Switzerland is a multinational developed state in which representatives of various nationalities live. This, as well as geographical assimilation, influenced the linguistic environment of the state. From this article you can learn about what languages are spoken in Switzerland, get acquainted with the peculiarities of the country and many others. I would immediately like to note that, in addition to official languages, there are a number of dialects and dialects that are owned by a large part of the population.
German
If we talk about which language in Switzerland is the most popular, then this, of course, is German. Most of the population of this state lives in the cantons (administrative unit) in which they speak it, or rather, in its Swiss dialects.
French
This language is much less common, but it is also spoken in four French-speaking cantons located in the west of the country, that is, in the Roman region. These regions include Jura, Geneva, Neuchantel and Vaud. In addition, a bilingual population lives in three cantons ; these are Bern, Wallis and Friborg.
Italian language
The official languages of Switzerland also include Italian. Even though it is very little distributed here, it was recognized as official. Italian is used in the canton called Ticino and some southern regions of the canton of Graubunden.
Romansh language
Least of all in Switzerland are native speakers of this language. According to various sources, their number is from 0.5 to 0.6% of the total population of the state. Romansh is spoken exclusively in the canton of Graubunden, in which native speakers of Italian and German also live. In total, there are five subgroups of this language, from which one common language was created called Rumantsch Grischun.
The official languages of Switzerland
The fact that as many as four languages are officially recognized in the country is due to several factors. First of all, it is immigration. For many centuries, citizens of Switzerland have been striving to get not only neighboring countries with lower living standards, but also guests from far abroad. For example, a census conducted in 2000 showed that about 1.4% of the country's population are emigrants who came from the territory of the former Yugoslavia.
German, French, Italian and Romansh - these are the languages spoken in Switzerland. However, according to the constitution of the country, the first three of the above languages are considered national, and it is on them that state documents, legislative acts and so on are drawn up. This is due to the fact that in Switzerland there are too few native speakers of the Romansh language. Nevertheless, it is often used in official meetings, and you can contact the authorities.
Such rules are in place so that the minority does not feel disadvantaged. The “principle of territoriality” works here, according to which, language boundaries must be respected in official institutions. The fact that the four languages are officially recognized here does not at all indicate that every resident of the country speaks them.
Language skills
Often, residents of Switzerland speak their main, native language, to a small extent another state language and English. The reluctance to learn all the official languages can simply be explained by the fact that English is much more popular all over the world, and its knowledge opens up much more opportunities. This is turning Switzerland from a “four-lingual” into a “two and a half lingual” country.
Language distribution
Now you know what languages are spoken in Switzerland. It is time to learn how the linguistic status of each canton is determined. The authorities of each region have the right to independently determine which language will be the main language in their territory. For example, French-speaking cantons choose German to study in schools, and vice versa. In this case, Italian or English is offered as a second foreign language. And in the Italian-speaking canton of Tichil, for example, the study of German and French is mandatory.
State VS English
The statement made by the head of the head of education of one of the cantons in 2000 was criticized because he wanted to establish English as the first foreign language, and thus the state language would have moved to secondary positions in this area. The official referred to the fact that English is more widespread in the world, it will be more useful to students in the future than French. Opponents of innovation have decided that such changes could lead to a deterioration in the national unity of the country.
Conclusion
In fact, it is difficult to say how many official languages are in Switzerland, because many foreigners live here, the number of which in percentage terms is about 9%. This figure is constantly changing with the influx of new migrants. This makes it even more difficult to determine which languages are spoken in Switzerland.