RTL Today - Fact Check: Is Luxembourgish a dying language?

Comments on how "you have to speak French everywhere you go" and foreigners who are "unwilling to learn our language" are a common sight on social media.

Some people have the impression that the Luxembourgish language is slowly disappearing. At least, that is the conclusion one might reach when reading what people say on social media. However, MP Fred Keup from the Alternative Democratic Reform Party (adr) also made this claim during an interview with our colleagues from RTL Radio on Monday.

In fact, the number of people enrolling in Luxembourgish classes offered by the National Institute of Languages (INL) has more than doubled over the past ten years. In the academic year 2011/2012, 2,614 people were enrolled in language classes offered by the INL, compared to 5,681 in 2021/2022.

In 2019/2020 – the year before the start of the pandemic – this number even exceeded 6,200. The rising demand has also led to an increase in teachers of Luxembourgish. Their number has nearly doubled since 2015, from 33 to 60.

The number of classes also increased significantly. In 2011/2012, 132 Luxembourgish classes were offered. In 2020/2021, this number jumped to 300.

But not only the INL offers Luxembourgish classes. Similar offers are also provided by the Service for Adult Learning from the Ministry of Education, the association 'Moien asbl', and even the Municipality of Luxembourg City.

According to figures from the National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies (STATEC), nearly 8,400 people participated in Luxembourgish classes in 2019/2020.

Luxembourgish remains the most-spoken language at home

STATEC also reports that Luxembourgish remains the language that is most spoken in the Grand Duchy's households. 53% of Luxembourg residents speak Luxembourgish at home, followed by 32% who speak French. At 78%, French is the language that is most spoken at the workplace, followed by English at 51% and Luxembourgish at 48%.

It is also worth pointing out that, according to Luxembourg's residents, Luxembourgish is the language that they are most comfortable in. About 42% of residents stated that it is their main language, compared to 20% of residents who stated that they are most proficient in French. Portuguese is in third place at 19%. These figures are from a representative survey carried out by STATEC in 2018. New figures from STATEC are expected to be published next year at the latest, after the results of the Census have been assessed.

The majority of young people in Luxembourg also still use the Luxembourgish language regularly. Market Research and Polling Agency TNS-Ilres carried out a study on this topic in 2018. According to this study, 94% of people aged between 16 and 24 speak Luxembourgish. The age group between 35 and 44 is the one where the least amount of Luxembourgish is spoken, with only 67% stating that they are able to speak the language.

In October and November 2021, TNS-Ilres also carried out a study on volunteer work in Luxembourg and interviewed some 2,000 randomly chosen residents over the age of 16. One of the questions in that survey was about the languages spoken by survey participants. When asked which language they speak the most in everyday life and feel that they understand the best, a majority of participants answered Luxembourgish. 65% stated that they mainly speak Luxembourgish, while 68% described Luxembourgish as the language they understand the best. In total, 80% of participants stated that they can either speak or understand Luxembourgish.

Increasing number of institutions and tools to support the language

Speaking to our colleagues from RTL.lu, Luc Marteling, the Director of the Centre for the Luxembourgish Language (ZLS), stated that in his eyes, there is "no reason to paint a dark picture" of the future of Luxembourgish. "The language is alive and it is changing – some think that is a good thing, others not so much," Marteling says. In general, the ZLS can confirm that the interest in Luxembourgish and the importance of the language is increasing, whether in society, politics, linguistics, and even abroad.

Luxembourgish is no longer just of interest for those seeking to learn a new foreign language but research into the language is also increasing. Requests from foreign universities are no longer the exception, according to Marteling. At the same time, Luxembourgish has also become more institutionalised as a language with the creation of the Centre for the Luxembourgish Language (2018), the Council for the Luxembourgish Language (1998), and the office of Commissioner for the Luxembourgish Language (2018).

Several tools, such as the Luxembourg Online Dictionary (LOD) and spellchecker.lu, help people to move beyond writing the language by feeling and allow those interested to gain access to the orthography. On average, some 2,700 people access the LOD website every day and 26,500 searches are recorded daily. Since 2016, the number of accessed LOD articles has increased from 1.7 million to about 10.2 million in 2021.

But not only the clicks are increasing, the services are also being improved: In late June, the LOD will be relaunched with several new features, according to Marteling. The INL, meanwhile, is working on an online platform that will allow anyone around the world to learn Luxembourgish to a C1 level for free. In a first phase, Levels A1 and A2 will be launched in September 2022.

RTL Today also started their own Learn Luxembourgish series right here. Each class will include a couple of handfuls of useful words and phrases, and a bit of grammar as well. In addition we'll also have audio recordings to help you with the pronunciation side of things

So, is Luxembourgish a dying language?

It is difficult to draw a clear conclusion because there is no solid data about the use and evolution of the Luxembourgish language over time. What is undeniable, however, is that the number of people who enrol in Luxembourgish classes has been rising for years. In households, Luxembourgish remains the most spoken language and a whopping 94% of young people between 16 and 24 speak Luxembourgish. The language has also become more institutionalised over the past years and access to sources on orthography has been simplified thanks to tools such as LOD.lu or spellchecker.lu