In my time here, I’ve only had one interaction with someone
not part of a service staff. I popped into the Top Affair supermarché for a
cheap snack, and ended up in line behind two young guys who were using some
kind of lunch vouchers to buy such healthy items as cookies, chocolate milk,
and mentos. They were clearly down on their luck, and kept asking the clerk for
one thing after another, taking ages to complete the transaction. I heard a low
voice coming from behind me. Assuming the woman next in line was just muttering
to herself, I glanced back to find that she was actually attempting to
commiserate with me, quietly and in Luxembourgish. Since I had no idea what she
was saying, but could see her disdain
without any translation, I just gave her an understanding smile and shook my
head at the boys ahead of us.
Despite Luxembourg having 3 official languages, none of
which I really speak, I’ve been able to get by without asking for English. Per
the Musée d’Histoire de la Ville de Luxembourg, Luxembourgish (Lëtzebuergesch)
is the primary language people speak in their day to day lives, while the press
is typically in German, and business/administrative affairs are handled in
French. Since that includes things like shops, and I understand enough French to say, buy a sandwich and a beer,
I’ve muddled through.
According to what I learned at the history museum,
Luxembourgish is a fairly new language, adopted widely to help differentiate
the citizens from neighbors and former occupiers France and Germany. The use of
other languages continues only due to tradition, and Lëtzebuergesch is central
to the national identity.
Maybe the history contributes to the closed off nature of
the Luxembourgers. Or maybe their coldness shaped the history. They’ve managed
to avoid being taken over by the superpowers around them, and maintained a
distinct culture of their own in the process. Maybe keeping to themselves is
part of that culture.
Not that I’m one to talk… Loner that I am…
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