The language situation in Luxembourg, just like its population, is exceptionally rich. Luxembourgers and people from very different geographical and economic origins live together in a country with three officially recognized languages (Luxembourgish, French and German). 

These languages are present along all the stages of the educational system, which should enable students from their early childhood to express themselves in any one of them, but the situation in Luxembourg is far more complex. 

The amount of students in the classroom belonging to the different minorities settled in Luxembourg is quite significant, so most of them are normally exposed to further languages (Portuguese, Italian, Chinese, etc.), especially when they are at home or with their friends, and therefore they can express themselves in, at least, one more language. This coexistence of languages has an impact, not only on their academic achievements, but also on their daily lives. 

This study focuses on language use and interaction outside school among teenagers from different minority groups in Luxembourg in order to observe their linguistic behaviour (how they use the languages and how they interact) and to try to find the reasons why they choose one language in a particular context and another language in another context, why they sometimes switch/mix languages, why they frequently rely on vernacular rather than standard varieties, etc. 

The fact that the informants are teenagers is important, because adolescence is the time when personality/identity is still in the process of being defined. Teenagers are anxiously looking for their place in the world, and they are often disoriented. For this reason, they try to find affinities with what is happening around them (clubs, associations, sports, family) in order to be able to find their identity. A tool for finding affinities is going to be the language that they speak and their language use, and by means of interaction they are going to discover what is closer to their own interests, views, affections, etc. And it is also through language use that they express what they are and what they are not, that is to say, their identity. The data analysed has been obtained outside school, because that is where teenagers interact more freely than in an educational context. It derives from recordings and questionnaires. 

This study contributes to: - a better comprehension of the language needs and problems of children from minority groups; - a better understanding of what is not working in the educational system at present, as well as indications about what needs to be changed in the system to achieve a better adaptation of these children (i.e. in order to avoid feelings of rejection and auto-marginality, of being different from the others when one is outside one’s personal environment (family, group of friends, etc.)); - a better knowledge about identity and the feeling of belonging to a group; etc.

bio:

Curiel: 2007- Assistant of Prof. Dr. Jean-Jacques Weber, Université de Luxembourg. 2005-2006 Administrative Assistant, European Bank of Investment, Luxembourg. - Teacher of Spanish, PROLINGUA Language School, Luxembourg. 2005 M.A. in Teaching Spanish as Foreign Language, Universidad de Alcalá de Henares, Spain. - B.A. in Modern Languages: French, Universidad de Castilla-La Mancha, Spain. - French Teacher, Department of Employment Services of Castilla-La Mancha, Spain. - Freelance Translator, Washington DC, USA. 2002-2004 M.A. in Spanish Studies, Bowling Green State University, USA. - Teaching Assistant of Spanish and Research Assistant, Bowling Green State University, USA. 2002 Spanish Teacher, Universidad de Castilla-La Mancha, Spain. 2001-2002 Postgraduate Certificate of Education, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Spain. 2000-2001 ERASMUS Student, Université Paul Verlain - Metz, France. 1996-2000 B.A. in Modern Languages: English, Universidad de Castilla-La Mancha, Spain.