Luxembourg’s linguistic situation can be defined, albeit rather simplistically, by the fact that several different languages are used simultaneously in several different forums and media, whether it is written or oral, judicial or educational, radio or television. Names of shops and streets, menus and such appear primarily in French (with some Luxembourgish added underneath in recent years), whereas much of the media is printed and broadcast in German, although French is also apparent here in cultural articles and social announcements. Instead of what can be considered to be a linguistic norm for a nation, where one country speaks one language, the Grand Duchy represents a vast area of multilingualism, however this is also hugely different to many other countries who speak several languages, the main disparity being that in the majority of these countries, the different languages are reserved to specific geographical regions or are considered as a dialect, rather than an official language. Luxembourg breaks away from this convention by overlapping its inherent trilingualism in a manner which can almost be said to be that of a hierarchy.
With regard to communication, one language is spoken throughout the country: Luxembourgish. It represents a significant symbol of Luxembourgish identity and is the everyday language of choice for speaking. The language is of a Germanic descent, however it has sufficiently evolved and transformed over time to become suitably distanced from its parent tongues and to be considered a different language, and as such it is no longer readily understood by native Germans. The language itself has enough changes in syntax, vocabulary and turns of phrase to distinguish itself as separate from German, although a German speaker might understand some words and some constructions. Where French is concerned, the opposite issue is true, i.e. that a speaker of French might understand better certain turns of phrase if the vocabulary is readily available to them. In this way it can be somewhat true to say that Luxembourgish is French spoken in German
» Read more: Languages In Luxembourg: National Identity In A Trilingual Space
