Language Testing in the Context of Citizenship and Asylum: The Case of Estonia

The focus of the current article is language testing in the context of citizenship and asylum in Estonia, a country that regained independence in 1991. Estonian as the single official language of the country (according to the new language legislation laws) and a new political system have caused changes in use of and attitudes toward Estonian among the Russian-speaking population, which is the local majoritized minority. At the same time new language, citizenship, and education laws have begun to enforce the use of Estonian. As part of a summary of these laws, the article also touches on the challenges currently faced by the country in fulfilling the needs and rights of the local Russian-speakers who, it is argued, cannot be treated as a traditional linguistic minority as normally understood.