Great news for everyone who loves the Limburgish language. The Province just launched a campaign that encourages all of us to simply keep speaking Limburgish. Everywhere. All the time.
The idea is beautifully simple: many people from Limburg automatically switch to Dutch when they meet someone new. But most of the time, that is not even necessary! The campaign basically says: just ask ‘do you understand me if I speak Limburgish?’
And there is a neat little trick to go with it 🤚 Make the L-gesture with your left hand. This signals that you speak or understand Limburgish. That way, the other person immediately knows the conversation can stay in Limburgish.
What makes this campaign extra fun:
- It appears in different regional language variants
- Municipalities, associations, and businesses are joining in
- Pinkpop opens this year with the Limburgish Pop Prize winner, the Herfshane Band
- On Sunday there is the Limburgish-language ‘Hoogmis van het Zuiden’ on the program
Festival director Tirsa Creusen is proud of it: Pinkpop gives Limburgish a visible spot on stage, making the language feel natural even in a festival setting.
Limburgish has been officially recognized as a regional language since 1997 under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. Despite that recognition, researchers have been observing a steady decline in daily use, especially among younger generations in urban areas. This campaign is a direct response to that trend and marks the first time the province actively deploys a hand gesture as a social tool to stimulate language use in everyday life.
Source: Province of Limburg
