Luxembourg implements 50 measures to promote the national language

On 15 January, Minister of Culture Eric Thill presented a report on the implementation of an action plan to promote the Luxembourgish language to a parliamentary commission. The focus is on the accessibility of the language and its active use in everyday life.

Eric Thill said that the Luxembourgish language is an integral part of the national cultural heritage and an important element of social identity. The main objective is to make the language more accessible through concrete actions and to increase its use in everyday life.

Particular attention is paid to developing attractive and professionally adapted materials for language learners. The first sector targeted is health and care. Programmes for children and adolescents who have not been taught Luxembourgish from an early age are also being set up to enable them to learn it as a foreign language.

To promote the language nationally and internationally, a travelling exhibition has been organised and has already made 23 stops around the country. There are plans to show it outside Luxembourg in Brussels, Paris and Strasbourg. There are also plans to create a permanent exhibition on the Luxembourg language so that visitors can learn more about its history and role in society.

The popularity of online resources shows the growing interest in the language: around 2,750 people use the online dictionary lod.lu and 6,000 people use the spellchecker.lu spellchecker service every day. The Zentrum fir d'Lëtzebuerger Sprooch (ZLS) is actively working on developing new digital tools to support language learning.

The Minister emphasised the importance of publicising the results of the research to a wide audience. He invited everyone to the presentation of the "Atlas of Luxembourgish Words 1900" under the direction of Alain Atten, which will take place on 19 March 2025 at the National Library. The first "Luxembourg Language Day" is planned for the autumn to discuss multilingualism and language promotion.