Authors

Discussion

Following the collapse of the Iron Curtain, numerous longstanding communities in Transylvania and Banat, which had thrived for centuries, experienced a significant erosion due to the new emigrational paradigm during the last thirty years. Despite the prolonged period of approximately six decades under communist rule, during which there was a concerted effort to promote the dominance of the Russian language, this objective could not be fully realized, considering the exceptional resilience of the locals. However, in the subsequent thirty years characterized by unbridled capitalism and substantial population mobility, several local communities faced extinction, leaving scant prospects for the revival of their traditional multilingualism and rich multicultural heritage within the regions (e.g. Hungarian, German, Serbian or Bulgarian speaking communities).

There has been a discernible inclination instead, towards the immediate adoption of the English language, often detached from its cultural underpinnings, viewing it as a fashionable or expedient linguistic choice. This trend has gained traction even among traditional multilingual communities as the city of Timisoara or Cluj. The research in progress centers on an examination of these transformative shifts and the resultant anthropological impoverishment of cultures, which has led to a disruption in harmonious everyday living within these regions. The study encompasses an inclusive consideration of vanishing communities, such as the Saxons, Swabians, Pems, and Hostanys, with an extended focus on brain gain local policies.