Luxembourgish (Lëtzebuergesch)

Luxembourgish is a West Germanic language spoken by about 400,000 people in Luxembourg (Lëtzebuerg), France (Frankräich), Belgium (Belsch) and Germany (Däitschland). There are also a few Luxembourgish speakers in the USA. It has a lot in common with German and Dutch, and has also borrowed some words from French, e.g. merci (thank you).

Luxembourgish has been spoken since Frankish times (c. 1,000 AD), along the banks of the Moselle. Literature in Luxembourgish flourished during the 19th century. Luxembourgish started to be used as a language of instruction in schools in 1914. A new spelling system, Lëzebuurjer Ortografi, was devised by Jean Feltes, a phonetician, in 1946, though it never really caught on. In 1950 Joseph Tockert, Helene Palgen and Robert Bruch were commissioned to produce a new Luxembourgish dictionary. They devised a new spelling system for the dictionary, which was adopted as the official one in 1976, when Feltes' system was dropped.

Luxembourgish is used in pre-school education in Luxembourg. Primary education is in German and senior education is in French. Many people also learn another language, such as English or Dutch. Local radio stations broadcast a few hours of Luxembourgish each week.

Debates in the Luxembourg parliament are carried out mainly in Luxembourgish, though some deputies prefer to use French. Laws are drafted in French, but people are free to use French, German or Luxembourgish in when dealing with administrative and judicial matters.

Luxembourgish alphabet (d'Alphabet)

A a B b C c D d E e F f G g H h I i J j a bee tsee dee ee eff gee ha i jott K k L l M m N n O o P p Q q R r S s T t ka ell emm enn o pee ku är ess tee U u V v W w X x Y y Z z Ä ä Ë ë É é u fau wee ikks igrekk tsett

Luxembourgish pronunciation

Notes

c = [s] before e or i, [k] elsewhere

ch = [ʃ] after e, [x] elsewhere

e = [œ] before ch or g at the end of a word

g = [ʃ] at the end of words before e, [ʒ] in some French loan words, [g] elsewhere

C, Q, X and Y appear in loan words

eu only appears in French loan words

Information provided by Jack Gill (mgill@blueyonder.co.uk)

Sample text in Luxembourgish

All Mënsch kënnt fräi a mat deer selwechter Dignitéit an dene selwechte Rechter op d'Welt. Jiddereen huet säi Verstand a säi Gewësse krut an soll an engem Geescht vu Bridderlechkeet denen anere géintiwwer handelen.

A recording of this text by Cedric Krummes

Translation

All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood.

(Article 1 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights)

Sample video in Luxembourish

See more videos like this on Wikitongues

Information about Luxembourgish | Phrases | Time

Links

Information about Luxembourgish

http://www.luxembourg.co.uk/lingua.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luxembourgish_language

http://www.eu2005.lu/en/savoir_lux/societe_tradition/luxembourgeois/

Online Luxembourgish lessons and other resources

http://www.quattropole.org/en/e_learning

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mt7luAXrmmw

Luxembourgish phrases

http://www.bbc.co.uk/languages/other/quickfix/luxembourgish.shtml

http://www.byki.com/category/Luxembourgish/a/

Luxembourgish Dictionaries

http://www.lod.lu/lod/

http://www.dico.lu

http://77.37.15.31/dict.html

http://www.freelang.com/enligne/luxembourgeois.php

EIS SPROOCH - De Website iwwer d'Lëtzebuerger Sprooch

http://www.eis-sprooch.lu

Radio-Télé Lëtzebuerg

http://rtl.lu/home.rtl

Germanic languages

Afrikaans, Alsatian, Bavarian, Cimbrian, Danish, Dutch, Elfdalian, English, Faroese, Flemish, Frisian (North), Frisian (Saterland), Frisian (West), German, Gothic, Gottscheerish, Hunsrik, Icelandic, Limburgish, Low German, Luxembourgish, Mòcheno, Norn, Norwegian, Old English, Old Norse, Pennsylvania German, Ripuarian, Scots, Shetland(ic), Stellingwarfs, Swedish, Swiss German, Värmlandic, Wymysorys, Yiddish, Zeelandic

Languages written with the Latin alphabet

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