PIRLS 2006 Encyclopedia

Pierre RedingInspection of Primary Education of LuxembourgMartin FreibergDortmund UniversityLuxembourgLanguage and LiteracyLuxembourg is one of the few countries where several languages are spoken and writtenin the whole territory and in the different areas of life. Luxembourg has three officiallanguages by law. Luxembourgish, which has its origins in Franconian German from theMosel region and has strong French influences, is an official national language and themain language of everyday communication among Luxembourgers. French and Germanalso are official languages of the country, although French is most widely spoken andalso functions as the language of administration.Because Luxembourg is a multilingual country and 40% of its residents are immigrants,a high value is placed on language instruction in primary school. 1 Luxembourgish istaught as early as the preschool level and continues into primary school. German, aswell as mathematics and general knowledge, is introduced at the start of primary schooland is the language in which reading and writing are taught. French is introduced in thesecond half of the second school year.The languages of immigrant groups include Portuguese (13%) and Italian (4%). 2However, the frequency with which these languages are used depends on the situationand context. There are many situations in which the residents of Luxembourg speakseveral languages simultaneously, since there are no regional linguistic boundaries withinLuxembourg. Because of Luxembourg’s development as a financial center and as the seatof European institutions, English and other languages also play a significant role.Several major daily newspapers, as well as numerous weekly magazines, are publishedin Luxembourg. Newspapers appear in multilingual editions in German, French, andLuxembourgish, although most articles tend to be in German. In recent years, Frenchonlydaily newspapers and magazines also have appeared. Luxembourgers tend to bemultilingual in their reading habits. Literature published in Luxembourgish—particularlychildren’s literature—has increased greatly in the last 15 years.Overview of the Education SystemLuxembourg’s school system is centralized, and the Ministry for Education and VocationalTraining is responsible for course content. At the preschool and primary school levels,inspectors employed by the Ministry monitor schools in terms of educational competence.245