The Professor

When Henri Bouillon appears on screen, his cheerful smile and Hawaiian-patterned shirt quickly capture one's attention. Officially, his name is Henri Joseph Bouillon, though he is widely known as Heinz. Born in 1949 in Weywertz, a village in Belgium's German-speaking East Cantons, 40km from the Luxembourg border. His roots reflect the interconnected histories of Belgium, Luxembourg, and the wider region.[1]

His father hailed from Hachy, known as Häerzeg in Luxembourgish, located between Arlon and Habay in the Luxembourgish-speaking part of Belgium's Province of Luxembourg. "My father's first language was Luxembourgish." Born shortly after World War I, his father shifted towards French due to the region's changing political landscape. He trained as a schoolteacher in Arlon. After World War II, when many from Belgium's German-speaking area fled to Germany, Bouillon's father was sent there, where he met Bouillon's mother and settled. "The rest, as you can see, is sitting in front of you."[1]

A truly academic life

Early exposure to multiple languages was pivotal for Bouillon's professional path. He studied Germanic languages at the Université catholique de Louvain (UCL), earned a PhD in linguistics, and went on to teach at UCL from the late 1990s until 2016. He also served as Dean of the Faculty of Philosophy and Letters between 2004 and 2009. His courses ranged from German Language to Didactics: German as a Foreign Language and seminars on the economic, legal, social, and political frameworks of German-speaking countries. The man from Weywertz taught German in Louvain. The father from Hachy spoke Luxembourgish. The son taught the language of the country next to the country where the father's language was spoken. The borders are what make the languages. The languages are what cross the borders.[1]

"I hold her in the highest regard"

The retired university professor has fond memories of a former student named Stéphanie, whose future as Luxembourg's Grand Duchess no one could have predicted at the time. He taught her German. She learned German. She became Grand Duchess. The professor remembers the student. The student became the Grand Duchess. The Grand Duchess is who the student became. The professor is who taught her what she needed to become what she became. The teaching was German. The becoming was Grand Duchess. The German was the bridge. The bridge was the language. The language was what the professor taught. The professor taught the language. The Grand Duchess learned the language. The language is what connects them, across borders, across time, across the distance between a classroom in Louvain and a palace in Luxembourg.[1]

The borders

Weywertz is 40km from the Luxembourg border. Hachy is in the Luxembourgish-speaking part of Belgium. Arlon is where the father trained. Louvain is where the son taught. Luxembourg is where the student became Grand Duchess. The borders between these places are lines on maps. The languages between these places are what people speak. The lines on maps do not stop the languages. The languages do not stop at the lines. The father spoke Luxembourgish in Belgium. The son taught German in Belgium. The student learned German in Belgium and became Grand Duchess in Luxembourg. The borders are what the maps draw. The languages are what the people speak. The people are what the borders try to separate. The languages are what the people use to stay connected.[1]

The professor wore a Hawaiian shirt. The professor smiled. The professor taught German. The professor's father spoke Luxembourgish. The professor's student became Grand Duchess. The professor is retired. The professor remembers. The professor holds her in the highest regard. The regard is what the professor has. The regard is what the borders do not have. The borders do not regard. The borders divide. The professor regards. The professor connects. The connection is the language. The language is the regard. The regard is what the professor holds. The professor holds her in the highest regard. The borders hold nothing.[1]