Switzerland, although insignificant in size of land, it has more languages than many of the most powerful and recognizable countries in the world. (Grin, 110). Across this small country, different languages are distributed and taught in different portion of the land. There are as many as four official languages: German, French, Italian and Rumantsch in Switzerland. (Switzerland, Swissinfo). As a whole, the country can be divided into several different regions just base on the type of language that is spoken there. (Cantons, Switzerland). These languages reflect Switzerland’s culture diversities and express the differences of the Swiss people and the land. Today, it is a phenomenon to see how these languages have formed Switzerland as of today. It is fascinating that different cultures were formed Switzerland simply because of the diversity of languages across this small nation. Overall, this rich culture in languages is truly a magnificent wonder of the world.
Switzerland has never been known as a culturally standardized nation because of the variety of languages. (Languages, Switzerland). The four main languages that are most recognized and spoken in Switzerland are: German, French, Italian, and Romansh. (Switzerland, Swissinfo). In addition, on top of the traditional languages, there are several different dialects categorized in some of the languages in Switzerland. (Switzerland, Official).
The diffusion of languages in Switzerland is very linked to the geography of the land. There are a number of cantons or administrative divisions of a country in Switzerland. (Cantons, Switzerland). Each is defined for a different official language with the exception of a few foreign languages: German in northern, central and eastern Switzerland, French in western Switzerland, Italian in southern Switzerland and Rumantsch in southeastern Switzerland. (Switzerland, Swissinfo). The country’s population is sub-divided base on each language’s population: German is spoken by about 64 per cent, French by about 20 per cent, Italian by about seven per cent. Romansh is spoken by less than one per cent of the total population. (Switzerland, Swissinfo). Language | Public
Use | Mother
Tongue | | German | 74 % | 63.7 % | | French | 21 % | 19.6 % | | Italian | 4 % | 6.6 % | | Rumantsch | 1 % | 0.5 % | | Spanish | n.a. | 1.7 % | | Serbo-Croatian | n.a. | 1.4 % | | Portugese | n.a. | 1.3 % | | Turkish | n.a. | 1.1 % | | English | n.a. | 1.0 % | | Albanese | n.a. | 0.7 % | | Other Languages | n.a. | 2.4 % | |
Within the diversity of languages in Switzerland, there are different dialects in different parts of administrative areas. There exist several kinds of the dialect. (Switzerland, Official). The common variation is the Swiss German dialect. The Swiss German dialects are Alamannic and it is a part of the same group as the dialects of southwestern Germany. (Switzerland, Official). It is very different compare to the Austrian dialect and even more so compare to the northern German dialects. (Switzerland, Official). The key reason that Switzerland has different German dialects is because of the type of people living in central and northern part of Switzerland; it is more consisted of descendants of a Germanic tribe, Alamannen. (Switzerland, Official). Furthermore, in Switzerland, people did not see the need for a uniform Swiss German dialect. (Switzerland, Official) Even within a region or a city, one may distinguish dialects between cantons as the country side and the city. (Switzerland, Official).
Major Swiss Cities by Language and Metropolitan Area Population German Speaking | German/French bilingual | French Speaking | Italian Speaking | German/Rumantsch bilingual | Zurich (970,000)
Bern (290,000)
Basel (240,000)
Lucerne (230,000)
Winterthur (110,000)
St. Gallen (90,000)
Thun (50,000)
Schaffhausen (40,000)
Zug (30,000)
Rapperswil-Jona (30,000)