Languages of Luxembourg
This article needs additional citations for verification. (April 2012) |
Languages of Luxembourg | |
---|---|
Official | Luxembourgish, French, German |
Foreign | English, Portuguese, Italian |
Signed | German Sign Language[1] |
Keyboard layout | |
Source | [2] |
The linguistic situation in
Upon the founding of the country, French enjoyed the greatest prestige, and therefore gained preferential use as the official and administrative language. German was used in the political field to comment on the laws and the ordinances in order to make them comprehensible to everyone. At the primary-school level, teaching was limited to German, while French was taught in secondary education. The law of 26 July 1843 reinforced bilingualism by introducing the teaching of French in primary school.
History of language policy
German-French bilingualism dates back at least to the 12th century, when the territory of the
Luxembourgish
Luxembourgish (Lëtzebuergesch), a Rhinelandic language of the Moselle region similar to German and Dutch, was introduced in primary school in 1912. It is similar to Mosel-Frankish dialects like the dialects in Germany bordering Luxembourg, and the dialects in Moselle, France. Unlike its German counterparts, it uses many French loanwords, and is recognized as a separate language rather than a German dialect. The formalization of regional German dialects into national languages arose from the desire to impress a distinct national identity, not associated with the German state. In Switzerland, written German was maintained, albeit with some differences in vocabulary, differing strongly from the spoken Swiss-German speech which the average German cannot understand. In Luxembourg, the dialect was phonetically transcribed into a new language, and while Luxembourgish and a mix of other languages is spoken on the street, French is often the main language spoken next to German and sometimes Luxembourgish in shops or other commercial sites.
The first printed sentences in Luxembourgish appeared in 1821 in a weekly journal the
Constitutional revision
Until 1984, the official use of the languages was based on the grand-ducal decrees of 1830, 1832 and 1834, which allowed the free choice between German and French. French was preferred in the administration. Luxembourgish had no official status at all.
The constitutional revision of 1984 gave the legislature the power to regulate the language by law. On February 24, 1984, a law, passed by the
Participation in German and French language councils
Despite having German as one of its official languages, Luxembourg, which was not involved in devising the
Luxembourg does however fully participate in the Francophonie, despite French only being an official, and not national, language.[7] This might be due to the fact that Francophonie as an organization seeks to promote the use of the French language around the world, rather than regulate it,[citation needed] and thus includes many members that are not French-speaking, such as Romania and Greece.[8]
Education
Luxembourgish is taught at pre-primary level, there is an introductory program in French since 2017/18. When Luxembourgish children are first taught to read and write in public schools, it is in German. The language of instruction in public primary school is German. Moreover, Luxembourgish is taught only one hour per week at secondary school and only in the first years. In secondary school, besides German, French and Luxembourgish, English is taught. Optionally Latin, Spanish and/or Italian in the Lycée Classique where most subjects are taught in French after 4e. At the university level, multilingualism makes it possible for Luxembourgish students to continue their higher education in French, German or English-speaking countries.[9]
Press, police, public services
German and French are the primary languages for public service information. German is the main language of the written press and for recording police case files.[10]
Other languages
Foreign-born people and guest workers make up almost half (47%) of the population of Luxembourg. The most common languages spoken by them, other than German and French, are Portuguese, English and Italian.[11]
In addition to Luxembourgish, French, and German; English is frequently an acceptable language for use in and with government services.[12]
Statistics
The following tables list the percentage of inhabitants who are able to speak a language natively or as a second language.
2012[13] | Luxembourgish | French | German | English | other |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Native language | 52% | 16% | 2% | — | 30% |
Second language | — | 80% | 69% | 56% | — |
Combined | — | 96% | 71% | — | — |
2005[14] | Luxembourgish | French | German | English | other |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Native language | 77% | 6% | 4% | 1% | 12% |
Second language | 13% | 90% | 88% | 60% | — |
Combined | 90% | 96% | 92% | 61% | — |
See also
References
- ^ "House of Representatives: German sign language unanimously recognised". today.rtl.lu.
- ^ "SPECIAL EUROBAROMETER 386 Europeans and their Languages" (PDF). ec.europa.eu. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2016-01-06.
- ^ "What languages do people speak in Luxembourg?". luxembourg.public.lu. Retrieved 2021-09-06.
- Walter de Gruyter. pp. 118–119.
- ^ Luxemburger Wort, 9 August 2004
- ^ "14. Treffen deutschsprachiger Länder in Luxemburg". BRF Nachrichten (in German). 2017-09-27. Retrieved 2024-02-28.
- ^ "Etats et gouvernements membres de l'Organisation internationale de la Francophonie". Archived from the original on April 16, 2009. Retrieved May 2, 2009.
- ^ "77 États et gouvernements" (in French). Organisation internationale de la Francophonie. Archived from the original on 30 September 2013. Retrieved 28 December 2013.
- ^ "Langues à l'école luxembourgeoise". Site du ministère de l'Éducation nationale, de l'Enfance et de la Jeunesse (in French and Luxembourgish). Retrieved 17 January 2021.
- ^ "The use of languages in Luxembourg - Luxembourg". Archived from the original on 2015-05-20.
- ^ "Recensement De La Population 2011" (PDF). Statistiques.public.lu. Retrieved 2016-04-21.
- ^ "Guichet.lu - Administrative Guide - Luxembourg". guichet.public.lu. 3 April 2024.
- ^ "Special Eurobarometer 386" (PDF). Ec.europa.eu. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2016-01-06. Retrieved 2016-04-21.
- ^ "Europeans and their Languages" (PDF). Eurobarometer. Retrieved 2016-04-21.