1. multilingualism in the city
Jean Monnet Network - European Identity, Culture, Exchanges and Multilingualism (EUROMEC) – Final conference
multilingualism in the city
the case of Sofia
Maya Grekova
Dublin, 15 July 2017

2. According to the first census (1880) Sofia had 20,501 inhabitants:
multilingualism in the city: the case of Sofia
In 1879 one year after its liberation from the Ottoman Empire Sofia became the capital of the Principality of Bulgaria (from 1908 – Third Kingdom of Bulgaria).
According to the first census (1880) Sofia had 20,501 inhabitants:
56% Bulgarians,
30% Jews,
7% Turks,
6% Gypsies

3. multilingualism in the city: the case of Sofia

4. multilingualism in the city: the case of Sofia
Sofia, 1880-s

5. Approximately 20,000 foreign citizens live in Sofia.
multilingualism in the city: the case of Sofia
According to the latest census (2011), Sofia has 1,291,591 inhabitants.
Mother tongue:
87.53% Bulgarian,
0.50% Turkish,
1.29% Romani,
0.07% Armenian,
0.006% Jewish,
0.78% other languages
0.49% cannot answer
9.31% don’t want to answer
Approximately 20,000 foreign citizens live in Sofia.

7. No. of respondents in discourse Discourse 1 “nationalistic”
multilingualism in the city: the case of Sofia
In the Sofia case, we have 31 respondents.
The processing of 31 individual Q-sort with PQMethod software led to the isolation of three discourses.
Five respondents fell out – i.e. their Q-sort cannot be attributed to any of the three discourses.
No. of respondents in discourse
Discourse 1 “nationalistic”
Discourse 2
“cosmopolitan”
Discourse 3
“pragmatic” 13 8 5

8. - 40 out of 56 general statements
multilingualism in the city: the case of Sofia
There are altogether 48 statements which distinguish the tree discourses:
- 40 out of 56 general statements
8 out of 8 Sofia-specific statements.
All respondents are Bulgarian citizens with Bulgarian as a mother tongue.

9. multilingualism in the city: the case of Sofia
Discourse 1 – Nationalistic: language as a source of national identity; language in urban spaces is identification of belonging to “Bulgarianness” which needs to be preserved and protected;
Discourse 2 – Cosmopolitan: language as a source of cosmopolitan/European identity; the use of different languages in urban space opens up the city and contributes to the communication among its residents who have different ethnic and national origins, i.e. different mother tongues;
Discourse 3 – Pragmatic: language as a source of personal success; knowing a language/languages different from one’s mother tongue provides more opportunities for success on the labor market as well as for communication with members of different cultures.

10. Discourse 1 – ‘Nationalistic’
multilingualism in the city: the case of Sofia
Discourse 1 – ‘Nationalistic’
Statement
Value
Bulgarian Cyrillic should be valued as our national cultural heritage, which has to be protected. 5
When we lose our Bulgarian, we lose part of our identity, our culture and origins. 4
I feel proud because the Bulgarian language is the earliest documented Slavonic language.

11. Discourse 2 – ‘Cosmopolitan’
multilingualism in the city: the case of Sofia
Discourse 2 – ‘Cosmopolitan’
Statement
Value
Officials who deal with the general public in Sofia really should be able to speak some English 5
Educational institutions here should support and promote minority languages. 4
The multiple languages in the EU are a source of richness, a bridge for greater solidarity and mutual understanding.

12. Discourse 3 – ‘Pragmatic’
multilingualism in the city: the case of Sofia
Discourse 3 – ‘Pragmatic’
Statement
Value
English is now a necessity: it is no longer just an advantage as a second language, but it is a must. 5
A multilingual city is one that delivers its services in the various languages of its citizens. 4
Anyone can easily pick up enough of a foreign language for basic communication.

13. Consensual statements
multilingualism in the city: the case of Sofia
Consensual statements
Statements which do not differentiate the three discourses and have positive value in all of them
Statement
Discourse 1 2 3
G3. A wide choice of languages, both European and non-European, should be offered in schools in Sofia.
G7. Children should start learning foreign languages from the earliest possible age, from kindergarten onwards.
G22. It is good practice for a city to provide multilingual information centres for residents and visitors.
G40. Street signs should be provided not only in Bulgarian but also in English.
G44. The multilingual environment here turns our city into an attractive destination for investment.

14. multilingualism in the city: the case of Sofia
Brief conclusions
The “nationalistic” discourse is focused on the non-acceptance of minority languages but is neither against learning foreign languages nor against their presence in the public space of the city.
The main difference in the focus of the “cosmopolitan” discourse compared to the other two is its support for minority languages.
The “pragmatic” discourse differentiates itself from the other two discourses not so much based on the statements it agrees with but rather based on the statements it disagrees with.