Main language in Switzerland. Languages in Switzerland

What is the official language in Switzerland?

The Swiss Confederation has four official languages: French, German, Italian and Romansh. Swiss constitution: "The national languages are German, French, Italian and Romansh (sorry for the translation). Romansh is the official language for communication with Romansh speakers. The cantons determine their own official languages." Romansh is the official language of the Canton of Graubünden. A group of Romans also live in Italy, but more often they have to speak Italian. The reference book, unfortunately, gives information about only one Romansh writer D. F. Kaderas (1830 - 1891), who is not translated into Russian.
There are three of them - German, fr. , Italian
German and French
German, French
They have four official languages
Deutsch,
French,
Italian,
Romansh
A COUNTRY THAT DOES NOT HAVE THEIR OWN LANGUAGE AND EVEN DIRECTIONS... WHAT IS THIS?
Switzerland distinguishes between national languages (Landessprache) and official languages (Amtssprache).
In the first case, the emphasis is on the language as a cultural and folklore factor, and therefore German, French, Italian and Romansh are among the national languages.

In the second case, the semantic emphasis falls on languages as a tool for office work and bureaucracy. Therefore, only German, French, Italian are official languages. More details: http://www.swissinfo.ch/rus/languages/34667444 .
There are also links to various sharp moments in language issues in Switzerland.
Fi, I refuse to answer when they shove their elbows like that, in a hurry to excel ... Well, so be it: Switzerland has four official languages - German (65% of the population), French (18%) and Italian (12%). And about 1% of Swiss people speak Romansh.
French, Italian, German. each canton has its own.
Switzerland has 3 official languages: German, French and Italian
german friends.
language landscape
Sign at the bus stop in Biel (in German and French)

According to the Constitution, the national languages of Switzerland are German, French, Italian and Romansh.
German
The bulk of the Swiss population lives in the German-speaking cantons. In 18 of the 26 cantons, predominantly Swiss dialects are spoken.
French
In the west of the country, in Romandic Switzerland (Suisse romande), French is spoken.
4 cantons are French-speaking: Geneva, Vaud, Neuchâtel and Jura. 3 cantons are bilingual: the cantons of Bern, Friborg and Wallis speak German and French.
Italian language
In the canton of Ticino and in the four southern valleys of the canton of Graubünden, Italian is spoken.
Romansh
In the canton of Graubünden, three languages are spoken: German, Italian and Romansh. Romansh belongs to the smallest language group in Switzerland, accounting for 0.5% of total strength population.
Other languages
Language diversity Switzerland, which has developed historically over many centuries, is supplemented by the languages of foreigners emigrating to this country. As the results of the 2000 census showed, emigrants from countries former Yugoslavia determine the largest language group among other foreigners, accounting for 1.4% of the total population.
Distribution of the population of Switzerland by language
Languages in Switzerland

The geographical position and historical features of the country's development determined the diversity of the culture of the language. It so happened that the location of the country actually led to the presence of several official languages. Indigenous people Switzerland is mainly composed of:

German-Swiss;
Franco-Swiss;
italo-swiss
Romansh.

The country has four constitutionally recognized state (national) languages: German, French, Italian and Romansh. Only three are the official languages of Switzerland: German, French and Italian, and Romansh, due to its small number of uses, 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 variety of local languages is continuously supplemented by numerous foreign emigrants.

As in any European country knowledge of English is quite high, and there are no problems in communicating in English. But as for official communication (appeals to authorities, etc.) - each region has its own language norms

German

Most of the country's inhabitants live in the German-speaking cantons. The Swiss dialect of German is spoken by the inhabitants of Zurich, eastern, northern and central Switzerland. Swiss German is very different from true German. It often happens that German-speaking Swiss cannot be understood by the Germans themselves. It should be noted that the written language of the Swiss is German, however, purely German is not spoken in honor of the majority of the inhabitants of the country. 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):

, Montreux, Neuchâtel, Friborg, Sion - partially speak French;
4 cantons are purely French-speaking: Vaud, Neuchâtel and Jura;
3 cantons are bilingual: Fribourg and Wallis, German and French are spoken here.

The border between the two language regions goes along the "Roshti border", East End which prefers to use potato "roshti", but not to the west. Is there enough a prime example bilingualism: the name of the city of Biel/Bienne is always written in German and French.

Italian language

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

Retroshine

The smallest and ancient language- Romansh, it is used in the Swiss outback in the southeast of the country. Within the language itself, there are such subgroups: Sursilvan, Sutsilvan, Surmiran, Puter and Vallader. This language is recognized by the state as part of cultural heritage countries, therefore it is carefully guarded and protected from extinction. From the school bench, children are taught German, and French as a second. The letter uses mainly literary German.

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 difficult. From the time when the French territories were annexed to Switzerland and until now language relations characterized by the presence of conflicts and contradictions. The mixing of languages and dialects sometimes provokes misunderstanding between the inhabitants of small Switzerland themselves.

Switzerland is a land of mysteries. One of them, no doubt, lies in how many lakes and Alps in the country are actually state (national) and official languages 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 sin with wrong answers. The reason for this is the complexity of the language issue. The Portal "Switzerland Business" has 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. The need for the 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. There is also a linguistic border along the cultural border. According to this principle, the Alpine Republic is divided into 4 parts: German-speaking Switzerland (center, north, east), Romandi (west), Ticino (south) and some valleys of the Canton of Grisons, where Romansh is still preserved (east). Read also our article “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 Hamletian question of how the parts of the country whose inhabitants speak different languages, still stick together and do not strive for the formation of an independent state? There is an opinion that frictions on the basis of the language issue are smoothed out by the wealth of the Swiss (allegedly they simply do not care and have time for language strife), a sense national distinction from the same Germans, French and Italians, as well as fear of giant neighbors (by the scale of Switzerland), who would not mind biting off a delicious Swiss pie.

To some extent, each of the arguments is correct, which allows us to get a better idea of how languages determine the attitude of the Swiss to their neighbors and to each other. Let me, however, argue that languages do not cause the collapse of Switzerland into separate parts, primarily because of the language policy, which implies equal respect for 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 (Landessprachen): German (Deutsch), French (français), Italian (italiano) and Romansh (rumantsch). I will show due respect to the chief legislative act Alpine Republic and I will give 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 a status only in cases where communication between federal authorities and a citizen of Switzerland takes place in Romansh. Do not rush to think that there is discrimination: the circumstance is explained by considerations of the efficiency of the 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 Romansh of the status of a national and official language. Accordingly, Switzerland knows 4 national and official languages!

National and official languages of Switzerland in numbers

German in Switzerland

Speaking about the German language in Switzerland, it is impossible not to immediately make a small explanation, which, nevertheless, is of great importance for the inhabitants of German-speaking Switzerland. The Swiss themselves speak at home and even at work in a dialect of the German language, which is so different from the standard version of the language of Schiller and Goethe that it is almost impossible for Germans to understand the Swiss. At the same time, in most cases, the Swiss are almost perfect (at the level of the second mother tongue) speak high German, which is most often used in politics, in high school and at work. The question of the relationship between Swiss and German German is in no way inferior in its complexity to that originally posed in this material language issue in Switzerland. To feel the difference between German German and Swiss German (and even the differences between individual dialects of Swiss German), our video will help you:

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

German is also the official language of the largest Canton of Switzerland - the Canton of Graubünden, 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 is a municipality where German is predominantly spoken. Thus, the German language is not represented only in the cantons of Geneva, Vaud and Neuchâtel.

About 22.6% of the Swiss population list French as their first language; among the Swiss, this proportion is just over 23%. The French-speaking population lives in the west of the Alpine Republic in a region called Romandy (French Suisse romande, German Welschland). 4 Swiss cantons have only French as an official official: Geneva, Vaud, Neuchâtel and Jura (although the last Canton, as noted, has a German-speaking municipality, Ederswiler). In the cantons of Freiburg and Wallis French has the position of the most common; in the Canton of Bern, the status of a minority language from the region of the Bernese Jura.

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 Graubünden (about 15% of the population of the canton of Grisons speak Italian as their mother tongue). In both cantons - which are also called Svizzera italiana - Italian language is official. Outside the designated areas, the Italian language at the cantonal and municipal levels is represented only at an unofficial level. Basically it is about big cities where immigrants from Italy live. Like the ratio of Swiss German to German German, the dialect of Italian in Ticino and Graubünden differs from the standard version spoken in Italy.

Romansh in Switzerland

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

four official languages, swiss language, official languages of switzerland, what language is in switzerland, switzerland is the official language, how many languages are there in switzerland, swiss language, www.business-swiss.ch switzerland language switzerland is a country of four state languages / switzerland language shvejcariya yazyk gosudarstvennye yazyki shvejcarii oficialnye yazyki shvejcarii shvejcariya strana kakoj yazyk v shvejcarii 3

Language neighborhood in the Canton of Graubünden: 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 in Switzerland of 4 national and official languages, however, does not mean that throughout the country each local speaks all 4 languages at once. In most cases, within a particular territory, one of the four prevails. 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 the administration of justice is carried out in German, French, Italian and (in certain cases) Romansh.

Usually, the Swiss themselves, in addition to their native language, speak well in another official language (most often, respectively, in German or French) and English, which they studied at school. AT certain regions bilingualism is often found (knowledge of 2 languages \u200b\u200bat once as native): in the Canton of Friborg and the Bernese Lake District - French and German; in the Canton of Graubünden, German and Romansh. Certain color in language picture Switzerland adds the already mentioned fact that, although in the newspapers and official business standard German is used, at the everyday level, local dialects are almost universally used, which are very different from "high / written German".

The need for the integration of foreigners

Percentage of foreigners from total population Switzerland is quite impressive - 23% (perhaps, only the Principality of Liechtenstein can compete with Switzerland here - see details here). Those. almost every fourth inhabitant of the Alpine Republic is a citizen of another state. A significant part 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 is the language 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, there are also many people from English-speaking countries (UK, USA), Portugal, Spain, Turkey and the former Yugoslavia in Switzerland. By various reasons sometimes these categories of people do not strive to master the local language at a level sufficient for good integration. So, usually English-speaking expats prefer not to bother learning more complex German or French, relying on the fact that the local population itself speaks at a sufficient level English language. However, English is not the official language of Switzerland, which means that this category of foreigners must comply with Swiss migration law.

To support the desire foreign citizens In order to better integrate into Swiss society, the Government and Parliament of Switzerland intend to put into effect some legislative innovations in immigration law in the near future.

Migration Law Reform

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

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

Switzerland country, Four official languages, Switzerland language, Official languages of Switzerland, What is the language 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, now the opportunity to obtain an indefinite / permanent residence permit in Switzerland will only be available to those who can communicate in the local language. According to Adrian Gerber, head of the Integration Division at the Federal Office for Migration, 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 is 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 in special courses. The purpose of this measure is to better integrate persons who have moved to Switzerland by way of 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 the information of teachers at the school where their children study.

Language Passport

The reference point for the Swiss language passport is the Common European Language Regulations (Gemeinsame Europäische Referenzrahmen). In addition, the level of language proficiency will be measured on certain date in time. However, it is still not entirely clear how well applicants for permanent residence in Switzerland should have a command of the official language. Apparently, this question will decide each canton in its own way. On April 25, 2014, the Canton of Bern decided to raise the bar necessary knowledge 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 benchmark for the employer in assessing language proficiency when applying for a job.

According to the Constitution, the official languages of Switzerland are German, French, Italian and Romansh.
German
The bulk of the Swiss population lives in the German-speaking cantons. In 19 of the 26 cantons, predominantly Swiss dialects are spoken.
French
In the west of the country, in Romandic Switzerland (Suisse romande), French is spoken. 4 cantons are French-speaking: Geneva, Vaud, Neuchâtel and Jura. 3 cantons are bilingual: the cantons of Bern, Friborg and Wallis speak German and French.
Italian language
In the canton of Ticino and in the four southern valleys of the canton of Graubünden, Italian is spoken.
Romansh
In the canton of Graubünden, three languages are spoken: German, Italian and Romansh. Romansh belongs to the smallest language group in Switzerland, accounting for 0.5% of the total population.
Other languages
The linguistic diversity of Switzerland, which has developed historically over many centuries, is complemented by the languages of foreigners emigrating to this country. According to the results of the 2000 census, emigrants from the countries of the former Yugoslavia constitute the largest language group among other foreigners, accounting for 1.4% of the total population.

Linguistic minorities
About 35,000 Rhaetomans usually know German in addition to their native language. They have no other choice because they are linguistic minorities. Italo-Swiss also cannot do without knowledge of other national languages.
The predominantly populous and economically developed German-speaking part of Switzerland encourages Italian-speaking Swiss to learn German in order to maintain the economic and political importance of their region.

Switzerland has three official languages - German, French and Italian.

P.S. He didn’t specifically indicate Romansh (for this I was minus), because. this language is JUST a local dialect in one of the tiny cantons.

In Russia, the Nivkh language is not official.)))

Switzerland does not have a single official language. Officially there are 4 language groups:

Switzerland has several official languages, not just one. The official languages are German, French, Italian and Romansh. Most Swiss citizens speak German.

Switzerland does not have a single common language that would be spoken by the whole country. The country is officially recognized as a state 4 languages.

Language of most of Switzerland Deutsch. It is spoken by more than half of the population.

Second most spoken language French. It is spoken by about 20% of the population.

The third most common Italian. Every tenth speaks it.

There is still a small group of Romansh, so here is their language Romansh is also official.

But, it should be borne in mind that many residents of Switzerland speak several languages.

Switzerland has four official languages - German, French, Italian and partially Romansh. More than half of the country's population speaks German, a fifth of the population speaks French, a tenth speaks Italian, and about 1% speaks Romansh.

Switzerland has 4 official languages:

Deutsch- use approx. 64% of citizens (while in oral speech the Swiss dialect of the German language is used) ;

French- OK. 20.5%;

Italian- OK. 6.5%;

retro romanesque- half a percent.

However, this does not mean at all anarchy and multilingualism - in every canton(it's like federal region Federal Switzerland) has only ONE official language - the one spoken by the majority of the inhabitants of the canton.

Therefore, foreign-speaking residents of other cantons, coming to visit. to address the authorities will be forced to use the official local language.

Like the language minority of the canton MUST in all official areas social life and in public places to switch to the official language - the language of the majority of the population of this canton.

It's called in Switzerland constitutional the principle of linguistic territoriality."

However, none of the Swiss 4 languages anyway do not learn. Franco- and Italian-speakers calmly use the languages in their cantons, and in principle, many of them still know German - the language of interethnic communication - if necessary, contact the federal authorities.

However, you can contact the federal authorities in any of the 4 official languages - in the capital of Switzerland, Zurich, there is a huge army of translators to serve non-German-speaking citizens.

Distribution of languages by cantons:

In one famous game, the question What language is spoken by most people in Switzerland?"

I remember from school that in Switzerland they mostly speak German. German is the official language of Switzerland, along with French, Italian and Romansh.

The Swiss constitution provides for three official languages:

Deutsch;
French;
Italian.

And yet the Constitution gave a special status to another language - Romansh. Therefore, Switzerland is often called the country of four languages.

The most widely spoken language in Switzerland is German. It is spoken by almost 65% of the population.

In addition to the official languages, the relatively small state of Switzerland still uses many dialects.

Main language in Switzerland. Languages ​​in Switzerland

German

French

Italian language

Retroshine

Main language in Switzerland. Languages in Switzerland