A Chara, - Commissioner Viviane Reding's comparison between Irish and Luxemburgish (The Irish Times, March 11th) displays a lack of understanding of the position of Irish and, more disturbingly, of language dynamics and linguistic rights.
Luxembourg was one of the founding members of the European Coal and Steel Community in 1951. From a purely linguistic viewpoint, Luxemburgish is a German variety, Mosel Frankish, and was then commonly regarded as being a dialect rather than as a language in its own right.
Official recognition as the national language of the Grand Duchy was not accorded to it until 1984. So seeking EC recognition for it as an official language over 30 years earlier simply did not arise.
In contrast, Irish has enjoyed official recognition in Ireland since 1922.
Little more than 300,000 people can speak Luxemburgish. The corresponding figure for Irish is 1.7 million. The comparatively low level of daily usage, as compared with active ability, in the case of Irish can be attributed to its de facto exclusion from certain important domains of life. This is what we are now reversing.
Luxemburgish was and still is rarely written and has little to offer in the form of literature. Irish, on the other hand, has been written since the 5th century and has a literature spanning many centuries, including a vibrant contemporary group of writers. Luxemburgish has no daily or weekly newspaper. Irish has both.
As a regular visitor to the Grand Duchy, I note that since Luxemburgish was accorded official recognition, its use in written form is beginning to increase. It can now be seen on ATMs and on some packaging.
So, Mme Reding, official recognition is important to legitimise a language's use and to ensure the rights of its speakers.
When Irish was accepted for the purpose of the EC's Lingua language teaching programme, Luxembourg quickly followed suit by seeking and obtaining the inclusion of Luxemburgish. Hopefully, Irish will be accorded recognition as an official EU language in the near future.
Your country will again be welcome to follow our lead, Mme Commissioner. Just don't stand in our way! - Is mise,
DÓNALL Ó RIAGÁIN, Ard Oscair, Bóthar Ráth Oscair, An Nás, Co Chill Dara.