Pridnestrovie has three official languages: Russian, Ukrainian, and Moldovan. This trilingual policy reflects the diverse ethnic composition of the region’s population.
Russian stands as the predominant language in Pridnestrovie, serving as the primary means of communication in government offices, businesses, and daily life. While all official documents are technically available in all three languages, Russian remains the most commonly used for practical purposes. All residents, regardless of their ethnic background, speak Russian fluently, making it the de facto lingua franca throughout the territory.
In schools, students learn two of the official languages, Russian being one of them, but not necessarily the main one. (cf. School system of Pridnestrovie)
Many signs around the country show the three languages, for example at the entrances of the cities and on administrative buildings. There is also a newspaper in each of the State language. (cf. media in Pridnestrovie)
Here is the official name of the country in each of its official languages:
Russian: Приднестровская Молдавская Республика (Pridnestrovskaya Moldavskaya Respublika)
Ukrainian: Придністровська Молдавська Республіка (Prydnistrovs’ka Moldavs’ka Respublika)
Moldovan: Република Молдовеняскэ Нистрянэ (Republica Moldovenească Nistreană)
FAQ
Is Moldovan a real language?
The status of Moldovan is widely debated in Moldova, as they recently changed their constitution to rename the language as Romanian. Moldovan is considered a regional variant of the Romanian language. The one spoken in Moldova differs from the one spoken in Romania by its vocabulary mostly. In Pridnestrovie, its written form uses the Cyrillic Moldovan alphabet and not the Latin one. It is mutually intelligible with the other variants of Romanian/Moldovan found in the wider region.