Luxembourg’s government has a 40-point action plan to build on the renewed popularity of its national tongue, traditionally spoken at home
The brilliant autumn sun is streaming into the classroom, as students wander in. Bonjour, Gudde Moien, says the teacher, Luc Schmitz. It is 8am on Monday morning and people from at least a dozen countries are here to take one of this school’s most popular language courses: Luxembourgish.
Despite gloomy predictions, more and more people want to speak the language, which has been on Unesco’s list of endangered languages since 2010. At Luxembourg’s National Institute of Languages, where Schmitz teaches, enrolments are up. According to Luxembourg’s ministry of culture, more than 6,500 adults were enrolled on Luxembourgish courses in 2016-17, twice the number a decade ago.
Moien. Et freet mech, Iech kennenzeléieren. Ech heeschen Louise an ech sinn amerang, Lëtzebuergesch ze léieren.
