Page years I see contributions all over the Internet that say that "Luxembourgers dibber a German mondaart"in summary: our mother tongue is apparently German. I don’t agree, our mother tongue is Luxembourgish.
I have heard it over my head that most people abroad (but also for some in Luxembourg) think that our national language, which is Luxembourgish, is just a stupid mondaart.
Luxembourgish is a very old language, where its roots come from the Mosel Franconian, which dates back over 1000 years. The first copy of our language: Codex Marientalensis, which comes from the year 1290, already shows in the time that Luxembourgish was already written. The very first diko in Luxembourgish, the "Lexicon of Luxembourgish colloquial language" by Jean-François Gangler is also much older than many people think. It was published in 1847.
As a Luxembourger, I am proud to say that my language, our language: is Luxembourgish. And not German. Although my native language is French. I learned Luxembourgish by myself at the age of 15, in a full French-speaking environment (I spent my schooling at Lycée Vauban). And even though I probably make a lot of mistakes, I’m still happy "Luxembourgish" to be called my language.
It should also be noted that 95% of our ancestors, on the day of October 10, 1941 under the German occupation for the Volkszéionk (Volkszählung), wrote 3x Luxembourgish, instead of 3x German.
That alone is enough to prove that Luxembourgers also have our own language, identity and history. I’m not ashamed to say it, I’m proud to speak Luxembourgish.
https://www.reddit.com/gallery/1tjijni
Posted by SpreadAgile
18 Comments
Nee. Et ass weder Däitsch nach Franséisch. Lëtzebuergesch.
I don’t speak German, can someone translate?
En tant que vrai luxo-phone, je dois dire t‘ès vraiment doué en luxembourgeois!
Je me permet quand même de corriger quelques erreures:) (no front tho, alles fir d‘Sprooch):
Säit Jore gesinn ech Bäiträg iwwerall um* Internet déi soen, datt “Letzebuerger schwetzen däitsch-lëtzebuergesch”, zesummegefaast: eis Mammesprooch ass anscheinend Däitsch. Ech sinn nëtt averstanen, eis Mammesprooch ass Lëtzebuergesch. (An däitsch a fransèisch)
Ech hunn et iwwer de Kapp ze héieren, datt déi meescht Leit am Ausland (awer och fir puer leit zu Lëtz*) dénken datt eis Nationalsprooch, – déi* Lëtzebuergesch ass – nëmmen ee blöde Mondaart ass.
Lëtzebuergesch ass éng ganz Aal Sprooch, déi seng Wuerzelen aus engem muselfränkeschen Dialekt hellt*, den et schonn iwwert 1000 Joer gett (aner examplen: ostfränkisch, rheinfränkisch, mainfränkisch) . Déi eischt opgehollen Instanz vun eiser Sprooch ass de Codex Marientalensis, deen aus dem Joer 1290 kënnt, weist schonn an der Zäit datt Lëtzebuergesch scho geschriwwe gouf.
Den alleréischten Diktionnaire op Lëtzebuergesch, dem “Lexikon der Luxemburger Umgangssprache” vum* Jean-François Gangler ass och vill méi aal wéi vill Leit dénken, an gouf am Joer 1847 publizéiert.
Ech als Lëtzebuerger sinn houfreg ze soen datt meng* Sprooch, eis Sprooch: Lëtzebuergesch ass. An net Däitsch. Och wa meng Mammesprooch Franséisch ass. Ech hu Lëtzebuergesch vu mir selwer am Alter vu 15 Joer geléiert, an enger voll francophoner Ëmgéigend (Ech hu méng Schoulzäit am verpöhnten Lycée Vauban verbruecht)
It doesn’t say that German is the mother tongue of all Luxembourgish people. Which would be a ridiculous claim. You may see that it also lists Switzerland.
It just claims that it’s the mother tongue of more than 100 million people across the 5 listed countries. And yes there are people born in Luxembourg whose mother tongue is German for sure.
D’Luxembourgesch ass eng eegene Sprooch, an dat ass et zënter Joerhonnerte, wéi Dir sot. Et ass einfach ze gesinn, wou all d’Missverständnis vun der Sprooch als just en aneren däitsche Dialekt kënnt, awer, wann d’Sprooch hir staark Wuerzelen an der Mëttleren Westfränkescher Versioune vun Däitschland huet, déi haut nach ëmmer wäit an Zentraldäitschland geschwat ginn.
I get the emotion and I agree with you that the modern Luxembourgish is its own identity and belongs to Luxembourg and Luxembourgers.
But please stop being naiive and doing acrobatic maneovres to say “its not German dialect”. It is and it was and the only reason it became its own language is because Luxembourg is independent and went through the german occupation which used his dialect to establish a separate identity from the Nazis.
Luxembourgish is the same as many other Moselle Franconian languages spoken today in the region. But you don’t hear people say “Trier German IS NOT A DIALECT”…
Just take it for what it is. Be proud that your nation emerged as a unique and independent country in the heart of Europe and built its own identity and culture from that to become what it is today. Yes you SHOULD be proud speaking it (and I will learn it as well after German).
Also the Codex Marientalensis is not Luxembourgish, its written in Moselle Franconian which is the ancestor for a lot of….. yup you guessed it, West German Dialects….
This stat is wrong. We are all just speaking Bavarian dialects
Stack letzbebuerger an soss guer naischt.
Translation for English speakers:
Since years, I see all over the Internet, Posts saying that: “Luxembourgers speak a German dialect”, to resume their thinking: our mothertongue is supposedly German. I am not understood with this statement: our mothertongue is Luxembourgish.
I am personally quite fed up honestly to hear from people outside the country (but for some in our country aswell) that our national language – that is Luxembourgish, according to the Article IV of our Constitution – is just a bloody dialect.
Luxembourgish is a very old language, with roots dating over a thousand years old from the Mosel Franconian continuum. The very first written archive that we have about our language: “Codex Mariendalensis”, is dating from 1290 and has been written by Yolanda from Veianen, already showing that it was a language uswd by the nobility at the time.
Furthermore, another example to prove this point, is the recognition of Luxembourgish in a fully detailed dictionary written by Jean-François Gangler, published in 1847 named “Lexikon der Luxemburger Umgangssprache”.
I, as a Luxembourger am very proud to say that Luxembourgish is indeed my language, and not German. Despite the fact that my mothertongue has and will always be French. I used to be in the French school system, Lycée Vauban and had to learn Luxembourgish all alone by myself, at the age of 15.
And yes, even though I might make a lot of mistakes in Luxembourgish, I am yet very proud to name this language: Luxembourgish. As my language.
It is also to precise that the 10th of October 1941, our grandparents had to fill up a piece of paper (see third photo) to prove the nazi ideology and Gustav Simon, that we were indeed “Germans”. This was called the Volkszählung (Population counting), the expected result was that our population would massively vote 3x German instead of “Luxembourgish”. And the result has been a total disaster for the German authorities at the time, with 95% of the population answering 3x Luxembourgish (Nationality, mothertongue and ethnicity).
This alone proves that despite our small size, we Luxembourgers also have our own language, history and traditions. And I see no shame in admitting that as a Luxembourger, I am proud to speak Luxembourgish. 🇱🇺
So I do know the whole story about the Luxembourg, Luxembourg, Luxembourg.
But is the “Europeanpodcast” post saying that Luxembourgish is a German dialect, or that Luxembourg does accept German as an official language (like how Belgium and Switzerland does, not sure about the Dutch)
Luxembourgish is german just like german is proto-germanic which in turn is proto-indo-european. It is both a recognizable dialect variant of a middle german dialect (moselfrancian) and its own language due to its independent development. I very much understand the need to have the language be part of the cultural identity as an independent culture but I also have to point out that acknowledging the history and linguistic development of luxembourgish as a sprooch does in no way diminish that identity.
In the end we all stem from related languages which gave us shared concepts, culture and identity.
Säitdeem ech all Dag Lëtzebuergesch schwätzen, huet mäin Däitsch sech staark verbessert (vum selwen). Dat seet scho villes aus.
Linguistesch gesinn hunn ech kee Problem domat ze soen, datt Lëtzebuergesch en Dialekt vum Däitschen ass.
Politesch a praktesch gesinn behandelen ech Lëtzebuergesch a mengem Alldag awer wéi eng eegestänneg Sprooch.
A linguist once told me, although there are many similarities – Luxembourgish has its own grammar, what distinguishes Luxembourgish from German
Luxembourgish is a part of the germanic languages. if you follow Germanic > West Germanic > High Germanic you will see that we share the same branch as German.
My dad was born in Germany and my grandma was born in the region that is now Germany but I still learned Luxembourgish first and then German.
https://preview.redd.it/mad2ty8pnh2h1.png?width=1242&format=png&auto=webp&s=b4aee73d76dd9cb8c1f0ebe9b097c167fefedbbe
Your Luxembourgish kind of sucks for someone who’s that proud of it and has such strong opinions, tbh.
Linguistically it doesn’t make any sense that Luxembougish is a seperate language, while Swiss German is just a dialect.
Oh it’s you again.
I remember us having a talk in very bad luxembourgish about me being a “shameful” Luxembourger for daring to say that Luxembourgish is linguistically a German dialect and only a language because of political reasons. When an ethnic group with their own dialect become an official nation, they want to get their dialect recognised as a language to reinforce their national identity. That doesn’t change the fact that linguistically, it’s still a dialect.
Aren’t you also the same guy who was grandstanding about being a future army soldier and then either not being accepted or quitting during basic? While also having a picture of soldiers on your profile… Idk your posts are somehow familiar. It’s just ironic that it’s always the performative nationalists who make these weird posts.
Each their own I guess.
Ech wollt lo schonn de Geck man, bis ech gesinn hunn, dass de vunn Häus äus francophone bass (d’Déclinatioun ass dann natierlech näischt, wat engem natierlech kennt, et sief der verziehen dass de dat nach net ganz beherrschs).
Allerdéngs wonnere mech emmer rem déi Behaaptungen, am Ausland giff eis d’Letzebuergescht ofgeschwat ginn. Wann ech dat héiren hunn, da wor et vu Kollegen, déi den Uutz gemaach hunn, an awer u sech eng grouß Bewonnerung haten, dass mir Letzebuerger eis Sprooch sou gutt erhalen.
Bon, ech muss dobäi soen – ech hunn ni a Frankräisch geliewt, ech weess net, wéi si op eis Sprooch réagéiren 😉