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Luxembourgish Language

Luxembourgish CD-ROM
RRP: £24.95
Our Price: £19.99
with FREE P&P

Where does Luxembourgish come from?
Luxembourgish or Luxembourgian is a West Germanic language and belongs to the group of High German languages. This means that is has a lot in common with German, but has also borrowed words from French such as merci (thank you) or Buschauffeur (Chauffeur de bus in French and Busfahrer in German). Luxembourgish is written in the Latin alphabet with the additional letters ë, ä, é. Luxembourgish has been spoken along the banks of the Moselle since Frankish times (c. 1,000 AD), the first modern example of the language dates from 1824.

How many people speak Luxembourgish?
There are nearly 300,000 native Luxembourgish speakers and over 100,000 more who can speak and understand it.

In how many countries?
Luxembourgish is one of the three official languages in Luxembourg (alongside French and German). It is also spoken in neighbouring parts of France, Belgium and Germany. A few descendants of Luxembourgish immigrants to the USA also speak the language.

Luxembourgish Culture

A spot of Culture
The language in everyday life
Luxembourgish is the language of instruction in pre-school education, where foreign children are also taught the language. In primary school the main instruction language becomes German, which then changes to French in the fourth year of secondary school. The language of communication between pupils and teachers remains Luxembourgish during the whole time and the language is systematically taught at school.

This mixture of languages is apparent in many different aspects of everyday life. Street and village names are written in French and Luxembourgish, whereas signposts on motorways and main roads are in French or the language of the country they lead into. Official certificates are in French, passports are trilingual. Civil servants have to sit an exam in Luxembourgish and answer queries in the language used by the correspondent. The ministers and the Grand Duke address the nation in Luxembourgish, however the official language of legislation is French. The press is mainly written in German, some articles appear in French and Luxembourgish. Luxembourg has a range of radio stations as well as a couple of TV channels, which broadcast in the language.

Luxembourgish Art
For the small number of Luxembourgish speakers, literacy publishing in the language is thriving. Luxembourgish theatre is very popular with many most small villages putting on theatrical performances every year through their local musical, sports or choral associations. There exist many Luxembourgish songs and poems, several rock and folk groups also sing in the language. The government has recently involved itself in the small film industry to help with the development of the audio-visual-media.

Luxembourgish Food and Drink
Typical Luxembourgish dishes are Judd mat Gaardebounen (smoked neck of pork with broad beans), Friture (fried small river fish) and Träipen (black pudding). Other specialities include Grompere Kichelcher (potato pancakes), Lëtzebuergesch Ham (smoke-cured uncooked ham, similar to Italian prosciutto crudo), Kack Kéis (cooked cheese) and Quetschen Taart (plum tart). Vineyards cover the landscape along the banks of the Moselle, the and the national white wine and sparkling wine (Crémant de Luxembourg) are gaining increasingly in prestige. Always look for the Marque Nationale, which identifies authentic Luxembourgish wine. Luxembourg has also quite a lot of breweries, especially considering the small size of the country.

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