Claude Meisch was announcing the start of www.sproocheronn.lu, a public consultation to gather ideas online and via citizen forums on how to promote Luxembourgish.

He stressed that in a multilingual society like Luxembourg’s, language should not be promoted to the detriment of openness. However, the language is “an important part of our identity, which makes our specificity. Interest in this language is great. Luxembourgers and non-Luxembourgers want to be able to express themselves and write in this language, they want it to have a place in their daily lives.”

The timing of the initiative comes after an intense period of migration to Luxembourg, with the latest Statec data suggesting foreign nationals now make up 47.7% of the population. The phenomenon has raised fears that that high levels of immigration place the country’s identity at risk, particularly when it comes to the use of Luxembourgish.

While some would argue that Luxembourgish has never been more widely spoken with language school the INL recording a growing demand for classes, the fact remains that Luxembourgish is less used in official government documents (even if government debates are conducted in Luxembourgish) and communications. This appears to be changing, however--just this week, the government expanded its communications site to include content in Luxembourgish and English.

Anyone with suggestions on how to promote Luxembourgish is urged to comment on the forum or attend an event.

“It is an opportunity to collect the proposals of those who invest daily, in the field, for the language and more broadly to all those who are interested in the role, opportunities and prospects of Luxembourgish for the future,” Meisch said. All suggestions will be compiled into a report that will be officially submitted to the Luxembourgish language commissioner to take into account when drawing up the next 20-year action plan for Luxembourgish.