Digital Multilingualism: Hungarian University Students in Romania between Multilingualism and Mother Tongue Use in the Digital Space

This study explores the digital language practices of Hungarian university students in Romania, focusing specifically o n t heir u se o f the mother tongue in digital environments and the factors influencing its occurrence. These students draw on a multilingual repertoire that includes their mother tongue, the official s tate l anguage (Romanian), a nd English. They use Hungarian as a primary means of expressing cultural identity, rely on Romanian for local social integration, and view English as essential for participation in global social, educational, and economic domains. The findings r eveal t hat t he H ungarian s tudents’ d igital a ctivities align with typical patterns observed in their age group, including social media engagement, online communication, and information seeking for academic or personal purposes. Hungarian youth in Romania operate as multilingual users in digital spaces, yet they demonstrate a clear preference for their mother tongue. Their language choices in digital contexts depend heavily on topic, audience, and platform. On platforms such as Facebook, Hungarian dominates, reflecting local identity and close social ties, whereas English is more commonly used on platforms like Instagram and YouTube, where entertainment and self-promotion are central. Students tend to use Hungarian to maintain personal relationships, English for entertainment and self-development, and Romanian primarily for navigating local services. The study confirms t hat d igital e nvironments o ffer a n e nabling context for the expression of multilingualism and the continued use of minority languages, as these spaces impose fewer linguistic restrictions than offline communication. However, high levels of English proficiency correlate with a reduced tendency to engage exclusively in digital activities using the mother tongue.