“We are doing more for the Luxembourgish language now than ever before,” declared culture minister Eric Thill on Thursday morning as he spoke to RTL Radio. Promoting the country’s national language falls under Thill’s ministerial remit, and he emphasised that although he was proud of Luxembourgish, he was equally proud of the country’s multilingualism.
Luxembourgish is the centre, and the languages should not be played off against one another, he added.
The ministry is aiming to increase visibility of the language with a new action plan comprised of 50 measures. The minister of the Democratic Party (DP) said he could understand people being annoyed by the inability to speak Luxembourgish at the GP’s, for example.
As a result, the plan is aiming to distribute basic vocabulary learning in the healthcare and hospitality sectors. A glossary or vocabulary leaflet will be created to make the language more accessible in daily life, Thill explained, adding that there will also be training sessions to make it easier for staff to attend.
Interest in learning Luxembourgish has skyrocketed, with around 10,000 spots available on language courses every year. According to Thill, spots sell out in minutes every time they are released.
The courses are therefore to be expanded and de-centralised to make them more accessible, and learning will become more flexible, allowing people to learn from home. And of course, people should be given the chance to speak Luxembourgish and not immediately change to French, he emphasised.
French literacy will be rolled out in primary schools next year, with parents given the choice to allow their children to learn to read and write in German or French. No one is missing out with this programme, emphasised Thill, as Luxembourgish would be strengthened through its role as a common language in all other subjects.
It is somewhat more complicated to establish literacy in Luxembourgish than it is often presented, Thill added, as many books, such as mathematics textbooks, would have to be translated and reprinted.
The EU’s four base treaties have been translated into Luxembourgish as part of the conditions to strengthen the language at EU level, in accordance with the action plan. But there are no plans to recognise Luxembourgish as an official EU language.
Thill said it made no sense and would bring vast expense with it. There would have to be simultaneous translations, for example. Since Luxembourg is a multilingual country, authorities are looking at developing a ‘Luxembourgish model’ with EU institutions to strengthen the language at international level, Thill added.
