What is the language of the Swiss? What languages ​​are spoken in Switzerland? State languages ​​of the country

Switzerland is a country of mysteries. One of them, without a doubt, lies in how many state (national) and official languages ​​there actually are in the country of lakes and Alps and how they coexist with each other. Don't rush to answer right away! The question is not so easy, because sometimes even the Swiss themselves give the wrong answers. The reason for this is the complexity of the language issue. The Switzerland Business Portal decided to plunge into the linguistic jungle of Switzerland and help you find out the truth.

1. Languages ​​in Switzerland

2. Official and national languages ​​of Switzerland in the Constitution

3. National and official languages ​​of Switzerland in numbers

4. Swiss languages ​​in politics and everyday life

5. Need for integration of foreigners

6. Migration law reform

7. Language passport

Languages ​​in Switzerland

The uniqueness of Switzerland has many facets, one of which is manifested in the fact that the country arose at the junction of 3 great European cultures: German, French and Italian. The cultural border also runs along the linguistic border. According to this principle, the Alpine Republic is divided into 4 parts: German-speaking Switzerland (center, north, east), Romandy (west), Ticino (south) and some valleys of the Canton of Grisons, where the Romansh language is still preserved (east). Read also our material “The Country of Switzerland on the World Map: Fascinating Facts about the State.”

It is impossible to imagine Switzerland without linguistic diversity. However, at the same time it is extremely difficult to answer the almost Hamlet-like question of how the parts of the country whose inhabitants speak different languages, still stick together and do not strive to form an independent state? There is an opinion that friction based on the language issue is smoothed out by the wealth of the Swiss (allegedly they simply do not care or have time for linguistic strife), a sense of national difference from the same Germans, French and Italians, as well as fear of their giant neighbors (on the scale of Switzerland), who wouldn't mind taking a bite of the delicious Swiss pie.

To some extent, each of the arguments is correct, which allows us to better understand how languages ​​shape the attitude of the Swiss towards their neighbors and each other. Let me, however, assert that languages ​​do not cause the disintegration of Switzerland into separate parts, primarily because of the language policy, which presupposes an equally respectful attitude towards all languages, takes into account the opinion of the minority and allows many issues to be resolved locally, and not from the federal center .

The Constitution of the Swiss Confederation in Article 4 establishes 4 languages ​​as national/state languages ​​(Landessprachen): German (Deutsch), French (français), Italian (italiano) and Romansh (rumantsch). I will show due respect to the main legislative act of the Alpine Republic and will provide excerpts from it in all 4 national languages:

The specificity of Romansh as an official language is manifested in the fact that it acquires such status only in cases where communication between federal authorities and a Swiss citizen takes place in Romansh. Don't be so quick to assume that discrimination is taking place; it is due to performance considerations. state apparatus, given the small number of native speakers of this language (more on this below). However, the factual and legal specificity does not deprive the Romansh language of its national and official status. Accordingly, Switzerland speaks 4 national and official languages!

National and official languages ​​of Switzerland in numbers

German in Switzerland

Speaking about the German language in Switzerland, one cannot help but immediately make a small clarification, which, nevertheless, for residents of German-speaking Switzerland has great value. The Swiss themselves speak a dialect of German in everyday life and even at work, which is so different from the standard version of the language of Schiller and Goethe that it is almost impossible for the Germans to understand the Swiss. At the same time, in most cases, the Swiss speak almost perfectly (at the level of a second native language) high German, which is most often used in politics, in higher school and at work. The question of the relationship between Swiss and German German is in no way inferior in its complexity to the language question in Switzerland originally posed in this material. Our video will help you feel the difference between German German and Swiss German (and even the differences between individual dialects of Swiss German):

German is spoken in Switzerland by about 65% of the population; Among the Swiss themselves, the share of German is higher - more than 73%, making it the most common mother tongue and language business communication in Switzerland. 17 of the 26 cantons name German as the only official language at the cantonal level. The Canton of Bern has a predominantly German-speaking population; In the cantons of Wallis and Friborg, German is inferior to French in terms of prevalence, however, maintaining legally equal status with the latter as the official language of the corresponding canton.

German is also the official language of the largest canton in Switzerland - the Canton of Grisons, which is also unique in that only in it not 1 or 2, but as many as 3 languages ​​are called official (along with German - Italian and Romansh).

Even in the Cantons of Ticino and Jura there are municipalities where German is predominantly spoken. Thus, German It is not represented only in the cantons of Geneva, Vaud and Neuchâtel.

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About 22.6% of the Swiss population call French their mother tongue; among the Swiss, the share is just over 23%. The French-speaking population lives in the west of the Alpine Republic in a region called Romandie (French Suisse romande, German Welschland). 4 cantons of Switzerland have only French as their official language: Geneva, Vaud, Neuchâtel and Jura (although the latter Canton, as already noted, has a German-speaking municipality of Ederswiler). In the cantons of Freiburg and Wallis, French is the most widely spoken language; in the Canton of Bern - the status of a minority language from the Bernese Jura region.

Italian in Switzerland

Italian is spoken in Switzerland by about 500,000 people, or 8.3% of the population; among Swiss citizens - only 6%. Italian is the official language of the Swiss Federation. The patrimony of this language is the Canton of Ticino and the 4 southern valleys of the canton of Grisons (about 15% of the population of the canton of Grisons speak Italian as their native language). In both cantons - also called Svizzera italiana - Italian is the official language. Outside the designated territories, the Italian language is represented only at an unofficial level at the cantonal and municipal levels. We are mainly talking about large cities where immigrants from Italy live. Similar to the relationship between Swiss German and German German, the dialect of Italian in Ticino and Graubünden differs from the standard version spoken in Italy.

Romansh language in Switzerland

Based on the number of speakers, Romansh is the least used national and official language of Switzerland. About 0.6% of the Swiss population (0.7% of Swiss citizens) speak this language. Most of them live in the Canton of Grisons - the only canton that establishes Romansh as an official language in its Constitution (Article 3). Over the last century, there has been a natural trend towards the displacement of Romansh by German, which currently means that the vast majority of Swiss who speak Romansh as a mother tongue simultaneously speak Swiss German and High German (at a level comparable to their native language).

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Language neighborhood in the Canton of Grisons: German (yellow), Italian (purple), Romansh (light burgundy); mixed regions (with a linguistic minority share of more than 30%). Source: Bundesamt für Statistik

Swiss languages ​​in politics and everyday life

The presence of 4 national and official languages ​​in Switzerland, however, does not mean that throughout the country every local speaks all 4 languages ​​at once. In most cases, within a particular territory, one of the four predominates. The political process, cultural events, newspapers and television in Switzerland cannot be imagined without the factor of linguistic diversity. In addition, Swiss law is written and justice is administered in German, French, Italian and (in certain cases) Romansh.

Typically, the Swiss themselves, in addition to their native language, speak quite well another official language (most often, German or French, respectively) and English, which they studied at school. IN individual regions bilingualism (speaking two languages ​​as mother tongues) is common: in the Canton of Friborg and the Bernese Lake District - French and German; in the Canton of Graubünden - German and Romansh. A certain color in language picture Switzerland adds the already mentioned fact that, although standard German is used in newspapers and official affairs, at the everyday level local dialects, very different from “high/written German,” are almost universally used.

Need for integration of foreigners

Percentage of foreigners from general population Switzerland is quite impressive - 23% (perhaps only the Principality of Liechtenstein can compete with Switzerland here - see details here). Those. Almost every fourth resident of the Alpine Republic is a citizen of another state. A significant portion of the 23% of foreigners are citizens of neighboring France, Germany, Italy, Austria and Liechtenstein, who usually do not face the question of knowing at least one official language of Switzerland.

Switzerland country, Four official languages, Switzerland language, Official languages ​​of Switzerland, What language is in Switzerland, Switzerland is the official language, How many languages ​​are there in Switzerland, Language Switzerland, www.business-swiss.ch Switzerland language Switzerland is a country of four official languages ​​/ Switzerland language schweizer pass 2014However, in Switzerland there are also many people from English-speaking countries (Great Britain, USA), from Portugal, Spain, Turkey and the former Yugoslavia. For various reasons, sometimes these categories of people do not strive to master the local language at a level sufficient for good integration. Thus, usually English-speaking expats prefer not to bother learning more complex German or French, relying on the fact that the local population sufficient level owns English language. However, English is not the official language of Switzerland, which means that this category of foreigners must comply with Swiss migration law.

In order to support the desire of foreign citizens to better integrate into Swiss society, the Swiss Government and Parliament intend to introduce several legislative innovations in migration law in the near future.

Migration law reform

The introduction of the language passport is part of the reform of Swiss migration law, which Parliament has been actively working on throughout 2013. New legal provisions, among other things, require the applicant to obtain a permanent residence permit in Switzerland (permit C / Niederlassungsbewilligung) high degree integration. An integral part of this requirement is a good knowledge of the national language in the place of residence.

Exceptions are provided for persons suffering from diseases that impede language acquisition. In addition, persons with a short-term residence permit are exempt from the obligation to have a language passport.

Switzerland country, Four official languages, Switzerland language, Official languages ​​of Switzerland, What language is in Switzerland, Switzerland is the official language, How many languages ​​are there in Switzerland, Language Switzerland, www.business-swiss.ch Switzerland language Switzerland is a country of four official languages ​​/ Switzerland language schweiz sprachen testIn other words, the opportunity to obtain an indefinite/permanent residence permit in Switzerland will now only be available to those who can communicate in the local language. According to the head of the Integration Department at the Federal Office for Migration, Adrian Gerber, from 2015 the authorities will issue language passports. In addition, knowledge of the national language is also important when obtaining Swiss citizenship.

For foreigners who already have a residence permit category B (Aufenthalsbewilligung B / validity limited to one or five years), a systematic test of language knowledge is not expected, which is explained by considerations of budgetary savings and unburdening the bureaucracy.

For new recipients of Permit B, however, the cantonal authorities may impose an obligation to master the local language through special courses. The purpose of this measure is to better integrate people who moved to Switzerland for family reunification. Ultimately, the Swiss authorities would like foreigners to be able to properly navigate everyday situations, such as being able to understand the attending physician or information from teachers at their children’s school.

Language passport

The Swiss language passport is based on the General European Language Guidelines (Gemeinsame Europäische Referenzrahmen). In addition, the level of language proficiency will be measured at a certain date in time. However, it remains unclear how well candidates for permanent residence in Switzerland must speak the official language. Apparently, this question Each canton will decide differently. On April 25, 2014, the Canton of Bern decided to raise the bar for the required knowledge of German or French from level A2 to B1.

It is planned that the language passport, in addition to being an integral criterion for obtaining a permanent residence permit in Switzerland, will also serve as a guide for the employer to assess language proficiency when hiring.

Switzerland has 4 official languages:

• German (more precisely, the so-called Swiss dialect of German)
• French
• Italian
• Romansh (also called Romansh).

Languages ​​in Switzerland on the country map:

On the map, German-speaking territories are marked in orange, French-speaking territories are marked in green, Italian-speaking territories are lilac, Romansh-speaking territories are marked in purple, and bilingual territories are marked with a diagonal.

German in Switzerland

Zurich, northern (Schaffhausen), eastern (St. Gallen), central Switzerland (Interlaken, Lucerne), including Bern, speak a Swiss dialect of German. It also includes half of the canton of Valais - Zermatt and Brig, for example, German-speaking, and located nearby Sion, Sierre - French-speaking.

Dialects even differ from city to city, and Basel German will sound different than Zurich German. Swiss German is so different from true German that many Germans find it difficult to understand the Swiss. Although the Swiss study German at school (the written language is all German), they nevertheless do not like to speak pure German (sometimes they simply cannot). However, if you are not German but try very hard to speak German, they will try to answer in German. In general, speech very often contains admixtures from other languages. For example, “Thank you” in Zurich is often said in French - “Merci”.

French in Switzerland

French is native to the western part of the country: Geneva, Montreux, Neuchâtel, Lausanne, Sion speak French. Border between two languages goes to regions along the so-called Rösti-graben (“Rösti border”, to the east of which they like to eat potatoes in the form of a “Rösti” dish, but to the west they do not). There is one strikingly bilingual city: Biel/Bienne, whose name is always written in German and French.

P.S. Over the past few years, Murten/Morat, as well as Friborg/Freibourg, the largest of the bilingual cities, where a river separates different language zones, have also become officially bilingual cities, which are written in two languages.

Like the French, residents of the French-speaking areas of Switzerland do not like to know other foreign languages. But, in principle, they are most likely obliged to know German.

Italian in Switzerland

Italian is used in the canton of Ticino, in southern Switzerland (Lugano, Locarno, Bellinzona). Residents of Ticino study a second language with a choice of German or French. But more often than not they understand German.

Romansh language

This is an ancient language, a legacy of the Romans miraculously preserved in the Swiss wilderness. Distributed in the canton of Grisons, in southeastern Switzerland. This language is adjacent to German, but is carefully preserved by the state as part of cultural heritage countries.

What languages ​​are spoken in Switzerland?

Most German-speaking Switzerland learn French as a second language at school and can, if not speak it, then at least understand it. People with higher education and youth. However, since the country is tourism-oriented, many people in the service sector speak excellent English. Staff at train stations and airports, ticket inspectors and even police officers usually speak good English.

In the French part, English is a little more difficult, but sign language will always help.

The Italian part is more isolated and therefore speaks other languages ​​the worst there.

Menus in restaurants are mainly based on native language, although popular tourist places also have them in English (and in Zughauskeller in Zurich - even in Russian!).

Product descriptions are most often accompanied by instructions in German and French, sometimes also in Italian.

Small German phrasebook

Hello)! - guten Morgen! (in the morning); guten Tag! (daytime); guten Abend! (In the evening)

They say goodbye accordingly: schönen Morgen! (in the morning); schönen Tag! (daytime); Schönen Abend! (In the evening)

Thank you - danke vielmals

Please - bitte (schön)

Sorry - entschuldigen

1 - Ein
2 - Zwei
3 - Drei
4 - Vier
5 - Fünf
6 - Sechs
7 - Sieben
8 - Acht
9 - Neun
10 - Zehn
11 - Elf
12 – Zwolf
13 - Dreizehn
...then the ending Zehn is added to the number
20 - Zwanzig
... then tens are formed by adding the ending zig

Two-digit numbers begin with ones and end with tens:
25 - Fünf und zwanzig

For hundreds, hundreds with ones come first, and tens at the end:
125 - hundert funf und zwanzig

Two - Zwei mal

Food

(main products except those whose names the translation is obvious due to their consonance with Russian words)

Meat
fillet
beef - Rind
veal – Kalb
pork
rabbit - Kaninchen
horse meat - Pferde
venison
chicken – Roulet
fish
salmon – Lachs
carp - Karpfen
perch – Barsch
mussels – Muschel
mushrooms – Pilze
porcini mushrooms – Steinpilz
chanterelles – Eierpilz
ham - Schinken
vegetables – Gemüse
cucumber – Gurke
pepper - Pfeffer
sauerkraut - Sauerkraut
garlic – Knoblauch
onion – Zwiebel
green onions
corn
rice
cheese – Kase
cottage cheese – Quark
cream – Sahne, Rahm
pear – Birne
peach
apple - Apfel
strawberry – Erdbeere
raspberry - Himbeere
blueberry - Blaubeere
pie
ice cream
egg - Ei

The Swiss dialect of German is spoken by the majority of the country's inhabitants. Dialects vary by canton. Speakers of Swiss German write in German. In cities with bilingual populations, signs are in German and French. Röstigraben is a kind of watershed between the French and German speaking regions. In Fribourg, the Zane River marks the border between the two languages.

In Switzerland, a distinction is made between “national languages” (“Landessprache”) and “official languages” (“Amtssprache”). In the first case, the emphasis is on language as a cultural and folklore factor, and therefore among the " national languages" include German, French, Italian and Romansh.

In the second case, the semantic emphasis falls on languages ​​as a tool of office work and bureaucracy. Therefore, the official languages ​​include only German, French, and Italian. It is in these languages ​​that debates take place in the federal parliament, and only from and into these languages ​​is all federal legislation translated, for example.

Romansh can be used as an "official" language, but on a limited scale, only where and in the case where we are talking about communication with people for whom this language is native.

In other words, Romansh is an "official language" of regional importance. Case in point: the most important for the country “Law on State Insurance for Old Age and Disability” (AHV) on the official website of the Swiss federal authorities is given only in German, French and Italian. Why? Because these languages ​​are considered “official” at the federal level. Romansh is not among them.

German is spoken by about 64%, French by about 20%, and Italian by about 7% of the country's population. Romansh is the spoken language of less than one percent of the population.

The most noticeable linguistic fact in the German-speaking part of Switzerland is the parallel use of various dialects of German for spoken communication and literary ("standard") German for written communication ("diglossia").

French is spoken in the west of the country. In Italian - in the canton of Ticino and in the south of its neighboring canton of Grisons. The Romansh language, which itself is a conglomeration of five dialects (idioms), is used only by residents of certain communities and regions of Graubünden. Note that Romansh is not truly unique to Switzerland - languages ​​similar to Romansh are spoken by some communities in South Tyrol and the Friuli region of northern Italy.

The Swiss constitution recognizes the right of linguistic groups to communicate in their own language. German, French, Italian languages are the main official languages ​​of the Confederation, that is, let us remind you that all laws and official documents must be available in these languages.

Romansh is only a partial official language and is used to communicate with Romansh speakers. The Constitution contains provisions obliging the federal authorities to support the Italian and Romansh languages ​​in the cantons of Ticino and Grisons.

Outside of Switzerland, it is often assumed that every Swiss person can speak all of these languages. In fact, this is far from the case. The Swiss tend to isolate themselves in their linguistic regions and, whenever possible, use media only in their native language.

The gap between French- and German-speaking areas is an undeniable reality. The Swiss themselves jokingly call the border between them "Röstigraben", or "Potato Ditch" - the name is based on "rösti", a typical potato dish popular in the German-speaking part of Switzerland, but little consumed in its French-speaking part.

However, the educated classes in Switzerland tend to speak many languages, including English. An atmosphere of mutual linguistic tolerance is cultivated in the country.

The small Alpine country, unlike many of its neighbors, has four official languages. They speak German, Italian, French and Romansh, and any resident of the country does not have to be able to speak each of them. According to the law, one is enough for him.
German and French languages In the country of the world's best watches and chocolate, they have their own version of the sound and are called Swiss German and Swiss French, respectively.

Some statistics

The language map is painted in four colors and the areas shaded by each of them do not look entirely equivalent:

• German is the most widely spoken language in the country. More than 63% of the population speaks it. German-speaking Swiss live not in the north, in the center, a little in the south and partly in the east. German is the only official language in 17 of the 26 Swiss cantons.
• Just over one-fifth of the country's residents speak French. They live mainly in the west of the republic.
• 6.5% of Swiss speak Italian as their native language. It is distributed in the south in areas bordering.
• Romansh is found in the eastern and central-eastern regions and is used in daily communication by only 0.5% of Swiss citizens.

Several other dialects in circulation in the country do not make any special difference for statistics. Franco-Provençal, Gallo-Italian Lombard, Ticin and Yenish dialects, as well as Yiddish and Gypsy, are spoken by a few residents of Switzerland.

In fact, everything is simple

For a polyglot and a tourist who speaks foreign languages, Switzerland is a country of discovery. Television programs and newspapers are published here in different languages, and knowing at least one, you can always keep abreast of events and the situation in the world.
Residents of the country for the most part, although they do not know all the official languages ​​of Switzerland, usually speak two of them perfectly. Plus English, which is widely studied as part of school curriculum. As a result, it turns out that they will be able to carry on a conversation here in three languages, and therefore proper comfort for tourists is guaranteed everywhere.
By the way, the latest legislative initiatives of the Swiss Parliament are aimed at tightening the rules for obtaining citizenship and residence permits. Now only those who speak one of the official languages ​​of Switzerland will be able to obtain an indefinite residence permit and citizenship.

The foundations of the Swiss state were laid in 1291. The motto of this country: “Unus pro omnibus omnes pro uno” (Latin), that is, one for all, all for one,” perfectly characterizes the diversity of the culture of the population, the linguistic customs of the country and the way of life of the people.

Official official languages ​​of Switzerland

The geographical location and historical features of the country's development determined the diversity of the language culture. It so happened that the location of the country actually determined the presence of several official languages. The indigenous population of Switzerland mainly consists of:

• German-Swiss;
• Franco-Swiss;
• Italian-Swiss
• Romansh.

There are four constitutionally recognized state (national) languages ​​in the country: German, French, Italian and Romansh. Official languages There are only three languages ​​in Switzerland: German, French and Italian, and Romansh, due to its limited use, is not used in official documents at the country level. Although each canton, in accordance with the law, has the right to use its own language. However, the diversity of local languages ​​is continuously supplemented by numerous foreign emigrants.

German

The majority of the country's inhabitants live in German-speaking cantons. The Swiss dialect of German is spoken by residents of Zurich, eastern, northern and central Switzerland. Swiss German is very different from true German. It often happens that the Germans themselves cannot understand the German-speaking Swiss. It should be noted that the written language of the Swiss is German, however, the purely German language in conversational terms is not favored by the majority of the country's inhabitants. In addition, the German dialect differs greatly from city to city. And often words from other languages ​​are used in speech.

French

Western part of Switzerland (Suisse romande):

• Geneva, Montreux, Neuchâtel, Lausanne, Friborg, Sion - partially speak French;
• 4 cantons are purely French-speaking: Geneva, Vaud, Neuchâtel and Jura;
• 3 cantons are bilingual: Bern, Friborg and Wallis, they speak German and French.

The border between the two linguistic regions follows the “roshti border”, the eastern part of which prefers to eat potato “roshti”, while the western part does not. There is a fairly striking example of bilingualism: the name of the city of Biel/Bienne is always written in German and French.

Italian language

The Italian language predominates in the canton of Ticino, in the south of Switzerland (Lugano, Locarno, Bellinzona) and in the four southern valleys of the canton of Grisons.

Retro-Romance language

The smallest and most ancient language is Romansh, it is used in the Swiss hinterland in the southeast of the country. Within the language itself there are the following subgroups: Sursilvan, Sutsilvan, Surmiran, Puter and Vallader. This language is recognized by the state as part of the country's cultural heritage, so it is carefully protected and protected from extinction. From school, children are taught German, and French as a second language. Mostly literary German is used in writing.

The relationship between the French-speaking and German-speaking parts of Switzerland is the main determining factor in the development of the country's history. Relations between the main cultural and linguistic environments of the country with early XIX centuries remain complex. Since the time when French territories were annexed to Switzerland and to this day, linguistic relations have been characterized by the presence of conflicts and contradictions. The mixture of languages ​​and dialects sometimes provokes misunderstandings between the inhabitants of small Switzerland.