Luxembourg Books in the Library of Congress

Introduction - Language - Literature - Exhibition of Books

Language

Luxembourgish belongs to the West-Germanic branch of Indo-European languages.  Linguists classify it as a West Middle German dialect called “Moselle Franconian.” It developed in the region of Trier and Koblenz, originating with the Salian Franks (North Sea Franks) and the Ripuarian Franks (Rhenish Franks), who settled in this region beginning in the third century AD. Subsequently, Luxembourgish evolved further as a result of a linguistic symbiosis between these West Franks and the Romans living in northern Gaul after the Frankish conquest.

Given its rich history, Luxembourgish merits as much recognition and respect as other European languages.  The earliest written evidence of Luxembourgish appears in the biography of Countess Yolanda of Vianden (c.1290).  However, some scholars suggest it would be more prudent to recognize the first written expression of Luxembourgish in a French survey of the language in 1806.

Until the twentieth century, the official use of Luxembourgish was sporadic, and its speakers did not see themselves as having a separate linguistic identity. In 1848 Luxembourgish was first used at a meeting of the Estates (a forerunner of the parliament of Luxembourg). In 1896 the poet Caspar Mathias Spoo gave his inaugural speech in parliament in Luxembourgish. In 1912 Luxembourgish was introduced into primary schools. In 1941 Nazi occupiers sought to have Luxembourgers declare German their native language and identity, but the people defiantly declared “Luxembourgish” instead. In 1975 the first official orthography of Luxembourgish was adopted and the dictionary Luxemburger Wörterbuch was published. In 1984 parliament voted to designate Luxembourgish as the national language, while stipulating that legislation  would continue to be written in French. All other administrative or judicial acts may be written in Luxembourgish, French, or German, but in practice mostly are written in French. This trilingualism in administrative matters is reflected in daily life, where individuals remain free to use the language of their choice. Thus, Luxembourgers today write in any of these languages, and sometimes even in English.