View source for Luxembourgish

{{Short description|Germanic language spoken in Luxembourg}}
{{About|the language|the people of Luxembourg|Luxembourgers}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2020}}
{{Infobox language
| name             = Luxembourgish
| nativename       = {{lang|lb|Lëtzebuergesch}}
| pronunciation    = {{IPA|lb|ˈlətsəbu̯əjəʃ||lb-lëtzebuergesch.ogg}}
| states           = [[Luxembourg]]; [[Saarland]] and north-west [[Rhineland-Palatinate]], [[Germany]]; [[Arelerland]] and [[Saint-Vith]] district, [[Belgium]]; [[Moselle (department)|Moselle department]], [[France]]
| region           = [[Western Europe]]
| speakers         = {{sigfig|400,000|2}}
| date             = 2024
| ref              = e25
| script           = {{plainlist|
* [[Latin script|Latin]] ([[Luxembourgish alphabet]])
* [[Luxembourgish Braille]]}}
| familycolor      = Indo-European
| fam2             = [[Germanic languages|Germanic]]
| fam3             = [[West Germanic languages|West Germanic]]
| fam4             = [[Weser–Rhine Germanic]]
| fam5             = ([[High German]])
| fam6             = [[Central German languages|Central German]]
| fam7             = [[West Central German]]
| fam8             = [[Central Franconian]]
| fam9             = [[Moselle Franconian]]
| nation           = [[Luxembourg]]
| minority         = [[Belgium]] (recognised by the [[French Community of Belgium]])
| agency           = Council for the Luxembourgish Language
| ancestor         = [[Proto-Germanic]]
| ancestor2        = [[Frankish language|Frankish]]
| ancestor3        = Old High Franconian
| ancestor4        = Old Central Franconian
| iso1             = lb
| iso2             = ltz
| iso3             = ltz
| lingua           = 52-ACB-db
| glotto           = luxe1243
| glottorefname    = Luxemburgish
| map              = Moselfrankisch.png
| mapcaption       = The area where Luxembourgish (pale indigo) and other dialects of [[Moselle Franconian]] (medium indigo) are spoken. The internal [[isogloss]] for words meaning "on, at", i.e. ''{{Wikt-lang|lb|op}}'' and ''{{Wikt-lang|lb|of}}'', is also shown ([[Standard German]]: ''{{Wikt-lang|de|auf}}'').
| notice           = IPA
| ethnicity        = [[Luxembourgers]]
}}
'''Luxembourgish''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|l|ʌ|k|s|əm|b|ɜːr|ɡ|ɪ|ʃ|}} {{respell|LUK|səm|bur|ghish}}; also ''Luxemburgish'',<ref name="od1">{{cite web|title=Luxemburgish – definition of Luxemburgish in English from the Oxford dictionary|url=http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/Luxemburgish|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120707014319/http://oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/Luxemburgish|url-status=dead|archive-date=7 July 2012|access-date=21 March 2015}}</ref> ''Luxembourgian'',<ref>
*{{cite journal|journal=Undoing and Redoing Corpus Planning |editor=Michael G. Clyne |year=1997 |isbn=9783110155099 |publisher=Walter de Gruyter |page=249 |title=Diets, Nederlands, Nederduits, Hollands, Vlaams, Belgisch-Nederlands |author=Kas Deprez |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=tM3PrFFSiVgC&pg=PA249}}
*{{cite book |title=Immigrants and Cultural Development in European Towns |author=Bengt Skoog |year=1983 |publisher=Council for Cultural Co-operation |isbn=9789287102393 |page=51}}
*{{cite book |title=Our Country's Regions: Outline maps |author=National Geographic Society |publisher=Macmillan/McGraw-Hill |year=2005 |isbn=9780021496259 |page=[https://archive.org/details/atlasofworldfori00nati/page/59 59] |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/atlasofworldfori00nati/page/59 }}</ref> ''Letzebu(e)rgesch'';<ref name="od2">{{cite web|title=Letzeburgesch – definition of Letzeburgesch in English from the Oxford dictionary|url=http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/Letzeburgesch|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120915014438/http://oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/Letzeburgesch|url-status=dead|archive-date=15 September 2012|access-date=21 March 2015}}</ref> {{langx|lb|label=[[endonym]]|Lëtzebuergesch}} {{IPA|lb|ˈlətsəbu̯əjəʃ||lb-lëtzebuergesch.ogg}}) is a [[West Germanic languages|West Germanic language]] that is spoken mainly in [[Luxembourg]]. About 400,000 people speak Luxembourgish worldwide.<ref name=speakers>{{cite web|title=Le nombre de locuteurs du luxembourgeois revu à la hausse|url=http://infolux.uni.lu/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/Presse-UNESCO-2010-2009.pdf|access-date=8 November 2012}}</ref>

The language is standardized and officially the national language of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg. As such, Luxembourgish is different from the [[German language]] also used in the Grand Duchy. The German language exists in a national standard variety of Luxembourg, which is slightly different from the standard varieties in [[Germany]], [[Austria]] or [[Switzerland]]. Another important language of Luxembourg is French, which had a certain influence on both the national language, Luxembourgish, and the Luxembourg national variety of German. Luxembourgish, German and French are the three official languages ''(Amtssprachen)'' of Luxembourg.

As a standard form of the [[Moselle Franconian language]], Luxembourgish has similarities with other [[High German languages|High German dialects]] and the wider group of [[West Germanic languages]]. The status of Luxembourgish as the national language of Luxembourg and the existence there of a regulatory body<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.cpll.lu/pdf/loi_2004.pdf|title=Law establishing the Conseil Permanent de la Langue Luxembourgeoise (CPLL)}}</ref> have removed Luxembourgish, at least in part, from the domain of Standard German, its traditional {{lang|de|[[Abstand and ausbau languages#Roofing|Dachsprache]]}}. It is also related to the [[Transylvanian Saxon dialect]] spoken by the [[Transylvanian Saxons]] in [[Transylvania]], contemporary central [[Romania]].

==History==
[[File:WIKITONGUES- Mark speaking Luxembourgish.webm|thumb|A Luxembourgish speaker, recorded in [[France]].]]
The [[Codex Mariendalensis]], a nearly 6000-line epic poem about the life of the 13th-century [[Yolanda of Vianden]], has been described by the [[National Library of Luxembourg]] as the earliest known text written in Luxembourgish. It was published in the early 14th century and discovered in 1999 at [[Ansembourg Castle]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Des trésors médiévaux, dont le supposé premier texte en luxembourgeois, accessibles gratuitement |url=https://www.virgule.lu/luxembourg/des-tresors-medievaux-dont-le-suppose-premier-texte-en-luxembourgeois-accessibles-gratuitement/96541041.html |last=Martin |first=Simon |date=2025-10-12 |website=virgule.lu |language=fr}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Vie de Yolande de Vianden |url=https://bnl.public.lu/en/a-la-une/coups-coeur/lux/2025/yolande-vianden.html |access-date=2025-10-12 |website=[[National Library of Luxembourg]] |language=fr}}</ref>

Luxembourgish was considered a German dialect like many others until about [[World War II]] but then the language underwent [[Abstand and ausbau languages|ausbau]], creating its own standard form in vocabulary, grammar, and spelling and therefore is seen today as an independent language. Luxembourgish managed to gain linguistic autonomy against a vigorous [[One Standard German Axiom]] by being framed as an independent language with a name rather than as a national [[Pluricentric language|pluricentric]] standard variety of German.{{cn|date=October 2025}}

As Luxembourgish has a maximum of some 285,000<ref>{{Cite web |last=Fehlen |first=Fernand |title=Luxemburgs Sprachenmarkt im Wandel |url=https://orbilu.uni.lu/bitstream/10993/5665/1/RED12.pdf |publisher=uni.lu}}</ref> native speakers, resources in the language, like books, newspapers, magazines, television, internet, etc., are limited. Since most Luxembourgers also speak Standard German and French, there is strong competition with these languages, which both have large language resources.{{cn|date=October 2025}} Because of this, the use of Luxembourgish remains limited.

== Language family ==

Luxembourgish belongs to the [[West Central German]] group of the [[High German languages]] and is the primary example of a [[Moselle Franconian language]]. Furthermore, it is closely related to [[Transylvanian Saxon dialect|Transylvanian Saxon]] which has been spoken since the [[High Middle Ages]] by the [[Transylvanian Saxons]] in [[Transylvania]], present-day central [[Romania]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.rtl.lu/your-luxembourg/knowledge-bites/a/1411526.html|title=The Transylvanian Saxon dialect, a not-so-distant cousin of Luxembourgish|work=RTL|author=Vu(m) Nathalie Lodhi|date=13 January 2020|accessdate=18 September 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.com/travel/article/20190909-the-last-of-transylvanias-saxons|title=The Saxons first arrived in Romania's Transylvania region in the 12th Century, but over the past few decades the community has all but vanished from the region.|work=BBC Travel|author=Stephen McGrath|date=10 September 2019|accessdate=18 September 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|language=en|url=https://www.thedockyards.com/the-transylvanian-saxon-dialect/|title=A Brief History Of The Transylvanian Saxon Dialect
|work=The Dockyards|author=Victor Rouă|date=19 August 2015|accessdate=16 January 2023}}</ref>

==Speech==
[[File:Luxembourg shop direction of walking pandemic 2021.jpg|thumb|Sign in Luxembourgish indicating the way to walk through a shop during the [[COVID-19 pandemic]]]]
[[File:Supermarket Luxembourg meat section sign 3.jpg|thumb|Sign in French and Luxembourgish (in ''italic'') in a supermarket. Items labeled in Standard German and  French are displayed.]]
Luxembourgish is considered the [[national language]] of Luxembourg and also one of the three administrative languages, alongside [[Standard German|German]] and [[French language|French]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.legilux.public.lu/leg/a/archives/1984/0162702/index.html |title=''Mémorial A'' no. 16 (27 February 1984), pp. 196–7: "Loi du 24 février 1984 sur le régime des langues". |access-date=15 September 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060203005510/http://www.legilux.public.lu/leg/a/archives/1984/0162702/index.html |archive-date=3 February 2006 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|title=Luxemburger Lexikon - Das Großherzogtum von A-Z|last=Hausemer|first=Georges}}</ref>

In Luxembourg, 77% of residents can speak Luxembourgish,<ref>{{cite web |title=What languages do people speak in Luxembourg? |url=https://luxembourg.public.lu/en/society-and-culture/languages/languages-spoken-luxembourg.html |website=luxembourg.public.lu |access-date=28 September 2021 |language=en}}</ref> and it is the primary language of 48% of the population.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://statistiques.public.lu/dam-assets/recensement/publication-8/docs/rp08-diversit-linguistique-fr.pdf |title=Une diversité linguistique en forte hausse |access-date=2024-02-15 |website=statistiques.public.lu |language=fr}}</ref> It is also spoken in the [[Arelerland]] region of [[Belgium]] (part of the [[Luxembourg (Belgium)|Province of Luxembourg]]) and in small parts of [[Lorraine]] in [[France]].

In the [[Germany|German]] [[Eifel]] and Hunsrück regions, similar local [[Moselle Franconian]] dialects of German are spoken. The language is also spoken by a few descendants of Luxembourg immigrants in the [[United States]] and [[Canada]].

Other [[Moselle Franconian dialects]] are spoken by ethnic Germans long settled in [[Transylvania]], [[Romania]] (Siebenbürgen).

Moselle Franconian dialects outside the Luxembourg state border tend to have far fewer French loanwords, and these mostly remain from the French Revolution.

The political party that places the greatest importance on promoting, using and preserving Luxembourgish is the [[Alternative Democratic Reform Party]] (ADR) and its electoral success in the [[1999 Luxembourg general election|1999 election]] pushed the CSV-DP government to make knowledge of it a criterion for [[naturalization|naturalisation]].<ref>{{cite book |title=Acquisition and Loss of Nationality: Policies and Trends in 15 European States – Volume 2: Country Analysis |editor1-first=Rainer |editor1-last=Bauböck |editor2-first=Eva |editor2-last=Ersbøll |editor3-first=Kees |editor3-last=Groenendijk |editor4-first=Harald |editor4-last=Waldrauch |first=François |last=Moyse |author2=Brasseur, Pierre|author3= Scuto, Denis |year=2004 |publisher=Amsterdam University Press |location=Amsterdam |chapter=Luxembourg |isbn=978-90-5356-921-4 |page=380 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.rtl.lu/news/national/a/1242132.html|title = VIDEO: ADR-Kongress: Déi 3 Haaptpilieren: Wuesstem, Lëtzebuerger Sprooch a Famill}}</ref> It is currently also the only political party in Luxembourg that wishes to implement written laws also in Luxembourgish and that wants Luxembourgish to be an officially recognized [[Languages of the European Union|language of the European Union]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.rtl.lu/news/national/a/964594.html|title = Lëtzebuerger Sprooch stäerken: ADR: Wichteg Gesetzer och op Lëtzebuergesch}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://adr.lu/walen/walen-2013/eise-walprogramm/eise-walprogramm-op-letzebuergesch/26-letzebuergesch-dei-sprooch-fir-eist-land/|title=26. Lëtzebuergesch, DÉI Sprooch fir eist Land!|access-date=13 October 2021|archive-date=23 October 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211023193557/https://adr.lu/walen/walen-2013/eise-walprogramm/eise-walprogramm-op-letzebuergesch/26-letzebuergesch-dei-sprooch-fir-eist-land/|url-status=dead}}</ref> In this context, in 2005, then-[[List of deputy prime ministers of Luxembourg|Deputy Prime Minister]] [[Jean Asselborn]] of the [[Luxembourg Socialist Workers' Party|LSAP]] rejected a demand made by the ADR to make Luxembourgish an official language of the EU, citing financial reasons and the sufficiency of official [[German language|German]] and [[French language|French]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://europaforum.public.lu/fr/actualites/2010/09/qp-kartheiser-langue/index.html|title = De l'usage de la langue luxembourgeoise dans le contexte européen : Une question parlementaire de Fernand Kartheiser - Europaforum Luxembourg - Septembre 2010}}</ref> A similar proposal by the ADR was rejected by the Chamber of Deputies in 2024.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.chd.lu/fr/motion_resolution/4224 |title=Reconnaissance de la langue luxembourgeoise en tant que langue officielle de l'Union européenne au même titre que la langue irlandaise |date=2024-01-30 |website=chd.lu |language=fr}}</ref>

===Varieties===
There are several distinct dialect forms of Luxembourgish including Areler (from [[Arlon]]), Eechternoacher ([[Echternach]]), Dikrecher ([[Diekirch]]), Kliärrwer ([[Clervaux]]), Miseler ([[Moselle (river)|Moselle]]), Stater ([[Luxembourg City]]), Veiner ([[Vianden]]), Minetter (Southwest Luxembourg) and Weelzer ([[Wiltz]]). Further small vocabulary differences may be seen even between small villages. These varieties are grouped into North, East, South, and Center dialects which can be automatically categorised with a correctness of about 80%.<ref>Nina Hosseini-Kivanani, Christoph Schommer, Peter Gilles. 2025. "[https://hdl.handle.net/10062/107127 Voices of Luxembourg: Tackling Dialect Diversity in a Low-Resource Setting]". Proceedings of the Third Workshop on Resources and Representations for Under-Resourced Languages and Domains (RESOURCEFUL 2025). Tallinn.</ref>

Increasing mobility of the population and the dissemination of the language through mass media such as radio and television are leading to a gradual standardisation towards a "Standard Luxembourgish" through the process of [[Koiné language|koineization]].<ref name="Ammon, 2014">[http://www.ulrichammon.de/resources/Stellung_der_deutschen_Sprache.pdf Ammon, Ulrich - Die Stellung der deutschen Sprache in der Welt (de Gruyter Mouton)]; {{ISBN|978-3-11-019298-8}}</ref>

===Surrounding languages===
There is no distinct geographic boundary between the use of Luxembourgish and the use of other closely related High German dialects (for example, [[Lorraine Franconian]]); it instead forms a [[dialect continuum]] of gradual change.

Spoken Luxembourgish is relatively hard to understand for speakers of German who are generally not familiar with Moselle Franconian dialects (or at least other [[West Central German]] dialects). They can usually read the language to some degree. For those Germans familiar with Moselle Franconian dialects, it is relatively easy to understand and speak Luxembourgish as far as the everyday vocabulary is concerned.<ref name="Ammon, 2014"/> The large number of French loanwords in Luxembourgish may hamper communication about certain topics or with certain speakers (those who use many terms taken from French).

==Orthography==

===Standardisation===
A number of proposals for standardising the [[orthography]] of Luxembourgish can be documented, going back to the middle of the 19th century. There was no officially recognised system until the adoption of the "OLO" ({{lang|lb|ofizjel lezebuurjer ortografi}}) on 5 June 1946.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.legilux.public.lu/leg/a/archives/1946/0400709/index.html |title=''Mémorial A'' no. 40 (7 September 1946), pp. 637–41: "Arrêté ministériel du 5 juin 1946 portant fixation d'un système officiel d'orthographe luxembourgeois" |access-date=15 September 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050426112604/http://www.legilux.public.lu/leg/a/archives/1946/0400709/index.html |archive-date=26 April 2005 |url-status=dead }}</ref> This orthography provided a system for speakers of all varieties of Luxembourgish to transcribe words the way they pronounced them, rather than imposing a single, standard spelling for the words of the language. The rules explicitly rejected certain elements of German orthography ({{abbr|e.g.|for example}}, the use of {{angbr|[[ä]]}} and {{angbr|[[ö]]}},<ref>"Et get kèèn '''ä''' geshriven. [...] Et get kèèn '''ö''' geshriven." (p. 639)</ref> the capitalisation of nouns). Similarly, new principles were adopted for the spelling of French loanwords.
* {{lang|lb|fiireje}}, {{lang|lb|rééjelen}}, {{lang|lb|shwèzt}}, {{lang|lb|veinejer}} (cf. German {{wikt-lang|de|vorigen}}, ''{{Wikt-lang|de|Regeln}}'', ''{{Wikt-lang|de|schwätzt}}'', ''{{Wikt-lang|de|weniger}}'')
* {{lang|lb|bültê}}, {{lang|lb|âprê}}, {{lang|lb|Shaarel}}, {{lang|lb|ssistém}} (cf. French ''{{Wikt-lang|fr|bulletin}}'', ''{{Wikt-lang|fr|emprunt}}'', ''{{Wikt-lang|fr|Charles}}'', ''{{Wikt-lang|fr|système}}'')
This proposed orthography, so different from existing "foreign" standards that people were already familiar with, did not enjoy widespread approval.

A more successful standard eventually emerged from the work of the committee of specialists charged with the task of creating the ''Luxemburger Wörterbuch'', published in 5 volumes between 1950 and 1977. The orthographic conventions adopted in this decades-long project, set out in Bruch (1955), provided the basis of the standard orthography that became official on 10 October 1975.<ref>''Mémorial B'' no. 68 (16 November 1976), pp. 1365–90: "Arrêté ministériel du 10 octobre 1975 portant réforme du système officiel d'orthographe luxembourgeoise". https://www.cpll.lu/pdf/ortho_1975.pdf</ref> Modifications to this standard were proposed by the ''[[Conseil permanent de la langue luxembourgeoise|Permanent Council of the Luxembourguish language]]'' and adopted officially in the spelling reform of 30 July 1999.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.legilux.public.lu/leg/a/archives/1999/1121108/index.html |title=''Mémorial A'' no. 112 (11 August 1999), pp. 2040–8: "Règlement grand-ducal du 30 juillet 1999 portant réforme du système officiel d'orthographe luxembourgeoise". |access-date=15 September 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051103181556/http://www.legilux.public.lu/leg/a/archives/1999/1121108/index.html |archive-date=3 November 2005 |url-status=dead }}</ref> A detailed explanation of current practice for Luxembourgish can be found in Schanen & Lulling (2003).

===Alphabet===
{{see also|Luxembourgish Braille}}
The Luxembourgish alphabet consists of the [[Latin script|26 Latin letters]] plus three letters with diacritics: {{angbr|é}}, {{angbr|ä}}, and {{angbr|ë}}. In [[loanwords]] from French and Standard German, other diacritics are usually preserved:
* French: {{lang|lb|Boîte}}, {{lang|lb|Enquête}}, {{lang|lb|Piqûre}}, etc.
* German: {{lang|lb|blöd}}, {{lang|lb|Bühn}} (from German {{lang|de|Bühne}}), etc.

In German loanwords, the digraphs {{angbr IPA|eu}} and {{angbr IPA|äu}} indicate the diphthong {{IPA|/oɪ/}}, which does not appear in native words.

====Orthography of vowels====
{{col-begin|width=auto}}
{{col-break}}
:{| class="wikitable"
|+ Monophthongs
! Spelling
! [[International Phonetic Alphabet|IPA]]
! Example
|-
| rowspan="2" style="vertical-align: middle;" | a
| {{IPA link|ɑ}}
| {{lang|lb|K'''a'''pp}}
|-
| rowspan="2" style="vertical-align: middle;" | {{IPA link|aː}}
| {{lang|lb|K'''a'''p}}
|-
| aa
| {{lang|lb|n'''aa'''ss}}
|-
| ä
| rowspan="2" style="vertical-align: middle;" | {{IPA link|æ}}
| {{lang|lb|K'''ä'''pp}}
|-
| rowspan="2" style="vertical-align: middle;" | e
| {{lang|lb|D'''e'''cken}}
|-
| rowspan="2" style="vertical-align: middle;" | {{IPA link|ə}}
| {{lang|lb|lies'''e'''n}}
|-
| ë
| {{lang|lb|h'''ë'''llefen}}
|-
| é{{efn|The letter {{angbr|é}} today represents the same sound as {{angbr|ë}} before {{angbr|ch}}. The ostensibly inconsistent spelling {{angbr|é}} is based on the traditional, now widely obsolete pronunciation of the sound represented by {{angbr|ch}} as a palatal {{IPA|[ç]}}. As this consonant is pronounced further back in the mouth, it triggered the use of the front allophone of {{IPA|/e/}} (that is {{IPA|[e]}}) as is the case before the velars ({{IPA|/k, ŋ/}}). Since the more forward alveolo-palatal {{IPA|[ɕ]}} has replaced the palatal {{IPA|[ç]}} for almost all speakers, the allophone {{IPA|[ə]}} is used as before any non-velar consonant. So the word {{lang|lb|mécht}} ('[he] makes'), which is now pronounced {{IPA|[məɕt]}}, used to be pronounced {{IPA|[meçt]}}; this is the reason for the spelling. The spelling {{angbr|mëcht}}, which reflects the contemporary pronunciation, is not standard.}}
| {{IPA link|e}}
| {{lang|lb|dr'''é'''cken}}
|-
| ee
| {{IPA link|ɪ|eː}}
| {{lang|lb|B'''ee'''n}}
|-
| rowspan="2" style="vertical-align: middle;" | i
| {{IPA link|i}}
| {{lang|lb|G'''i'''tt}}
|-
| rowspan="2" style="vertical-align: middle;" | {{IPA link|iː}}
| {{lang|lb|s'''i'''wen}}
|-
| ii
| {{lang|lb|K'''ii'''scht}}
|-
| rowspan="2" style="vertical-align: middle;" | o
| {{IPA link|o}}
| {{lang|lb|S'''o'''nn}}
|-
| rowspan="2" | {{IPA link|ʊ|oː}}
| {{lang|lb|dr'''o'''leg}}
|-
| oo
| {{lang|lb|Spr'''oo'''ch}}
|-
| rowspan="2" style="vertical-align: middle;" | u
| {{IPA link|u}}
| {{lang|lb|H'''u'''tt}}
|-
| rowspan="2" style="vertical-align: middle;" | {{IPA link|uː}}
| {{lang|lb|T'''u'''t}}
|-
| uu
| {{lang|lb|L'''uu'''cht}}
|}
{{col-break}}
:{| class="wikitable"
|+ Diphthongs
! Spelling
! [[International Phonetic Alphabet|IPA]]
! Example
|-
| ai
| rowspan="2" style="vertical-align: middle;" | {{IPA|ɑɪ̯}}
| {{lang|lb|Geb'''ai'''}}
|-
| ei
| {{lang|lb|d'''ei'''er}}
|-
| äi
| {{IPA|æːɪ̯}}
| {{lang|lb|r'''äi'''ch}}
|-
| rowspan="2" style="vertical-align: middle;" | au{{efn|In the standard orthography, {{IPA|/ɑʊ̯/}} and {{IPA|/æːʊ̯/}} are not distinguished.}}
| {{IPA|ɑʊ̯}}
| {{lang|lb|M'''au'''er}}
|-
| {{IPA|æːʊ̯}}
| {{lang|lb|M'''au'''l}}
|-
| éi
| {{IPA|əɪ̯}}
| {{lang|lb|Schn'''éi'''}}
|-
| {{not a typo|ie}}
| rowspan="2" | {{IPA|iə}}
| {{lang|lb|l'''ie'''sen}}
|-
| ier
| {{lang|lb|B'''ier'''gem}}
|-
| ou
| {{IPA|əʊ̯}}
| {{lang|lb|Sch'''ou'''l}}
|-
| ue
| rowspan="2" | {{IPA|uə}}
| {{lang|lb|B'''ue'''dem}}
|-
| uer
| {{lang|lb|Lëtzeb'''uer'''g}}
|}
{{col-break}}
:{| class="wikitable"
|+ r-vocalization
! Spelling
! [[International Phonetic Alphabet|IPA]]
! Example
|-
| ar
| rowspan="2" | {{IPA|aː}}
| {{lang|lb|D'''ar'''}}
|-
| aar
| {{lang|lb|'''aar'''m}}
|-
| är
| rowspan="2" | {{IPA|ɛːɐ̯}}
| {{lang|lb|St'''är'''}}
|-
| äer
| {{lang|lb|P'''äer'''d}}
|-
| er
| {{IPA|ɐ}}
| {{lang|lb|an'''er'''}}
|-
| ir
| rowspan="2" | {{IPA|iːɐ̯}}
| {{lang|lb|St'''ir'''}}
|-
| ier
| {{lang|lb|H'''ier'''t}}
|-
| or
| rowspan="2" | {{IPA|oːɐ̯}}
| {{lang|lb|Gef'''or'''}}
|-
| oer
| {{lang|lb|J'''oer'''}}
|-
| ur
| rowspan="2" | {{IPA|uːɐ̯}}
| {{lang|lb|B'''ur'''}}
|-
| uer
| {{lang|lb|W'''uer'''m}}
|}
{{col-end}}

===Eifeler Regel===
{{Main|Eifeler Regel}}

Like many other varieties of Western High German, Luxembourgish has a rule of final ''n''-deletion in certain contexts. The effects of this rule (known as the "Eifel Rule") are indicated in writing, and therefore must be taken into account when spelling words and morphemes ending in {{angbr|n}} or {{angbr|nn}}. For example:
* {{lang|lb|wa'''nn''' ech ginn}} "when I go", but {{lang|lb|wa mer ginn}} "when we go"
* {{lang|lb|fënnefa'''n'''drësseg}} "thirty-five", but {{lang|lb|fënnefavéierzeg}} "forty-five".

==Phonology==
{{Main|Luxembourgish phonology}}

===Consonants===

The consonant inventory of Luxembourgish is quite similar to [[Standard German phonology#Consonants|that of Standard Germa]]n.{{sfnp|Gilles|Trouvain|2013|p=67}}

{| class="wikitable" style=text-align:center
|+ Consonant phonemes of Luxembourgish{{sfnp|Gilles|Trouvain|2013|p=67}}
|-
! colspan="2" |
! [[Labial consonant|Labial]]
! [[Alveolar consonant|Alveolar]]
! [[Postalveolar consonant|Postalveolar]]
! [[Dorsal consonant|Dorsal]]
! [[Glottal consonant|Glottal]]
|-
! colspan="2" | [[Nasal consonant|Nasal]]
| {{IPA link|m}}
| {{IPA link|n}}
|
| {{IPA link|ŋ}}
|
|-
! rowspan="2" | [[Stop consonant|Plosive]]
! {{small|[[Fortis and lenis|fortis]]}}
| {{IPA link|p}}
| {{IPA link|t}}
|
| {{IPA link|k}}
|
|-
! {{small|[[Fortis and lenis|lenis]]}}
| {{IPA link|p|b}}<!--The link is correct, because the phonologically voiced plosives in Luxembourgish are more often voiceless than voiced; the main difference between them and their phonologically voiceless counterparts is the aspiration and strength of articulation (Gilles & Trouvain (2013:68)).-->
| {{IPA link|t|d}}<!--The link is correct, because the phonologically voiced plosives in Luxembourgish are more often voiceless than voiced; the main difference between them and their phonologically voiceless counterparts is the aspiration and strength of articulation (Gilles & Trouvain (2013:68)).-->
|
| {{IPA link|k|ɡ}}<!--The link is correct, because the phonologically voiced plosives in Luxembourgish are more often voiceless than voiced; the main difference between them and their phonologically voiceless counterparts is the aspiration and strength of articulation (Gilles & Trouvain (2013:68)).-->
|
|-
! rowspan="2" | [[Affricate consonant|Affricate]]
! {{small|[[voicelessness|voiceless]]}}
| ({{IPA link|p͡f}})
| {{IPA link|t͡s}}
| {{IPA link|t͡ʃ}}
|
|
|-
! {{small|[[voice (phonetics)|voiced]]}}
|
| ({{IPA link|d͡z}})
| ({{IPA link|d͡ʒ}})
|
|
|-
! rowspan="2" | [[Fricative consonant|Fricative]]
! {{small|[[voicelessness|voiceless]]}}
| {{IPA link|f}}
| {{IPA link|s}}
| {{IPA link|ʃ}}
| {{IPA link|χ}}
| {{IPA link|h}}
|-
! {{small|[[voice (phonetics)|voiced]]}}
| {{IPA link|v}}
| {{IPA link|z}}
| {{IPA link|ʒ}}
| {{IPA link|ʁ}}
|
|-
! colspan="2" | [[Trill consonant|Trill]]
|
|
|
| {{IPA link|ʀ}}
|
|-
! colspan="2" | [[Approximant consonant|Approximant]]
|
| {{IPA link|l}}
|
| {{IPA link|j}}
|
|}

* {{IPA|/p͡f/}} occurs only in loanwords from Standard German.{{sfnp|Gilles|Trouvain|2013|p=72}} Just as for many native speakers of Standard German, it tends to be simplified to {{IPA|[f]}} word-initially. For example, ''Pflicht'' ('obligation') is realised as {{IPA|[fliɕt]}} or, in careful speech, {{IPA|[p͡fliɕt]}}.
* {{IPA|/v/}} is realised as {{IPAblink|w}} when it occurs after {{IPA|/k, t͡s, ʃ/}}, e.g. ''zwee'' {{IPA|[t͡sweː]}} ('two').{{sfnp|Gilles|Trouvain|2013|p=69}}
* {{IPA|/d͡z/}} appears only in a few words, such as ''spadséieren'' {{IPA|/ʃpɑˈd͡zəɪ̯eʀen/}} ('to go for a walk').{{sfnp|Gilles|Trouvain|2013|p=72}}
* {{IPA|/d͡ʒ/}} occurs only in loanwords from English.{{sfnp|Gilles|Trouvain|2013|p=72}}
* {{IPA|/χ, ʁ/}} have two types of allophones: [[Alveolo-palatal consonant|alveolo-palatal]] {{IPA|[{{IPAplink|ɕ}}, {{IPAplink|ʑ}}]}} and uvular {{IPA|[{{IPAplink|χ}}, {{IPAplink|ʁ}}]}}. The latter occur before back vowels, and the former occur in all other positions.{{sfnp|Gilles|Trouvain|2013|p=68}}
** The {{IPAblink|ʑ}} allophone appears only in a few words, and speakers increasingly fail to distinguish between the alveolo-palatal allophones of {{IPA|/χ, ʁ/}} and the postalveolar phonemes {{IPA|/ʃ, ʒ/}}.{{sfnp|Gilles|Trouvain|2013|pp=68–69}}
* Younger speakers tend to vocalize a word-final {{IPA|/ʀ/}} to {{IPAblink|ɐ}}.{{sfnp|Gilles|Trouvain|2013|p=68}}

===Vowels===

{| class="wikitable" style=text-align:center
|+ Monophthong phonemes{{sfnp|Gilles|Trouvain|2013|p=70}}
! rowspan="3" |
! colspan="4" | [[Front vowel|Front]]
! rowspan="2" colspan="2" | [[Back vowel|Back]]
|- class="small"
! colspan="2" | [[Roundedness|unrounded]]
! colspan="2" | [[Roundedness|rounded]]
|- class="small"
! [[Short vowel|short]]
! [[Long vowel|long]]
! short
! long
! short
! long
|-
! [[Close vowel|Close]]
| {{IPA link|i}}
| {{IPA link|iː}}
| ({{IPA link|y}})
| ({{IPA link|yː}})
| {{IPA link|u}}
| {{IPA link|uː}}
|-
! [[Close-mid vowel|Close-mid]]
| rowspan="2" | {{IPA link|e}}
| {{IPA link|e̝|eː}}<!--The link is correct because Luxembourgish /eː/ is near-close, not close-mid (Gilles & Trouvain (2013:70)).-->
|
| ({{IPA link|ø̝|øː}})
| rowspan="2" | {{IPA link|o}}
| {{IPA link|o̝|oː}}<!--The link is correct because Luxembourgish /oː/ is near-close, not close-mid (Gilles & Trouvain (2013:70)).-->
|-
! [[Open-mid vowel|Open-mid]]
|
| ({{IPA link|œ}})
| ({{IPA link|œː}})
|
|-
! [[Open vowel|Open]]
| {{IPA link|æ}}
| {{IPA link|aː}}
| colspan="2" |
| {{IPA link|ɑ}}
|
|}

* The front rounded vowels {{IPA|/y, yː, øː, œ, œː/}} appear only in loanwords from French and Standard German. In loanwords from French, nasal {{IPA|/õː, ɛ̃ː, ɑ̃ː/}} also occur.{{Sfnp|Gilles|Trouvain|2013|p=72}}
* {{IPA|/e/}} has two allophones:
** Before velars: close-mid front unrounded {{IPAblink|e}},{{sfnp|Gilles|Trouvain|2013|p=70}}{{sfnp|Trouvain|Gilles|2009|p=75}} which, for some speakers, may be open-mid {{IPAblink|ɛ}}, especially before {{IPA|/ʀ/}}. The same variation in height applies to {{IPA|/o/}}, which may be as open as {{IPAblink|ɔ}}.{{sfnp|Gilles|Trouvain|2013|p=70}}
** All other positions: mid central vowel, more often slightly rounded {{IPAblink|ə̹}} than unrounded {{IPAblink|ə̜}}.{{sfnp|Gilles|Trouvain|2013|p=70}}
* Phonetically, the long mid vowels {{IPA|/eː, oː/}} are raised close-mid (near-close) {{IPA|[{{IPAplink|e̝ː}}, {{IPAplink|o̝ː}}]}} and may even overlap with {{IPA|/iː, uː/}}.{{sfnp|Gilles|Trouvain|2013|p=70}}
** {{IPA|/eː/}} before {{IPA|/ʀ/}} is realised as {{IPAblink|ɛː}}.{{sfnp|Gilles|Trouvain|2013|p=70}}
* {{IPA|/aː/}} is the long variant of {{IPA|/ɑ/}}, not {{IPA|/æ/}}, which does not have a long counterpart.

{|class="wikitable"
|+ Diphthong phonemes{{sfnp|Gilles|Trouvain|2013|p=71}}
! rowspan="2" |
! colspan="3" | Ending point
|- align="center"
! [[Front vowel|Front]]
! [[Central vowel|Central]]
! [[Back vowel|Back]]
|- align="center"
! Close
|
| {{IPA|iə uə}}
|
|- align="center"
! Mid
| {{IPA|əɪ (oɪ)}}
|
| {{IPA|əʊ}}
|- align="center"
! Open
| {{IPA|æːɪ ɑɪ}}
|
| {{IPA|æːʊ ɑʊ}}
|}

* {{IPA|/oɪ/}} appears only in loanwords from Standard German.{{sfnp|Gilles|Trouvain|2013|p=72}}
* The first elements of {{IPA|/æːɪ, æːʊ/}} may be phonetically short {{IPA|[æ]}} in fast speech or in unstressed syllables.{{sfnp|Gilles|Trouvain|2013|p=71}}
* The {{IPA|/æːɪ–ɑɪ/}} and {{IPA|/æːʊ–ɑʊ/}} contrasts arose from the former lexical tone contrast; the shorter {{IPA|/ɑɪ, ɑʊ/}} were used in words with Accent 1, and the lengthened {{IPA|/æːɪ, æːʊ/}} were used in words with Accent 2.{{sfnp|Trouvain|Gilles|2009|p=72}}

==Grammar==
{{More citations needed section|date=July 2023}}

===Nominal syntax===
Luxembourgish has three [[grammatical gender|genders]] (masculine, feminine, and neuter), and three [[grammatical case|cases]] ([[Nominative case|nominative]], [[Accusative case|accusative]], and [[Dative case|dative]]). These are marked morphologically on [[determiner (linguistics)|determiners]] and [[pronoun]]s. As in German, there is no morphological gender distinction in the plural.
<!--Luxembourgish demonstrates three [[grammatical genders]] - masculine, feminine and neuter. As in German this corresponds where possible to biological gender, but may be affected by suffixes. Where there is no biological gender, the grammatical gender of a word is largely arbitrary, although may again be determined by suffixes.-->

The forms of the articles and of some selected determiners are given below:
{|
|-
|
{| class="wikitable"
|+ nominative/accusative
|-
! rowspan="2"| || colspan="3" align="center" | singular || rowspan="2" | plural
|-
! <small>masculine</small> || <small>neuter</small> || <small>feminine</small>
|-
! definite
| align="center" | {{lang|lb|den}} || colspan="3" align="center" | {{lang|lb|d'}}
|-
! def. emphatic
| align="center" | {{lang|lb|deen}} || align="center" | {{lang|lb|dat}} || colspan="2" align="center" | {{lang|lb|déi}}
|-
! demonstrative
| align="center" | {{lang|lb|dësen}} || align="center" | {{lang|lb|dëst}} || colspan="2" align="center" | {{lang|lb|dës}}
|-
! indefinite
| colspan="2" align="center" | {{lang|lb|en}} || align="center" | {{lang|lb|eng}} || align="center" | ({{lang|lb|eng}})
|-
! negative
| colspan="2" align="center" | {{lang|lb|keen}} || colspan="2" align="center" | {{lang|lb|keng}}
|-
! "his/its"
| colspan="2" align="center" | {{lang|lb|säin}} || colspan="2" align="center" | {{lang|lb|seng}}
|-
! "her/their"
| align="center" | {{lang|lb|hiren}} || align="center" | {{lang|lb|hiert}} || colspan="2" align="center" | {{lang|lb|hir}}
|}
||
{| class="wikitable"
|+ dative
|-
! rowspan="2"| || colspan="3" align="center" | singular || rowspan="2" | plural
|-
! <small>masculine</small> || <small>neuter</small> || <small>feminine</small>
|-
! definite
| colspan="2" align="center" | {{lang|lb|dem}} || align="center" | {{lang|lb|der}} || align="center" | {{lang|lb|den}}
|-
! def. emphatic
| colspan="2" align="center" | {{lang|lb|deem}} || align="center" | {{lang|lb|där}} || align="center" | {{lang|lb|deenen}}
|-
! demonstrative
| colspan="2" align="center" | {{lang|lb|dësem}} || align="center" | {{lang|lb|dëser}} || align="center" | {{lang|lb|dësen}}
|-
! indefinite
| colspan="2" align="center" | {{lang|lb|engem}} || align="center" | {{lang|lb|enger}} || align="center" | ({{lang|lb|engen}})
|-
! negative
| colspan="2" align="center" | {{lang|lb|kengem}} || align="center" | {{lang|lb|kenger}} || align="center" | {{lang|lb|kengen}}
|-
! "his/its"
| colspan="2" align="center" | {{lang|lb|sengem}} || align="center" | {{lang|lb|senger}} || align="center" | {{lang|lb|sengen}}
|-
! "her/their"
| colspan="2" align="center" | {{lang|lb|hirem}} || align="center" | {{lang|lb|hirer}} || align="center" | {{lang|lb|hiren}}
|}
|}

As seen above, Luxembourgish has plural forms of {{lang|lb|en}} ("a, an"), namely {{lang|lb|eng}} in the nominative/accusative and {{lang|lb|engen}} in the dative. They are not used as indefinite articles, which—as in German and English—do not exist in the plural, but they do occur in the compound pronouns {{lang|lb|wéi en}} ("what, which") and {{lang|lb|sou en}} ("such"). For example: {{lang|lb|wéi eng Saachen}} ("what things"); {{lang|lb|sou eng Saachen}} ("such things"). Moreover, they are used before numbers to express an estimation: {{lang|lb|eng 30.000 Spectateuren}} ("some 30,000 spectators").

Distinct nominative forms survive in a few nominal phrases such as {{lang|lb|der Däiwel}} ("the devil") and {{lang|lb|eiser Herrgott}} ("our Lord"). Rare examples of the genitive are also found: {{lang|lb|Enn des Mounts}} ("end of the month"), {{lang|lb|Ufanks der Woch}} ("at the beginning of the week"). The functions of the genitive are normally expressed using a combination of the dative and a possessive determiner: e.g. {{lang|lb|dem Mann säi Buch}} (lit. "to the man his book", i.e. "the man's book"). This is known as a [[His genitive|periphrastic genitive]], and is a phenomenon also commonly seen in dialectal and colloquial German, and in Dutch.

The forms of the personal pronouns are given in the following table (unstressed forms appear in parentheses):

{| class="wikitable"
!
! align="center" | nominative || align="center" | accusative || align="center" | dative
|-
! 1sg
| align="center" | {{lang|lb|ech}} || align="center" | {{lang|lb|mech}} || align="center" | {{lang|lb|mir}} ({{lang|lb|mer}})
|-
! 2sg
| align="center" | {{lang|lb|du}} ({{lang|lb|de}}) || align="center" | {{lang|lb|dech}} || align="center" | {{lang|lb|dir}} ({{lang|lb|der}})
|-
! 3sgm
| colspan="2" align="center" | {{lang|lb|hien}} ({{lang|lb|en}}) || rowspan="2" align="center" | {{lang|lb|him}} ({{lang|lb|em}})
|-
! 3sgn
| colspan="2" align="center" | {{lang|lb|hatt}} ({{lang|lb|et}})
|-
! 3sgf
| colspan="2" align="center" | {{lang|lb|si}} ({{lang|lb|se}}) || align="center" | {{lang|lb|hir}} ({{lang|lb|er}})
|-
! 1pl
| align="center" | {{lang|lb|mir}} ({{lang|lb|mer}}) || colspan="2" align="center" | {{lang|lb|äis}} / {{lang|lb|eis}}
|-
! 2pl
| align="center" | {{lang|lb|dir}} ({{lang|lb|der}}) || colspan="2" align="center" | {{lang|lb|iech}}
|-
! 3pl
| colspan="2" align="center" | {{lang|lb|si}} ({{lang|lb|se}}) || {{lang|lb|hinnen}} ({{lang|lb|en}})
|}

The 2pl form is also used as a polite singular (like French {{lang|fr|vous}}, see [[T-V distinction]]); the forms are capitalised in writing:
:{{lang|lb|Wéi hues 'du' de Concert fonnt?}} ("How did you [informal sg.] like the concert?")
:{{lang|lb|Wéi hutt '''dir''' de Concert fonnt?}} ("How did you [informal pl.] like the concert?")
:{{lang|lb|Wéi hutt '''Dir''' de Concert fonnt?}}  ("How did you [formal sg. or pl.] like the concert?")

Like most varieties of colloquial German, but even more invariably, Luxembourgish uses definite articles with personal names. They are obligatory and not to be translated:
:{{lang|lb|'''De''' Serge ass an der Kichen.}} ("Serge is in the kitchen.")

A feature Luxembourgish shares with only some western dialects of German is that women and girls are most often referred to with forms of the ''neuter'' pronoun {{lang|lb|hatt}}:
:{{lang|lb|Dat ass d'Nathalie. '''Hatt''' ass midd, well '''et''' vill a '''sengem''' Gaart geschafft huet.}} ("That's Nathalie. She is tired because she has worked a lot in her garden.")

===Adjectives===
Adjectives show a different morphological behaviour when used [[Attributive adjective|attributively]] and [[predicative expression|predicatively]]. In predicative use, e.g. when they occur with verbs like ''sinn'' ("to be"), adjectives receive no extra ending:
* De Mann ass grouss. (''masculine'', "The man is tall.")
* D'Fra ass grouss. (''feminine'', "The woman is tall.")
* D'Meedchen ass grouss. (''neuter'', "The girl is tall.")
* D'Kanner si grouss. (''plural'', "The children are tall.")

In attributive use, i.e. when placed before the noun they describe, they change their ending according to the grammatical gender, number and case of the noun:
* de grouss'''e''' Mann (''masculine'')
* déi grouss Fra (''feminine'')
* dat grouss'''t''' Meedchen (''neuter'')
* déi grouss Kanner (''plural'')

The definite article changes with the use of an attributive adjective: feminine ''d<nowiki>'</nowiki>'' goes to ''déi'' (or ''di''), neuter ''d<nowiki>'</nowiki>'' goes to ''dat'', and plural ''d<nowiki>'</nowiki>'' changes to ''déi''.

The [[comparative]] in Luxembourgish is formed analytically, i.e. the adjective itself is not altered (compare the use of -''er'' in German and English; ''tall'' → ''taller'', ''klein'' → ''kleiner''). Instead it is formed using the adverb ''méi'': e.g. ''schéin'' → ''méi schéin''
* Lëtzebuerg ass méi schéi wéi Esch. ("Luxembourg is prettier than Esch.")

The [[superlative]] involves a synthetic form consisting of the adjective and the suffix ''-st'': e.g. ''schéin'' → ''schéin'''st''' '' (compare German ''schönst'', English ''prettiest''). Attributive modification requires the emphatic definite article and the inflected superlative adjective:
* '''dee''' schéinst'''e''' Mann ("the most handsome man")
* '''déi''' schéinst Fra ("the prettiest woman")

Predicative modification uses either the same adjectival structure or the adverbial structure ''am''+ -''sten'': e.g. ''schéin'' → ''am schéinsten'':
* Lëtzebuerg ass dee schéinsten / deen allerschéinsten / am schéinsten. ("Luxembourg is the most beautiful (of all).")

Some common adjectives have exceptional comparative and superlative forms:
* gutt, besser, am beschten ("good, better, best")
* vill, méi, am meeschten ("much, more, most")
* wéineg, manner, am mannsten ("few, fewer, fewest")

Several other adjectives also have comparative forms, not commonly used as normal comparatives, but in special senses:
* al ("old") → ''eeler'' Leit ("elderly people"), but: ''méi al'' Leit ("older people, people older than X")
* fréi ("early") → de ''fréiere'' President ("the former president"), but: e ''méi fréien'' Termin ("an earlier appointment")
* laang ("long") → viru ''längerer'' Zäit ("some time ago"), but: eng ''méi laang'' Zäit ("a longer period of time")

===Word order===
Luxembourgish exhibits "verb second" word order in clauses. More specifically, Luxembourgish is a [[V2 word order|V2]]-[[SOV language]], like German and Dutch. In other words, we find the following finite clausal structures:
* the [[finite verb]] in second position in declarative clauses and ''wh''-questions
::Ech '''kafen''' en Hutt. Muer '''kafen''' ech en Hutt. (lit. "I buy a hat. Tomorrow buy I a hat.)
::Wat '''kafen''' ech haut? (lit. "What buy I today?")
* the finite verb in first position in yes/no questions and finite imperatives
::'''Bass''' de midd? ("Are you tired?")
::'''Gëff''' mer deng Hand! ("Give me your hand!")
* the finite verb in final position in subordinate clauses
::Du weess, datt ech midd '''sinn'''. (lit. "You know, that I tired am.")

Non-finite verbs (infinitives and participles) generally appear in final position:
* compound past tenses
::Ech hunn en Hutt '''kaf'''. (lit. "I have a hat bought.")
* infinitival complements
::Du solls net esou vill Kaffi '''drénken'''. (lit. "You should not so much coffee drink.")
* infinitival clauses (e.g., used as imperatives)
::Nëmme Lëtzebuergesch '''schwätzen'''! (lit. "Only Luxembourgish speak!")

These rules interact so that in subordinate clauses, the finite verb and any non-finite verbs must all cluster at the end. Luxembourgish allows different word orders in these cases:
::Hie freet, ob ech '''komme kann'''. (cf. German ''Er fragt, ob ich kommen kann.'') (lit. "He asks if I come can.")
::Hie freet, ob ech '''ka kommen'''. (cf. Dutch ''Hij vraagt of ik kan komen.'') (lit. "He asks if I can come.")
This is also the case when two non-finite verb forms occur together:
::Ech hunn net '''kënne kommen'''. (cf. Dutch ''Ik heb niet kunnen komen.'') (lit, "I have not be-able to-come")
::Ech hunn net '''komme kënnen'''. (cf. German ''Ich habe nicht kommen können.'') (lit, "I have not to-come [[German verbs#Past participle|be-able]]")

Luxembourgish (like Dutch and German) allows prepositional phrases to appear after the verb cluster in subordinate clauses:
::alles, wat Der ëmmer wollt wëssen '''iwwer Lëtzebuerg'''
::(lit. "everything what you always wanted know about Luxembourg")

==Vocabulary==
{{More citations needed section|date=July 2023}}

Luxembourgish has borrowed many French words. For example, the word for a bus driver is ''Buschauffeur'' (as in [[Dutch language|Dutch]] and [[Swiss German]]), which would be ''Busfahrer'' in German and ''chauffeur de bus'' in French.

Some words are different from Standard German, but have equivalents in German dialects. An example is ''Gromperen'' (potatoes – German: ''Kartoffeln''). Other words are exclusive to Luxembourgish.

===Selected common phrases===
[[File:Moien.jpg|thumb|"Moien" ("Hello"): Sculpture (approx. 2 meters high) in the [[Justus Lipsius building|Justus-Lipsius building]] during the [[Presidency of the Council of the European Union|Luxembourgish EU-Presidency]], first half of 2005]]

{{Audio|Letzbg.ogg|Listen to the words below.}}
''Note: Words spoken in sound clip do not reflect all words on this list.''
{| class="wikitable"
!Dutch
!Luxembourgish
!Standard German
!English
|-
| Ja.
| Jo. 
| Ja.
|''Yes.''
|-
| Nee(n).
| Nee(n). 
| Nein.
|''No.''
|-
| Misschien, wellicht
| Vläicht. 
| Vielleicht.
|''Maybe.''
|-
| Hallo. (also ''moi'' in the north and east)
| Moien. 
| Hallo. (also ''Moin'' in the north)
|''Hello.''
|-
| Goedemorgen.
| Gudde Moien. 
| Guten Morgen.
|''Good morning.''
|-
| Goedendag. or Goedemiddag.
| Gudde Mëtteg. 
| Guten Tag.
|''Good afternoon.''
|-
| Goedenavond.
| Gudden Owend. 
| Guten Abend.
|''Good evening.''
|-
| Tot ziens.
| Äddi. 
| Auf Wiedersehen.
|''Goodbye.''
|-
| Dank u or Merci. (Belgium)
| Merci. 
| Danke.
|''Thank you.''
|-
| Waarom? or Waarvoor?
| Firwat? 
| Warum? or Wofür?
|''Why'', ''What for''
|-
| Ik weet het niet.
| Ech weess net. 
| Ich weiß nicht.
|''I don't know.''
|-
| Ik begrijp het niet.
| Ech verstinn net. 
| Ich verstehe nicht.
|''I don't understand.''
|-
| Excuseer mij or Wablief? (Belgium)
| Watgelift? or Entschëllegt? 
| Entschuldigung?
|''Excuse me?''
|-
| Slagerszoon.
| Metzleschjong. 
| Metzgersohn. / Metzgerjunge.
|''Butcher's son.''
|-
| Spreek je Duits/Frans/Engels?
| Schwätzt dir Däitsch/Franséisch/Englesch? 
| Sprichst du Deutsch/Französisch/Englisch?
|''Do you speak German/French/English?''
|-
| Hoe heet je?
| Wéi heeschs du? 
| Wie heißt du?
|''What is your name?''
|-
| Hoe gaat het?
| Wéi geet et? 
| Wie geht's?
|''How are you?'', ''How is it going?''
|-
| Politiek Fatsoen.
| Politeschen Anstand. 
| Politischer Anstand.
|''Political decency''
|-
| Zo.
| Sou. 
| So.
|''So.''
|-
| Vrij.
| Fräi. 
| Frei.
|''Free.''
|-
| Thuis.
| Heem. 
| zu Hause. / Heim.
|''Home.''
|-
| Ik.
| Ech. 
| Ich.
|''I.''
|-
| En.
| An. 
| Und.
|''And.''
|-
| Mijn.
| Mäin. 
| Mein.
|''My.''
|-
| Ezel.
| Iesel. 
| Esel.
|''donkey'', ''ass.''
|-
| Met.
| Mat. 
| Mit.
|''With.''
|-
| Kind.
| Kand. 
| Kind.
|''Child, kid''
|-
| Weg.
| Wee. 
| Weg.
|''Way.''
|-
| Aardappel.
| Gromper. 
| Kartoffel/Erdapfel.
|''Potato.''
|-
| Brood.
| Brout. 
| Brot.
|''Bread.''
|}

===Neologisms===
[[Neologisms]] in Luxembourgish include both entirely new words, and the attachment of new meanings to old words in everyday speech. The most recent neologisms come from the English language in the fields of [[telecommunications]], [[computer science]], and the [[Internet]].

Recent neologisms in Luxembourgish include:<ref>Lulling, Jérôme. (2002) ''La créativité lexicale en luxembourgeois,'' Doctoral thesis, Université Paul Valéry Montpellier III</ref>
* direct loans from English: ''Browser'', ''Spam'', ''CD'', ''Fitness'', ''Come-back'', ''Terminal'', ''Hip'', ''Cool'', ''Tip-top''
* also found in German: ''Sichmaschinn'' (search engine, German: ''Suchmaschine''), ''schwaarzt Lach'' ([[black hole]], German: ''Schwarzes Loch''), ''Handy'' (mobile phone), ''Websäit'' (webpage, German: ''Webseite'')
* native Luxembourgish
** ''déck'' as an emphatic like ''ganz'' and ''voll'', e.g. ''Dëse Kuch ass déck gutt!'' ("This cake is really good!")
** recent expressions, used mainly by teenagers: ''oh mëllen!'' ("oh crazy"), ''en décke gelénkt'' ("you've been tricked") or ''cassé'' (French for "(you've been) owned")

== Academic projects ==
Between 2000 and 2002, Luxembourgish linguist [[Jérôme Lulling]] compiled a lexical database of 125,000-word forms as the basis for the first Luxembourgish [[spellchecker]] (Projet C.ORT.IN.A).<ref>{{Cite web|date=2007-09-27|title=Eurogermanistik - Band 20|url=http://www.ids-mannheim.de/pub/extern/eurogerm/eug20.html|access-date=2021-07-26|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070927173602/http://www.ids-mannheim.de/pub/extern/eurogerm/eug20.html|archive-date=27 September 2007}}</ref>

The LaF (''Lëtzebuergesch als Friemsprooch'' – Luxembourgish as a Foreign Language) is a set of four language proficiency certifications for Luxembourgish and follows the [[Association of Language Testers in Europe|ALTE]] framework of language examination standards. The tests are administered by the Institut National des Langues Luxembourg.<ref name="laf_insl">{{Cite web|url=http://www.insl.lu/Francais/page3/p3frame.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150508061725/http://www.insl.lu/Francais/page3/p3frame.htm|url-status=dead|title=Institut national des langues – INL – Passer un examen à l'INL|archive-date=8 May 2015}}</ref>

The "Centre for Luxembourg Studies" at the [[University of Sheffield]] was founded in 1995 on the initiative of Professor Gerald Newton. It is supported by the government of Luxembourg which funds an [[Financial endowment#Endowed professorships|endowed chair]] in Luxembourg Studies at the university.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Centre for Luxembourg Studies|url=http://shef.ac.uk/luxembourg-studies|access-date=11 September 2011}}</ref>
The first class of students to study the language outside of the country as undergraduate students began their studies at the 'Centre for Luxembourg Studies' at Sheffield in the academic year 2011–2012.

== Endangered status claims ==
[[UNESCO]] declared Luxembourgish to be an endangered language in 2019, adding it to its ''Atlas of the World's Languages in Danger''.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://today.rtl.lu/news/luxembourg/a/1311464.html|title="Endangered" but growing: The Luxemburgish language celebrates 35th anniversary}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.luxtimes.lu/en/luxembourg/is-luxembourgish-an-endangered-language-602d462bde135b9236514279|title=Is Luxembourgish an endangered language?|date=11 December 2017}}</ref>

Additionally, some local media{{Citation needed|reason=Which? A personal blog is not a local media!|date=March 2024}} have argued that the Luxembourgish language is at risk of disappearing, and that it should be considered an [[endangered language]].<ref>{{Cite web|date=2021-02-25|title=Lëtzebuergesch gëtt ëmmer méi aus dem Alldag verdrängt|url=https://www.moien.lu/letzebuergesch-gett-verdrangt/|access-date=2021-10-12|website=MOIEN.LU|language=lb|archive-date=16 October 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211016173831/https://www.moien.lu/letzebuergesch-gett-verdrangt/|url-status=dead}}</ref> Even though the government claims that more people than ever are able to speak Luxembourgish, these are absolute numbers and often include the many [[Naturalization|naturalized citizens]] who have passed the ''Sproochentest,'' a language test that certifies the knowledge of merely A.2. in speaking and B.1. in understanding.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Examen d'évaluation de la langue luxembourgeoise " Sproochentest " {{!}} Institut National des Langues|url=https://www.inll.lu/sproochentest-letzebuergesh/epreuves-des-langues/|access-date=2021-10-12|language=fr-FR}}</ref>

Luxembourgish language expert and historian [[:lb:Alain Atten|Alain Atten]] argues that not only the absolute number of Luxembourgish speakers should be considered when defining the status of a language, but also the proportion of speakers in a country. Noting that the proportion of native Luxembourgish speakers has decreased in recent decades, Atten believes that Luxembourgish will inevitably disappear, stating:

<blockquote>It is simple math, if there are about 70% foreigners and about 30% Luxembourgers (which is the case in Luxembourg City), then it cannot possibly be said that Luxembourgish is thriving. That would be very improbable.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |date=2021-02-25 |title=Lëtzebuergesch gëtt ëmmer méi aus dem Alldag verdrängt |url=https://www.moien.lu/letzebuergesch-gett-verdrangt/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211016173831/https://www.moien.lu/letzebuergesch-gett-verdrangt/ |archive-date=16 October 2021 |access-date=2021-10-12 |website=MOIEN.LU |language=lb}}</ref></blockquote>

Alain Atten also argues that the situation is even more dramatic, since the cited percentages take only the residents of Luxembourg into account, excluding the 200,000 cross-border-workers present in the country on a daily basis.<ref name=":1" /> This group plays a major role in the daily use of languages in Luxembourg, thus further lowering the percentage of Luxembourgish speakers present in the country.

The following numbers are based on statistics by ''STATEC'' (those since 2011) and show that the percentage of the population that is able to speak Luxembourgish has been constantly diminishing for years (The 200,000 cross-border workers are not included in this statistic):<ref name=":1" />

{| class="wikitable right"
|+
|-
!scope=col | Year 
!scope=col | Percentage
|-
| 1846|| 99.0% {{Citation needed|reason=The so-called source says GERMAN.|date=March 2024}}
|-
| 1900|| 88.0%
|-
| 1983|| 80.6%
|-
| 2011|| 70.51%
|-
| 2012|| 70.07%
|-
| 2013|| 69.65%
|-
| 2014|| 69.17%
|-
| 2015 || 68.78%
|-
| 2016 || 68.35%
|-
| 2017 || 67.77%
|-
|}
It has also been argued{{Citation needed|reason=By whom? Where?|date=March 2024}} that two very similar languages, [[Alsatian dialect|Alsatian]] and [[Lorraine Franconian]], which were very broadly spoken by the local populations at the beginning of the 20th century in [[Alsace]] and in [[Lorraine]] respectively, have been nearly completely supplanted by [[French language|French]], and that a similar fate could also be possible for Luxembourgish.<ref>{{Cite web|last1=Babbel.com|last2=GmbH|first2=Lesson Nine|title=Welche Sprachen werden in Elsass-Lothringen gesprochen?|url=https://de.babbel.com/de/magazine/sprachen-elsass-lothringen|access-date=2021-10-12|website=Das Babbel Magazin|language=de}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|date=2020-08-12|title=D'Lëtzebuergescht, bald eng langue morte?!|url=https://guykaiser.lu/dletzebuergescht-bald-eng-langue-morte/|access-date=2021-10-16|website=Guy Kaiser Online}}</ref> Another example of the replacement of Luxembourgish by French occurred in [[Arelerland]] (historically a part of Luxembourg, today in Belgium), where the vast majority of the local population spoke Luxembourgish as a native language well into the 20th century. Today, Luxembourgish is nearly extinct in this region, having been replaced by French.

According to some Luxembourgish news media{{Citation needed|reason=Which? A local blog is not a news media|date=March 2024}} and members of [[:lb:Actioun Lëtzebuergesch|Actioun Lëtzebuergesch]] (an association for the preservation and promotion of the language), the biggest threat to the existence of Luxembourgish is indeed French, since it is the language of most official documents and street signs in Luxembourg; this considerably weakens the possibility for Luxembourgish to be practiced by new speakers and learners.<ref name=":2" /> In most cases, this passively forces expats to learn French instead of Luxembourgish.<ref name=":2">{{Cite web|last=|date=2020-08-12|title=D'Lëtzebuergescht, bald eng langue morte?!|url=https://guykaiser.lu/dletzebuergescht-bald-eng-langue-morte/|access-date=2021-10-16|website=Guy Kaiser Online}}</ref>

In 2021 it was announced that public announcements in Luxembourgish (and in German as well) at [[Luxembourg Airport]] would cease; it would only be using French and English for future public announcements.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Findel airport: Public announcements no longer available in Luxembourgish|url=https://today.rtl.lu/news/luxembourg/a/1778933.html|access-date=2021-10-13|website=today.rtl.lu|language=en}}</ref> This will cause Luxembourgish to go unused at Luxembourg Airport after many decades. Actioun Lëtzebuergesch declared itself to be hugely upset by this new governmental measure, citing that other airports in the world seem to have no problems making public announcements in multiple languages.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|date=2021-09-07|title=D'Sprooche vun den automateschen Ukënnegungen um Flughafe Findel|url=http://www.actioun-letzebuergesch.lu/files/artikelen/20210907-al.pdf|access-date=2022-01-15|website=www.actioun-letzebuergesch.lu|language=lb}}</ref> According to a poll conducted by AL, 92.84% of the Luxembourgish population wished to have public announcements to be made in Luxembourgish at Luxembourg Airport.<ref name=":0"/>

[[Alternative Democratic Reform Party|ADR]] politician [[Fred Keup]] has claimed that Luxembourgish is already on its way to complete replacement by French.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.rtl.lu/radio/invite-vun-der-redaktioun/a/1920402.html | title=Invité vun der Redaktioun (30. Mee) - Fred Keup: "D'ADR ass wichteg fir de politeschen Debat" }}</ref>

==See also==
{{Portal|Luxembourg|Languages}}
* [[Erna Hennicot-Schoepges]]
* [[Literature of Luxembourg]]
* [[wikt:Appendix:Swadesh lists for Germanic languages|Luxembourgish Swadesh List]]
* [[Multilingualism in Luxembourg]]

==Notes and references==

=== Notes ===
{{notelist}}

=== References ===
{{reflist|40em}}

===Bibliography===
{{refbegin}}
* Bruch, Robert. (1955) ''Précis de grammaire luxembourgeoise''. Bulletin Linguistique et Ethnologique de l'Institut Grand-Ducal, Luxembourg, Linden. (2nd edition of 1968)
* {{citation
|last1=Gilles
|first1=Peter
|last2=Trouvain
|first2=Jürgen
|year=2013
|title=Luxembourgish
|journal=Journal of the International Phonetic Association
|volume=43
|issue=1
|pages=67–74
|doi=10.1017/S0025100312000278
|url=http://orbilu.uni.lu/bitstream/10993/1143/1/Illustrations_Luxembourgish%20-%2017%20-%20revised%20version%20after%202nd%20revision%20-%20mit%20Bilder.pdf
|doi-access=free
}}
* Schanen, François and Lulling, Jérôme. (2003) ''[http://www.cpll.lu/ortho/intro_ortho.html Introduction à l'orthographe luxembourgeoise]''. (text available in French and Luxembourgish)
* {{cite conference |last1=Trouvain |first1=Jūrgen |last2=Gilles |first2=Peter |date=2009 |title=PhonLaF – phonetic online material for Luxembourgish as a foreign language |conference=Phonetics Teaching & Learning Conference |url=https://www.phon.ucl.ac.uk/ptlc/ptlc2009/ptlc2009-proceedings/ptlc2009_trouvain_014_ed.pdf}}
{{refend}}

==Further reading==
'''In English'''
* NEWTON, Gerald (ed.), ''Luxembourg and Lëtzebuergesch: Language and Communication at the Crossroads of Europe'', Oxford, 1996, {{ISBN|0-19-824016-3}}
* {{citation
|last=Tamura
|first=Kenichi
|year=2011
|title=The Wiltz Dialect in a Luxembourgish Drama for Children: Analysis of the Script for "Den Zauberer vun Oz" (2005)
|journal=Bulletin of Aichi University of Education
|volume=60
|pages=11–21
|url=http://repository.aichi-edu.ac.jp/dspace/bitstream/10424/3802/1/kenjin601121.pdf
|url-status=dead
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304070204/http://repository.aichi-edu.ac.jp/dspace/bitstream/10424/3802/1/kenjin601121.pdf
|archive-date=4 March 2016}}

'''In French'''
* BRAUN, Josy, ''et al.'' (en coll. avec Projet Moien), ''Grammaire de la langue luxembourgeoise''. Luxembourg, Ministère de l'Éducation nationale et de la Formation professionnelle 2005. {{ISBN|2-495-00025-8}}
* SCHANEN, François, ''Parlons Luxembourgeois, Langue et culture linguistique d'un petit pays au coeur de l'Europe''. Paris, L'Harmattan 2004, {{ISBN|2-7475-6289-1}}
* SCHANEN, François / ZIMMER, Jacqui, ''1,2,3 Lëtzebuergesch Grammaire''. Band 1: ''Le groupe verbal.'' Band 2: ''Le groupe nominal.'' Band 3:''L'orthographe.'' Esch-sur-Alzette, éditions Schortgen, 2005 et 2006
* SCHANEN, François / ZIMMER, Jacqui, ''Lëtzebuergesch Grammaire luxembourgeoise''. En un volume. Esch-sur-Alzette, éditions Schortgen, 2012. {{ISBN|978-2-87953-146-5}}

'''In Luxembourgish'''
* SCHANEN, François, ''Lëtzebuergesch Sproocherubriken''. Esch-sur-Alzette, éditions Schortgen, 2013.{{ISBN|978-2-87953-174-8}}
* [[Antoine Meyer|Meyer, Antoine]], ''E' Schrek ob de' lezeburger Parnassus'', Lezeburg (Luxembourg), Lamort, 1829

'''In German'''
* BRUCH, Robert, ''Grundlegung einer Geschichte des Luxemburgischen'', Luxembourg, Publications scientifiques et littéraires du Ministère de l'Éducation nationale, 1953, vol. I; ''Das Luxemburgische im westfränkischen Kreis'', Luxembourg, Publications scientifiques et littéraires du Ministère de l'Éducation nationale, 1954, vol. II
* MOULIN, Claudine and Nübling, Damaris (publisher): ''Perspektiven einer linguistischen Luxemburgistik. Studien zu Diachronie und Synchronie.'', Universitätsverlag Winter, Heidelberg, 2006. This book has been published with the support of the [[Fonds National de la Recherche]]
* {{cite journal|last=GILLES|first=Peter|year=1998|title=Die Emanzipation des Lëtzebuergeschen aus dem Gefüge der deutschen Mundarten|journal=Zeitschrift für deutsche Philologie|volume=117|pages=20–35}}
* BERG, Guy, ''Mir wëlle bleiwe wat mir sin: Soziolinguistische und sprachtypologische Betrachtungen zur luxemburgischen Mehrsprachigkeit.'', Tübingen, 1993 (Reihe Germanistische Linguistik 140). {{ISBN|3-484-31140-1}}
* (phrasebook) REMUS, Joscha, ''Lëtzebuergesch Wort für Wort''. Kauderwelsch Band 104. Bielefeld, Reise Know-How Verlag 1997. {{ISBN|3-89416-310-0}}
* WELSCHBILLIG Myriam, [[François Schanen|SCHANEN François]], [[Jérôme Lulling]], ''Luxdico Deutsch: Luxemburgisch ↔ Deutsches Wörterbuch'', Luxemburg (Éditions Schortgen) 2008, [http://www.editions-schortgen.lu/DE/Catalogue/Detail.asp?Id=109 Luxdico Deutsch]

==External links==
{{InterWiki|code=lb}}
{{Commons category}}
* [http://www.cpll.lu/ Conseil Permanent de la Langue Luxembourgeoise] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201030004355/https://www.cpll.lu/ |date=30 October 2020 }}
* [https://luxvocabulary.com LuxVocabulary: Web application for learning Luxembourgish vocabulary]

;Spellcheckers and dictionaries
* Spellcheckers for Luxembourgish: [http://www.spellchecker.lu Spellchecker.lu], [https://web.archive.org/web/20171222032546/https://spellchecker.lu/ Spellchecker.lu - Richteg Lëtzebuergesch schreiwen]
* [http://www.luxdico.lu Luxdico] online dictionary (24.000 words)
* [http://www.lod.lu Lëtzebuerger Online Dictionnaire (Luxembourgish Online Dictionary)] with German, French and Portuguese translations created by the CPLL
* [http://www.dico.lu dico.lu – Dictionnaire Luxembourgeois//Français] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080913175513/http://www.dico.lu/ |date=13 September 2008 }}
* [http://www.6000wierder.lu/ Luxembourgish Dictionary] with pronunciation, translation to and from English, French, German, Portuguese, Spanish, Italian
* [http://luxogramm.uni.lu Luxogramm – Information system for the Luxembourgish grammar (University of Luxembourg, LU)]

{{Luxembourg topics}}
{{Languages of the Benelux}}
{{Germanic languages}}

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