The “natural history” of multilingual policy in Luxembourg: analysing strategic ambiguity and its implications for small language communities

Abstract Language officiality is best understood in relation to the specificities of the dynamic spatial-temporal context in which is it situated. While the analysis of present-day language policy can present challenges, historical sociolinguistic research is compounded by the paucity of records, obstacles in accessing key documents and, quite importantly, potential issues of researcher reflexivity. A further dimension of complexity exists given that language policy may be explicitly or implicitly formulated. Instances of ambiguity in policy documents may be potentially strategic, although difficulties exist in locating evidence as to whether such ambiguities may be considered as intentionally strategic by policy makers. With attention to the ideological and discursive dimensions of language policy, this paper investigates the ratification of the 1948 constitutional amendments in Luxembourg – following Nazi-German occupation during World War II – which involved the elimination of named languages from the constitution. This paper examines the ways that (strategic) ambiguity bears similarities to silence in that it may simultaneously constitute an absence and a presence. In historical sociolinguistic research, it is therefore imperative to be aware of the potential limitations of empirical data and to offer equal consideration to the analysis of what is and is not said.