DOI: http://doi.org/10.15350/2409-7616.2020.2.21

Elena V. Voevoda – Dr. Sci. (Education), Prof., Head of the Department of Pedagogy and Psychology, Professor at #2 English Language Department, Moscow State Institute of International Relations, Moscow, Russian Federation, E-mail: elenavoevoda@yandex.ru

Galina N. Mutaf – PhD student at the Department of Pedagogy and Psychology, MGIMO-University, Acting Head of the Department of Gagauz Philology, Komrat State University, Komrat, Republic of Moldova, E-mail: galinamutaf@mail.ru,

Abstract. The article presents a historical survey of teaching mother tongue to the Gagauzes in the Republic of Moldova from the early 19th century to the present day as well as language training of teachers. The author addresses the problems that arouse in the process of creating and putting into everyday practice Cyrillic and Latin alphabets, compiling dictionaries, training teachers for national schools in Gagauzia. With regard to a decrease of interest in the younger generation to learning and using the Gagauz language, the author analyses the motivating and demotivating factors that influence its spread and social demand. The authors also note that among the factors that reduce the motivation of students to learn a language, teachers note difficulties in mastering it, caused not only by linguistic factors, but also by the overload of programs, outdated educational materials that do not contribute to the formation of interest in the language being studied. All this indicates the need to develop, on a scientific and practical basis, new approaches to teaching the Gagauz language – the selection of content and methods of its study, taking into account the achievements of modern linguodidactics; training of teachers of the Gagauz language in the framework of the theory and methodology of professional education.

Keywords: Gagauz, education, literacy, mother tongue, script, Cyrillic alphabet, Latin alphabet.

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For citation:

Voevoda E.V., Mutaf G.N. Teaching the gagauz language: past and present. CITISE, 2020, no. 2, pp. 225-233. DOI: http://doi.org/10.15350/2409-7616.2020.2.21