sovereign and independent Moldova. Romanian language courses were organized in the municipality of Chisinau and all over Moldova. But the courses were mostly taught by enthusiasts rather than teaching staff with professional experience. That’s why an institution was needed to provide logistic support to the adults – native and foreign – that wanted to study Romanian according to modern methods. The project titled Romanian Language House was worked out with the help of renowned specialists and I must mention some names in this context – professor Valeriu Rusu, department head at the Aix-en-Provence University in France, prominent linguist from Bessarabia (he has taught the Romanian language and civilization to French students for several decades; is also author of an excellent textbook in two volumes translated and adapted in Chisinau for other-language speakers), academicians Eugeniu Coseriu, Nicolae Corlateanu, Silviu Berejan, professor Anatol Ciobanu, department head at the Faculty of Philology of the State University of Moldova, and the list can be continued. During a short period of time, the institution became a didactic and cultural center (the project envisioned the organization of colloquiums, symposiums, roundtable meetings, book launches, exhibitions - all on linguistic topics), which could provide optimal conditions for learning our language and knowing our culture. The Romanian Language House owns a set of textbooks, including a textbook written by the eminent Cluj teacher Liana Pop – “Romanian With or Without Teacher” – a modern and efficient text for the friends of the Romanian language from Czech Republic, Slovakia, Poland, Hungary, Bulgaria, France and other countries. I found out about the existence of this textbook from an American diplomat, which brought it with him from the United States. At our suggestion, the book was adapted for the people from Moldova that wanted to learn Romanian; we also multiplied the audio cassettes that accompany it. On the basis of this text, the well-known specialist in the field, professor Alexei Acsan has recently compiled, after a decade of teaching experience at the Romanian Language House, a new guidebook for studying Romanian in three volumes – “Functional Grammar in Communicative Structures and Images”, so that we can say that now we have the necessary didactic support for those that want to learn the state language quickly and qualitatively. The teachers are selected according to professional and human criteria. The specialized library contains appropriate didactic literature and methodology. We can say that the set objectives – to create a center with modern teaching methods used to capacity – have been achieved. Evidently, it is a municipal institution that can teach 350-400 persons a year. During ten years of work, the Romanian Language House joint company has constantly benefited from the support of the Chisinau City Hall and Municipal Council. [ - Why is it difficult to promote and learn Romanian in Moldova?] - The given problem is old. It was raised by the press and discussed at national and international scientific meetings held in Chisinau, Balti, Cahul, Bucharest, Iasi, Suceava, Cernauti, Germany, France and other parts. Scientists, writers, newspapermen, politicians from Moldova and abroad spoke and wrote about the difficulties in the process of promoting and learning the Romanian language in Moldova, providing convincing evidence. For example, Academician Rajmund Piotrowski from Saint-Petersburg is a good and competent connoisseur of our linguistic realities. Analyzing the way of implementing the linguistic legislation, he said: “The results (of the implementation of the linguistic legislation, which is designed to protect and cultivate the Romanian language – Al. B.) are, unfortunately, not the intended ones. The revival process is slow. It happens that it is intentionally stopped and this disappoints us”. This is the opinion of a Russian scientist, famous savant and teacher, who expresses a cruel reality, especially for those that are permanently in this linguistic environment that is more hostile towards the Romanian language. The process is indeed complicated because, even if sufficient time has passed, the state language continues to be ‘protected’ by laws that were adopted for another state – the Moldovan Soviet Socialist Republic – which was part of the former Soviet Union. Two decades ago, in rather difficult political conditions, there was created an appropriate legal framework, but this contained many and unjustified omissions, principled capitulations, evasive formulations that can have double meanings, articles that tolerate or even tacitly encourage the non-recognition or neglecting of the state language. The linguistic legislation, which was hailed during the Soviet period, was now counterproductive. The changes made afterward diminished its efficiency or even fully discredited it in some cases. In fact, the three laws – “About the status of the state language of the Republic of Moldova”, “About the languages spoken in the Republic of Moldova”, “About the return to Latin script” – were ignored and even boycotted. Follow the publicity in our towns, try to speak the state language in certain shops, banks or at the post office and you will ascertain that the posters and advertisements are mainly written in Russian and that many officials don’t known the state language. In cinemas, the movies shown are also mostly in Russian. In some institutions, the mail is not in the state language. The Romanian versions of the documents are often only formal annexes. The laws that I mentioned above are not known because they were published only at the beginning of the 90s. There are even legislators that are not familiar with their content. We must admit that the state language was not a real preoccupation for the governments that followed after 1991. They pretended to be concerned about it, with certain exceptions, but nothing definite was done for the Romanian language to regain its legal position of principal instrument of vital importance for the state. Moldova does not have a governmental institution that would protect and supervise how the state language is used. The former Department of Languages, which had worked during 1991-1994, was reformed, modified, liquidated so that no institution monitors how the linguistic legislation is implemented. The tolerant and excessively conciliatory attitude towards those that don’t known and don’t want to speak the official language of Moldova will continue to damage the image and role of the Romanian language in the society, will make the divergences between people (speakers and non-speakers or persons that don’t know Romanian) more prominent. A conflict can anytime arise as a result of the degrading of the state language, the alarming rise in the number of Moldovans that prefer to learn and speak Russian. The situation can improve only if the whole society changes its attitude towards the given problem and the Presidential Office, Parliament and Government should be the first to change their attitude. [ - What about the notions of Romanian language, Moldovan language and state language. Why are there so many names for a single language?] - This is because “the policy still dominates the science” as the ideologists from the Moldovan Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic (L. Madan and others) considered in the 30s of the last century as well as in the third millennium, though the situation is now apparently clearer. Numerous, different, consistent and accessible studies, articles, investigations concerning the correct name of our language had been published during two decades. The confrontation of ideas and opinions that extended facilitated the definitive elucidation of the controversial linguistic problems so that it is now ridiculous to feel uncertain about the authentic and scientific name of our language. This truth was acknowledged and recognized by chroniclers (the old name of Romanian, says Miron Costin, “is inflexible and rooted”, “as a solid ground….but what is rooted cannot change position”), and was then confirmed by the classic and modern writers (Eminescu knew very well our identity problem; he said simply and suggestively: “ …we, all the Romanians living on the Earth speak a single language, [only one] – the words were underlined by Eminescu) and by contemporary linguists studying Romanian, including by the Supreme Scientific Academic Forum of Moldova, which, synthesizing the opinions and scientific arguments, proposed that article 13 of the Constitution should be formulated as follows: “The official state language of the Republic of Moldova is the Romanian Language”). The story of the language’s name should have ended in 1994 or 1996, when the Academy of Sciences of Moldova made public the answer to the interpellation of the Moldovan Parliament. But is did not happen so and the ‘linguistic war’ goes on. [ - When and how will Romanian function effectively as the official language of our state?] - The official language of Moldova will regain its natural rights only when there will be a law that will protect Romanian, de jure and de facto, in the unequal competition with Russian and will create real preconditions so that Romanian is freely used in all the areas of life. But it seems that such a law will not appear soon and time will pass until the politicians will have the courage and wisdom to admit the inconsistence and anachronism of the theory of a language with two names and would accept to include its old name into the Constitution. [ - What are the trends as regards the studying and acceptance of Romanian - as state language or as language of social integration in Moldova?] - Surely we want these trends with spectacular reverberations at the start of the 90s and with fading echoes to be more prominent and join a larger number of people, and the Romanian language to become a veritable means of communication, including interethnic, in the society with the help of the state authorities of all levels. The Romanian language must be a chain that unites all those that live in Moldova. [ - Who comes to the Romanian Language House to learn Romanian and who comes there to promote the official language of the state?] - Those that come to the Romanian Language House acknowledge that they must know the state language for their social comfort, for job-related reasons for example. Among those that come to the Center are Ukrainians, Russians, Bulgarians, Gagauzians, Jews, Armenians, Poles, representatives of other ethnic groups; teachers, doctors, policemen, lawyers, businesspeople, students – in one word citizens of Moldova and representatives of the diplomatic and business institutions working in Chisinau. Accepting the invitations, we go to institutions, enterprises, economic units (among the most recent visits are the ones to the Labor Office, Municipal Library “B.P. Hasdeu”, the Plastic Arts School “Poleacov”, the Trolleybus Companies No.1 and No.2). We are glad that the number of those that need our services is growing and that the graduates from the Romanian Language House can write and speak Romanian and, what is the most important, they find a means for understanding and getting closer to everything that means the Republic of Moldova. [ - How will the Romanian Language House look like in ten years?] - We hope that in a decade the adults will know the Romanian language and will attend only courses to improve their knowledge of the language. Our main preoccupation will be [the Young Philologist’s School] – a project designed to arouse young people’s interest in studying the national language and culture, which had been implemented for several consecutive years, but abandoned for a while owing to the lack of financial resources. We will unquestionably return to this project because we consider that the young people have the mission to change the face of this land, taking the obligation to solve the multiple political, social and economic problems and maybe, primarily, the identity problem. That’s why we think that in ten years, the Romanian Language House will be an institution mainly for young people – students that want to graduate from humanities faculties and that will gain with our help the experience and knowledge needed in the future profession that is so necessary in education, literature, culture, journalism, research and especially in the process of strengthening the Romanian language.