Constructing lusobourgish ethnicities

This paper takes a language ideological approach to describe the ongoing processes of the construction and negotiation of emergent romano- or lusobourgish ethnicities and identities within Luxembourgish society. The first two sections discuss the main theoretical assumptions of the language ideological approach and provide an overview of the language situation in Luxembourg. The following two sections present the results of an ethnographic study of language use, language ideologies and identity construction among luso-descendant adolescents attending a number of youth centres in Luxembourg city. The final section considers the implications of these results for language-in-education policy and, more particularly, the importance of creating “literacy bridges” for transnational students, rather than some form of mother-tongue education, as a first step towards the elusive goal of educational equity.