Ana-Maria Munteanu, Aida Todi -
Language and identification of the self on the sites of Romanians Abroad
(pag. 25-38)
In a globalised world, the importance of borders is decreasing gradually encouraging migration and mobility and clustering cultural threats. Driven by various reasons (work, study, marriage and family reunification, career, etc..) a growing number of people in emerging states decide to leave their home and to settle, temporarily or permanently, in developed countries of the EU. With a massive migration phenomenon, mother tongue becomes cultural capital in online identification. It seems that linguistic framework has a major role in the process of adaptation and integration of immigrants restoring the community connection between de-located individuals or groups and facilitating the formation of self-help networks. That role appears to be related both to the multiplication of online platforms created and used by Romanians from abroad and to a ritual function that makes possible the identification with a community niche. Online narratives promote positive and pragmatic images of the self, reinforce and motivate identification in the framework defined by correct and expressive uses of language, regenerate the cultural and social capital - "the world becomes a fable", stories intersect, reorganizes the perception of realities - in the familiar language environment.