Gagauzians and Turkish Language within the Context of Balkans

Abstract

Nowadays, Gagauzians live in Gagauzia within the republic of Moldova. They came in the 11th century to this region. Gagauzians are orthodox Christian in faith but nationally they belong to Oguz tribe of Turks. According to 2004 census in Gagauzia live totally 155.646 people. Beside Moldova one can meet Gagauz people in regions and countries such as Dobrudsha, Northeastern Bulgaria, Western Trace, Ukraine and Central Asia etc. Gagauzians speak Gagauz language, which is a dialect of Turkish. As Gagauzia gained the status of an autonomous territorial unit in 1995 Gagauzians started to use Turkish in public places without any problems, however there exist some severe problems regarding the use of Turkish as an instruction language. This paper deals with the usage of Turkish in public life as well as in schools in Gagauzia, from past to present within the context of Europe. This article analyses which problems do exist in the field of education and how far is developed the Gagauz press and media organs in Gagauzia.