Editing Luxembourgish (section)

== 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>