This paper explores the linguistic frames used by the populist radical right in Central and Eastern Europe and analyses how they have changed since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. It examines how historical legacies shape the communication of native language preservation and mother-tongue education, and to what extent these narratives are influenced by shifting geopolitical conditions.
Through this paper, I introduce the “Traumatised Linguistic Legacies” frame, which captures how past experiences of occupation, border change, and minority marginalisation are mobilised in contemporary language politics. I investigate how these legacies are used to justify policies relating to linguistic preservation and education reform. The core argument is that geopolitical responsiveness may take the form of either continuity or strategic adjustment, depending on domestic historical narratives and minority configurations.
Capturing how language operates as a marker of identity and inclusion, this paper focuses on EKRE (Estonia) and Fidesz (Hungary). These cases are selected as they provide an archetypal illustration of two divergent types of “Traumatised Linguistic Legacies” frames: internal occupier and external minority. The paper examines EKRE’s framing (2015-2022), which portrayed Russian-speakers as an internal legacy of occupation, and contrasts this with Fidesz’s consistent focus on ethnic Hungarians living beyond Hungary’s borders, particularly in Ukraine.
This comparison highlights how each party adapts the “Traumatised Linguistic Legacies” frame to its national context and minority structure. The paper traces qualitative shifts in these narratives across geopolitical phases and assesses whether the boundaries of inclusion and exclusion shifted after 2022. It shows that while Fidesz largely maintained continuity in its emphasis on Hungarian minorities abroad, particularly in response to the Education Law in Ukraine, EKRE incorporated a more overtly anti-Ukrainian refugee narrative following the invasion. Overall, the paper demonstrates that despite differing historical contexts, both parties recalibrated their linguistic framing in response to the changing geopolitical climate, albeit in distinct ways.
Methods: The analysis presented in this paper features discourse analysis of populist-authored press statements which relate to Estonian and Hungarian Linguistic Policy. These include the core policy developments of the Ukrainian Education Act (2017) and the Estonian Education Language Reform (2024). An iterative coding process identified recurring narratives and thematic patterns before establishing the “Traumatised Linguistic Legacies” frame and its core elements. Qualitative shifts were then mapped across geopolitical phases, particularly before and after the 2022 invasion. Finally, the findings were triangulated through semi-structured elite interviews, which provided contextual depth and helped assess the degree of geopolitical responsiveness in each case.
