However, the version of Luxembourgish used in official communication across country is a standardized version of Luxembourgish. A large percentage of the p… However, the first documented standard Luxembourgish orthography was adopted in 1946 and was known as the “ofizjel lezebuurjer ortografi” or OLO. Luxembourg is a major center for large private banking, and its finance sector is the biggest contributor to its economy. A Luxembourg population with a Christian majority According to a study published in 2011 by CEPS, the Luxembourg population is mainly of Christian religion (73%), among which more than 90% of Catholics. French and German are other major native languages spoken in Luxembourg. The formalization of regional German dialects into national languages arose from the desire to impress a distinct national identity, not associ… Luxembourg is home to a population of 605,764 individuals. Sprachkenntnisse in Luxemburg, Official languages in Luxembourg : Luxemburgish, French, German. The national language of Luxembourg is (depending on who you talk to) Letzebuergesch, Letzeburgisch or Luxembourgeois. Portuguese 20.96%. Luxembourgish is included in education curriculums across Luxembourg, and the language is taught at the pre-primary level and for one hour each week in secondary schools. Cycle 2: ages 6 to 7 3. According to an EU survey, the mother tongue of roughly 70% of Luxembourgers is Luxembourgish (or Lëtzebuergesch, as they write it). English 30.72%. Majority of Luxembourg’s population speak Luxembourgish, which is considered the national language of the country. The current standardized Luxembourgish language was formulated in the late 20th century by a committee of linguists and experts who drafted the 5-volume “Luxemburger Worterbuch,” which was made official in 1975. An interactive visualisation of language knowledge in Europe, based on the latest Europe-wide survey of languages in Europe by the European Commission. Ethnic Groups The ethnic minorities speak their own languages at home. While German is an official language in Luxembourg, the country is not a member of the Council for German Orthography and was … About. That being said, the written language of Luxembourg was not formalized until 1946, though unofficial documentation shows that it has been in use since as early as the 19th-Century. Luxembourg; Language; Definitions. England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Luxembourgish language, also called Lëtzebuergesch, Letzeburgisch, Luxembourgian, Luxemburgian, or Luxembourgeois, national language of Luxembourg.Luxembourgish is a Moselle-Franconian dialect of the West Middle German group. Luxembourg was, at the time, a poor country with an economy dominated by agriculture. It is spoken by most of the population. Immigrants in the Luxembourg School System. The language is spoken on a daily basis by the population of the country and has been taught in schools at a primary level for well over a hundred years. Luxembourgish is closely related to the German language, and some linguists even claim Luxembourgish is not a distinct language, but rather a standardized form of German language due to many similar characteristics, including a similar consonant inventory. SOURCES: UNESCO Institute for Statistics; UNESCO Institute for Statistics. History and Ethnic Relations Emergence of the Nation. “The big challenge for us is of course the housing,” said Yves Piron, the director of the Luxembourg Reception and Integration Agency . The following table lists the percentage of citizens of Luxembourg who are able to speak a native language, or two or more languages. Luxembourg is a point of contact between the Germanic- and Romance-language communities of Europe, and three languages are regularly employed in the grand duchy itself: Luxembourgish, German, and French. 80% of Luxembourg citizens identifying French as a second language, and 16% as a native language. Luxembourgish is used by 77% of the population. This was particularly true in Luxembourg, Malta, Cyprus, Latvia and Lithuania, where the share of employed individuals who reported that they were proficient in their best-known foreign language was 15–26 percentage points higher than the lowest share (recorded either for … Population figures from World Bank: (1) United Nations Population Division.World Population Prospects, (2) United Nations Statistical Division. French 63.17%. Language courses in Luxembourg will help you take full advantage when living in the Grand Duchy, whether it’s for a few months, a few years, or for a lifetime. In total, Luxembourg had nearly 614,000 inhabitants that year. About 13 percent of foreigners are not from the European Union. The Luxembourgish language exists in several dialects whose characteristics are defined by the regions in where they are spoken. Luxembourg Religion, Economy, and Politics Despite being a secular state, Luxembourg recognizes certain religions as officially mandated religions. Still, Luxembourg has historically experienced commercial pro… History. French and German are other major native languages spoken in Luxembourg. This local ‘language’ is often described as a dialect of German, though it’s also related to Dutch and has adopted many words from French. Luxembourg: Languages: Luxembourgish (official administrative and judicial language and national language (spoken vernacular)) 88.8%, French (official administrative, judicial, and legislative language) 4.2%, Portuguese 2.3%, German (official administrative and judicial language) 1.1%, other 3.5% (2011 est.) It is a Mosel-Frankish dialect like the dialects in Germany bordering Luxembourg. While German is an official language in Luxembourg, the country is not a member of the Council for German Orthography and was not involved in the drafting of the Germany Orthography Reform in 1996. A plethora of languages are spoken in Luxembourg, but the three primary languages are Luxembourgish (national and administrative language), German (administrative language), and French (administrative language). Types Of Crimes By Number Of Offenses In The US. The global number of Luxembourgish speakers is estimated to be about 390,000. high percentage of people from foreign countries ; Ministry of Education created special reception classes, children are supposed to learn German or French ; after this one-year course, integration in the normal school programme takes place ; … While the majority of Luxembourgish speakers are located within Luxembourg, there is a significant population of Luxembourgish speakers in foreign countries, particularly in Belgium, Germany, and France. The most common languages spoken by, foreigners include Portuguese, Italian, and English, and native residents of Luxembourg using these foreign languages when they are in establishments frequented by foreigners such as hotels and restaurants. The use of Luxembourgish by immigrants increased with the length of their stay in the Grand Duchy, the statistics bureau observed. Luxembourgish (official administrative and judicial language and national language (spoken vernacular)) 55.8%, Portuguese 15.7%, French (official administrative, judicial, and legislative language) 12.1%, German (official administrative and judicial language) 3.1%, Italian 2.9%, English 2.1%, other 8.4% (2011 est.) All three are established as official administrative languages of the country, although Luxembourgish is the national language. The peoples of Luxembourg and their languages reflect the grand duchy’s common interests and close historical relations with its neighbours. Luxembourg’s smallness is hobbling its response to Europe’s migration crisis and there is a fear among locals that its resources and its cultural identity will be swamped. All maps, graphics, flags, photos and original descriptions © 2020 worldatlas.com. Cycle 1: children ages 3 to 5 2. By the time that Luxembourg's independence was finally confirmed in 1867, the Grand Duchy was left with such a tiny territory that its people had to look across its borders for economic survival. A study showed that 70.5% of the population used Luxembourgish at work, school, and/or home, 55.7% used French, and 30.6% used German. The two languages are used extensively by major public institutions, including media and police. This old language has been enriched by many French words and phrases, and the resulting dialect is spoken by all classes of people in Luxembourg. What Are The Major Natural Resources Of Luxembourg? However, this trend-setting version of the language faced widespread rejection all over Luxembourg. According to a 2018 study of the Ministry of National Education, 98% of the Luxembourg population speaks French, 80% speaks English, and 78% speaks German. The country’s main trading partners are Germany, France and Belgium. The same study showed that, on average, 2.2 languages are used. Basically, French and German are the languages used in legal documents, official declarations, and the like. Luxembourg nationals reported speaking an average of 2.1 languages, with 18% saying they spoke English. miles). Luxembourgish is the country’s official and national language. Cycle 4: ages 10 to 11 Luxembourg is a cosmopolitan country and foreign-born workers, tourists, students, and guests make up 40% of the total population. German 49.56%. Various dialects include: Weelzer from Wiltz, Minetter from Southern Luxembourg, Veiner from Vianden, Stater from Luxembourg, Areler from Arlon, Kliarrwer from Clervaux, Eechternoacher from Echternach, and Miseler from Moselle. Moving to Luxembourg is like moving into a multi-lingual melting pot. There are four ‘cycles’ or grade levels each child goes through beginning at about age 3 or 4 and ending at age 11. Italian 8.25%. … 80% of Luxembourg citizens identifying French as a second language, and 16% as a native language. About 25% of the population claims no religion. 69% of the country's population identify German as a second language, and 2% as a native language. Luxembourgers account for 52.1% of the country’s population. Unlike its German counterparts, it uses many French loanwords, and is recognized as a separate language rather than a German dialect. Luxembourgish (Lëtzebuergesch), a Franconian language of the Moselle region similar to German and Dutch, was introduced in primary school in 1912. Ethnic minorities living in the country include Portuguese, French, Italian, Belgian, German, Spanish, British, and others. The United States was a popular destination for Luxembourgers, as it was for many other European emigrants of the period. Luxembourg owes its continued existence to a mixture of good fortune and good diplomacy, which have prevented it from being permanently absorbed into the territories of its larger neighbours despite the small nation's strategic location at the heart of Europe. University The University of Luxembourg is a multilingual, international research university in the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg. Click any language to explore how widely it is spoken in each country or click a country to explore which languages are most spoken within in. This seems simple at first: Germans speak German, the French speak French, so, therefore, Luxembourgers speak Luxembourgish. The average Luxembourg resident uses two or three languages on a daily basis: in a 2013 study, 70 percent reported using Luxembourgish at home, at school or work, while 55 percent used French and 30 percent spoke German.Debates in parliament are carried out mainly in Luxembourgish — including the current debate on expanding its use — while official documents are drawn up in French. The major languages spoken in Luxembourg include Luxembourgish, French, and German. Luxembourg's labour market, perhaps more than any other country, is sub-divided not only by sector but also language. In 2006, approximately 181,962 foreigners lived in Luxembourg — 39.6 percent of the country's total population. Most of the foreigners are white, European, and Catholic, and of these, Portuguese constitute the majority (see Table 1). English > Conversational English prevalence: … Those who want to work in construction, for instance, must speak French, whereas those who work in IT mostly need English. By Benjamin Elisha Sawe on August 1 2017 in Society. The modern independent state is a nineteenth-century creation, but national identity developed when Luxembourg was an independent duchy between 963 and 1443 C.E. Dutch 4.02%. Luxembourgish 65.61%. Between the mid-19th century and the early 20th century, approximately one-third of the Luxembourgish population emigrated. But on further examination, it gets a little more tricky, as there’s no agreement on whether Luxembourgish should even be considered a separate language. Fundamental Education in Luxembourg (enseignement fondamental) is a concept combining pre-school and elementary (primary) schools that was adapted in 2009. Cycle 3: ages 8 to 9 4. French is used as the language of legislation in Luxembourg, given the country’s use of the French Napoleonic civil code. Percentage of people in Luxembourg who speak the languages below as a mother tongue or foreign language . 70.4% of the country’s population adheres to Christianity, especially Catholic Christianity. French is the main communication language, followed by … 69% of the country's population identify German as a second language, and 2% as a native language. However, French and German are also widely used but both are considered only as administrative languages. Luxembourgish is part of the Indo-European language family and is defined as a West Central Germanic language and part of the High German languages. The number of Luxembourgers who emigrated to the US … The enrolment age for each cycle look something like this: 1. The two languages are used extensively by major public institutions, including media and police. Currently, 88.4 % of the population of Luxembourg is urban (544,596 people in 2019) Population Density The 2019 population density in Luxembourg is 238 people per Km 2 (616 people per mi 2 ), calculated on a total land area of 2,590 Km2 (1,000 sq. Sigefroi (Siegfried), count of Ardennes, bought the area in 963 from the Abbey of Saint Maximin in Trier and built a fortress on the site of the Roman castle. The history of establishing a standardized version of Luxembourgish is traced back to the mid-19th century, as numerous proposals were presented by prominent Luxembourgish linguists of the era. However, in recent years, Luxembourgish is experiencing further standardization through a process known as koineization, which is mainly caused by the mass media’s dissemination of Luxembourgish language. 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