Resumen de Small languages, education and citizenship: the paradoxical case of Luxembourgish
Kristine Horner, Jean-Jacques Weber
Luxembourg is designated as a trilingual country, officially recognizing three languages in its language law of 1984: Luxembourgish as the national language, and French and/or German as legal, judicial and administrative languages. While Luxembourgish is mostly used for spoken communication, written functions are carried out primarily in standard French and German, which as a result also dominate within the educational system. Luxembourgish thus presents the somewhat paradoxical case of being a small and mostly spoken language that is officially recognized as the national language of the Grand-Duchy of Luxembourg. At the same time, in relation to fluctuating demographics, a discourse of endangerment has developed around the Luxembourgish language. The focus has been on the limited role of Luxembourgish within the educational system, as well as its potential role as the “language of integration”. A major contradiction is reflected in these current debates and developments: though the emphasis in language-in-education policy continues to revolve mostly around the teaching of standard German and French and though Luxembourgish is not widely used for functions linked to standardized written languages, the 2008 citizenship law has introduced formalized language testing in Luxembourgish. It thus signals and enacts a shift away from the “trilingual ideal” towards the national language as the sole icon of “Luxembourgishness”.
