ABSTRACT
Any survey of the Luxembourgish school system and its place in Europe must begin with a consideration of the language situation in the country.
A Luxembourgeois is often said to be bi-or even trilingual, and although this survey will not indulge in an academic discussion of what bilingualism entails, the claim nevertheless needs clarifying. The first language with which the toddler comes into contact is Letzeburgesch, a Moselle-Frankish dialect with a French influence spoken mostly within the Luxembourgish borders which in 1984 was given the status of a national language by Act of Parliament. It was also recognized for official status as a teaching subject by the 1989 decision of the European Union Lingua programme.
