The Schwätzt Dir Lëtzebuergesch text books will also receive an overhaul to digitalise the content and make it more interactive Photo: Delano.lu

The Schwätzt Dir Lëtzebuergesch text books will also receive an overhaul to digitalise the content and make it more interactive Photo: Delano.lu

The National Institute of Languages is set to launch a new online platform to learn Luxembourgish to help meet growing demand for the language.

The number of people signing up to learn the local tongue has more than doubled over the last decade, from 2,614 during the 2011-2012 school year to 5,681 during the 2021-2022 session.

But demand is not only increasing in the country, said education minister Claude Meisch during a press conference on Thursday. “There is a demand worldwide to learn Luxembourgish.”

The ministry worked together with the Luxembourg embassy in Paris for one-week intensive course in February and is looking to expand this programme to other locations. The embassy in the US, for example, has also expressed interest, he said.

The free online platform set for launch in September will offer A1 and A2 beginner’s level content that will gradually be expanded to C1 advanced level. The interface will be available in English, French, German, Portuguese and Luxembourgish to facilitate access for learners from different backgrounds.

Content will include lessons on Luxembourgish grammar, vocabulary and pronunciation but also small talk and modules dedicated to different professions.

The language institute in partnership with job centre Adem is already running specialised programmes for people looking for work, for example in the healthcare and hospitality industries to improve their Luxembourgish and increase their opportunities in the job market.

Adult education service SFA meanwhile offers language courses in the greater region under an agreement with the education ministry and vocational schools in France and Germany for students looking to integrate into the local job market.

In addition to the new online programme, the INL’s course books--Schwätzt Dir Lëtzebuergesch--are undergoing an overhaul to go from classic text book to an online concept that integrates more interactive material and is easier to update than the print edition.

As its role to teach Luxembourgish has expanded over the years, the INL is due to receive a new legal framework that will formally make it the national authority to set teaching standards for Luxembourgish, certify programmes and train Luxembourgish language teachers.

The government in 2017 launched a strategy to promote the Luxembourgish language, which included the creation of the Centre for the Luxembourg Language, which publishes grammar and spelling rules and settles questions relating to the language’s proper use.

Parliament meanwhile earlier this year as the national language in the grand duchy’s constitution. 

Learning Luxembourgish will help promote “togetherness”, Meisch said on Thursday.

The language is also a pre-requisite to acquire Luxembourg nationality. Applicants must pass a test proving A2 skills for spoken Luxembourgish and B2 level for listening. The INL on Thursday said it does not know how many of its students proceed to take the language test or how many stop their lessons once they’ve achieved the test.

Numerous private schools also offer Luxembourgish courses, in person and online, and their student numbers are not included in the 68,000 people who signed up for Luxembourgish lessons at the INL in the last five years.