Switzerland is one of the few European countries in which several languages ​​are officially recognized. However, the population of this country is not that large - about 8.5 million people.

This unusual linguistic approach in this country is due to several factors.

First of all, historically this territory was developed by representatives of different nations who managed to get along together. Until now, the regions of the country speak different languages, but this does not prevent them from being residents of one country - Switzerland.

1 Languages ​​of Switzerland in the Constitution

Constitutionally, Switzerland has four national dialects: Swiss French, Swiss German, Romansh and Italian. However, the official use of four languages ​​in the country does not mean that every resident is obliged to know them.

Usually a Swiss knows one or two dialects that are used in his region. These national languages ​​are used at the official level by decision of the canton. The whole is divided into 26 cantons, and each one determines his own language preference. Also common is the so-called “Swiss” - an Alemannic dialect of German.

2 Swiss languages ​​in numbers


The largest linguistic community in Switzerland speaks German - about 65%. About 20% of the population prefer to communicate in Swiss French, about 10% prefer to communicate in Italian, and only 1% of the population prefer to speak Romansh.

All four national languages ​​are recognized at the official level, and even such a small use, as in the case of Romansh, will not change this. This country treats all language groups with respect.

3 Swiss languages ​​in politics and everyday life


Since Switzerland is divided into cantons, each community decides which language will be recognized as official. Some administrative units recognize two dialects at the official level, for example Bern, Friborg or Wallis. There are two official languages ​​here - German and French.

The political and economic life of the canton takes place in the language that is officially chosen. But in everyday life dialects can be used, for example, for the German-speaking population, Alemannic is used, and for the French-speaking population, French-Provençal Patois is used.

In Switzerland, even a variant of German is recognized, such as Enish, which is used by the nomadic Enish gypsies.

4 German in Switzerland


It is the most common in the country, used by approximately 65% ​​of the population (as of 2000). Among the 26 cantons, 17 use it as their only official one. Only three cantons (Geneva, Neuchâtel and Vaud) do not use . Everyone else included it as a second or third official.

It is worth noting that this language is considered literary Swiss and differs from German in Germany. It is a written language and is used everywhere in the media, the Internet, official correspondence, educational institutions, etc. And the inhabitants of this country speak a Swiss dialect of German, which is called Alemannic.

5 French


French is the second most spoken language in Switzerland, spoken by about 20% of the population. The region that supports this language is called Romandie. Only four cantons recognize one only at the official level.

The Franco-Provençal dialect is widespread in everyday life (but is gradually fading away), and literary French is officially used. Unlike German, Swiss French is the same as the literary language of France.

6 Italian language


In Switzerland it is not as widespread as the previous two, being spoken by about 10% of the population. Approximately 350 thousand residents of the country use it in speech. Officially it is used in the canton of Ticino and some administrative divisions of the canton of Grisons. It also differs from classical Italian (Tuscan dialect) and is closer to Romansh.

7 Romansh language


The language of the Rhaeto-Romance subgroup of Romance languages ​​is Romansh, the smallest in Switzerland, and it is officially recognized only by the canton of Graubünden. The language's five dialects are spoken by an average of 40,000 people, mostly from the Rhine Valley in the southeast of the country. There is also a daily newspaper published in this language. Every year Romansh is used less and less among the Swiss.

Each canton independently determines which language it uses as its official language. Switzerland's language policy implies the preservation of all dialects and national languages.

The country respects all linguistic minorities and does everything possible to preserve dialects. In schools, the official languages ​​of the country are studied (to choose from), as well as any foreign language, most often English.

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Switzerland is a picturesque country in the center of Europe, multilingual and multi-dialectal. It is quite difficult to answer definitively what language is spoken in Switzerland, since here, in addition to the official languages, there are a number of dialects. And a considerable part of the state’s residents own them.

Why is there multilingualism in Switzerland?

The diversity of language culture has deep historical roots. According to the first written sources (2nd century BC), most of the territory of the state was occupied by the Celtic tribe of the Helvetii. In the east lived the Rets.

Celtic is the first language in Switzerland. However, Rhaetian is also considered the ancestral language of the people of this region.

From the end of the 1st century BC. e. until the 4th century AD e. Romanization of the territory took place. Then the Helvetii and Celtic tribes became dependent on Rome, to which they later submitted completely. And in 15 BC. e. The Romans also conquered the Rhaeta. Thus, the second component of the linguistic basis of the state was the Roman-Roman element in combination with the ancient Celtic and Rhaetian languages.

Answering the question what is the main language in Switzerland, it should be said that currently 63.7% of citizens speak German. The process of Germanization of the state began with the collapse of the Roman Empire (V-VI centuries). In 406–407, most of the territory of the current state was conquered by the Alemanni. After this, the social system and language that existed among the Germans were established here.

In many areas, Germanization took the form of complete conquest and assimilation of the population. But the culture of the inhabitants of the western and southeastern parts of the country itself influenced the conquerors (Burgundians and Ostrogoths), subjecting them to Romanization. The upper valleys of Tessin (Ticino) and Raetia (Rhaetia) escaped the Germanic invasions and retained dialects derived from the Latin language.

Official languages ​​of Switzerland

Switzerland is the only state in the world with four national languages. This is a country of diversity. People who have contributed to the culture of the state, including linguistic ones, live here.

Let's look at which languages ​​are official in Switzerland:

  1. The German language here has the greatest individuality. The Swiss speak a dialect of this language. The German language in Switzerland is so different from the standard version that Germans often do not understand the Swiss at all. However, at work, in politics and in higher education, the Swiss speak “high” German. In most cases they know him almost perfectly. Almost all cantons consider German to be the only official language. This language is widely used in Zurich, the canton of Bern and the canton of Grisons. It is not recognized only in the cantons of Geneva, Neuchâtel and Vaud. And if anyone is wondering what language they speak in Basel, then the answer is clear - German.
  2. French is spoken by a fifth of the country's inhabitants, living in the west of the Alpine Republic in the Romandie region (Suisse romande). French can be found as an official language in 3 cantons: Neuchâtel, Vaud and Geneva. In the cantons of Jura, Freiburg and Wallis, French is the most widely spoken language, although it is not the only dialect spoken by residents.
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  3. Italian is spoken by 8.3% of the population. In the canton of Ticino and the 4 southern valleys of the canton of Grisons, Italian is the official language. It is important to note that its dialect in both cantons differs from the standard version. At the cantonal and municipal levels outside these territories, Italian is unofficial.

  4. Romansh is the least used language in Switzerland, although it is official. It is spoken by about 0.6% of the population. It was formed as a result of the coexistence of two language groups - Germanic and Romance. It is the native language in Switzerland (the only native language) and is used in official meetings with Romansh people. It is used as official only in the canton of Graubünden.

    5. Despite the number of official languages ​​in Switzerland, most of the population speaks only one of them. But proficiency in two languages ​​at the same level is not widespread, but individual.

    Another feature of Switzerland is the widespread use of English.

    In this regard, the following modern linguistic situation arises: many Swiss speak their native language and English, but more often they understand only one of the four official languages. Therefore, it would not be entirely correct to say that in Switzerland you need to know three languages: Italian, German and French.

    Despite equality and independence, the official languages ​​of the state have a significant influence on each other, since they are in close and continuous contact. This can be called a feature of the linguistic map of the country.

    Unofficial languages

    When answering the question of what languages ​​are spoken in Switzerland, one cannot help but mention local languages ​​and dialects that are not official, but are used by certain parts of the population in everyday life.

    Thus, until the beginning of the 20th century, one of the common languages ​​in Romandy was Franco-Provençal. Today it is mixed with regional forms of French and is used to a limited extent only by the older population of Fribourg and Wallis.

    In Ticino and Graubünden one can often hear conversations in the Gallo-Italian Lombard language. It is used as a colloquial language in almost every third family. But this language is not official either at the regional or federal levels. By the way, in Ticino you can also hear a special Ticin dialect of the Western Lombard language.

    Interaction of language groups

    Swiss federalism arose from independent and dissimilar communities, which in structure were small democratic states, rural communities, economic or aristocratic oligarchies. Gradually, the communities lost connections and soon completely moved away from neighboring empires and states. They were able to unite into a state consisting of different independent cantons, each of which could live and develop in accordance with its own history, culture, religion and language.

    This is why the people of Switzerland do not have a sense of national unity. Every citizen of the country feels not like a Swiss, but a Genevan, Grisons, Berner, and so on.

    Switzerland consists of 17 German-speaking cantons, 4 French-speaking and 1 Italian-speaking. In 3 cantons there are two predominant languages ​​(German and French) and only in 1 canton there are three (German, Romansh and Italian).

    Among the many linguistic groups, a strong difference is felt between the French-speaking and the German-speaking Swiss. The former live in the western part of the state, and the latter in the eastern part. Their relationship is the main determining factor in the development of the country's history.

    Relations between the main cultural and linguistic environments of the state remain complex, because the mixture of languages ​​and dialects sometimes provokes misunderstanding on the part of the population. And none of the official languages ​​in Switzerland is a language of international communication.

    What visa do you need for Switzerland? Documents for a visa to Switzerland: Video

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. Switzerland has only three official languages: German, French and Italian, and Romansh, due to its low 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.

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

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 in honor among 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):

  • , Montreux, Neuchâtel, Friborg, Sion - partially speak French;
  • 4 cantons are purely French-speaking: Vaud, Neuchâtel and Jura;
  • 3 cantons are bilingual: Friborg and Wallis, where 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 southern Switzerland (Lugano, 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 have remained complex since the beginning of the 19th century. Since the time when French territories were annexed to Switzerland and until now, 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.

Traveling to Switzerland is becoming more and more popular every year. I won’t argue: just like 10 years ago, in most cases trips to this country are of a business nature, that is, they are business trips and business trips. But don’t forget that Switzerland is not only about banks, watches, cheese and chocolate. This country offers many types of good holidays.

But here the question arises: what language do you need to know in order for your holiday in Switzerland to go without any hiccups? After all, this European country has several official languages. I can say right away: in Switzerland it is very difficult to find someone who speaks Russian. As for the English language, this is not a problem in the German-speaking part of Switzerland. A lot of people there speak English. However, in those cantons where French and Italian are predominantly spoken, English is not very welcome.

This may seem strange, especially for the Italian-speaking part of the country. For example, in Lugano, a city that is crowded with tourists, it is very difficult to find someone who speaks English. At the same time, Lugano is also a place where there are a lot of foreign students who do not speak Italian.

So, what languages ​​will help make your holiday in Switzerland more complete? If you speak German, you can go to Zurich or the ski resorts of Switzerland; most of them are located in the German-speaking part. But be prepared for the fact that Swiss German is very different from classical German. It contains special slang and slightly modified forms of words. It is important to note that the Germans themselves cannot stand Swiss German, they criticize it in every possible way and call Swiss representatives very illiterate.

If you speak French, you will definitely love Geneva. And here you don’t have to be afraid that the difference between the local dialect and classical French will interfere with your communication with the local population. You won’t feel any particular difference, and therefore you will be very comfortable in terms of communication.

And finally, we have the Italian language. And as mentioned earlier, you will definitely like the city of Lugano, as well as the entire canton of Ticino. This is delicious wine, beautiful mountains and lakes. There is practically no difference between classical Italian and the language used in the Italian-speaking part of Switzerland. And if you want to compare, then only 60 km from Lugano is Milan. And you can easily go there and compare the languages ​​of the two countries!

At the beginning of 2011, the population of Switzerland was 7 million 870 thousand 100 people.

Thanks to its unique location, Switzerland has become a state that has spoken several languages ​​since ancient times. The most common languages ​​spoken in Switzerland are German, French, Italian and Romansh.

Most of Switzerland, namely Zurich, the eastern, northern and central parts of the country, including Bern, speak German, or more precisely, its dialects. Dialects differ even between neighboring cities. For example, Zurich German sounds quite different from Basel German. There are noticeable differences between the German language in Germany and Swiss German, even despite the fact that this language is taught in Swiss schools. Very often admixture from other languages ​​is added to the language. Thus, “thank you” in German-speaking Zurich can often be heard in French.

French is considered a native language in the western states of Switzerland. It is spoken in Geneva, Montreux, Neuchâtel, Sion, Friborg and Lausanne. The border separating the two linguistic regions runs along the so-called “roshti border” - to the east of it, a potato dish called “roshti” is held in high esteem, but to the west of the roshti graben it is not. One of the brightest representatives of bilingual cities was Biel/Bienne. Even its name is always written in two languages.

Italian is widely spoken in Ticino, in the south of the country, for example in Bellinzona, Locarno and Lugano.

In the south-eastern part of Switzerland, for example in the canton of Graubünden, the miraculously preserved ancient Roman Romansh language is widely spoken. Nowadays it is under state protection as a cultural heritage of Switzerland.

In Switzerland, 4 languages ​​are recognized as official:

  • German (spoken by approximately 64%),
  • French (about 20.5% of speakers of the total population),
  • Italian (approximately 6.5%)
  • Romansh (about 0.5% speak it)

Territorial distribution of languages ​​in Switzerland:


The presence of 4 languages ​​as official does not mean that the entire population of Switzerland must speak all languages ​​at the same time. As a rule, residents speak 1-2 languages.
If everything is still clear with the first three languages, then what is Romansh?

The word "Romansh" is derived from the name of the Roman province of Raetia. This is the conventional name for a group of ancient Romance languages ​​that were formed in a certain territory, and are not related by a genetic group.

The administrative division of Switzerland is presented in the form of 26 cantons - territorial units. Each canton has the right to establish on its territory the language that it considers more necessary, which is more widespread and recognized by the inhabitants of a given territorial unit.

In addition to the official languages, there are dialects that are used locally in everyday life by some part of the population. For example, such languages ​​include Franco-Provençal, which is now practically out of use, having been mixed into forms of the French language; the Gallo-Italian Lombard language, spoken by almost every third family in the cantons of Ticino and Graubünden; The Jenish language is closer to German and is used in the Swiss dialect.

Recently, there has been a tendency for the French language to spread in Switzerland, with a constant number of German speakers and a reduction in Italian and Romansh speakers. Everything tends towards the fact that Switzerland could soon become a French-German (bilingual) country.

Official languages ​​of Switzerland

The small Alpine country, unlike many of its neighbors, has four official languages. In Switzerland 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.
The German and French languages ​​in the country of the world's best watches and chocolate have their own variant of sound and are called Swiss German and Swiss French, respectively.

Some statistics

The language map of Switzerland 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 Italy.
  • 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 godsend. 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 the 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.

Why do Switzerland have 4 official languages?

Switzerland is a confederation with the motto “One for all and all for one!” A confederation implies a union of sovereign independent states united to achieve common goals.

A long time ago, back in 1291, Switzerland as a state began with a military treaty between three lands (cantons), united to jointly fight their restless neighbors.

Today, Switzerland includes 26 independent cantons, each with its own constitution, parliament, government and its own historical national languages, sometimes two. The central (collective) government of Switzerland deals with international affairs, the budget and the issuance of money.

The population of Switzerland is divided into Italian-Swiss - they speak Italian; French-Swiss - speak French; German-Swiss speak German. All these languages ​​are accepted as official state languages. There is also a fourth official language, Romansh. Speakers of this language (Romansh or Ladin) live in the canton of Graubünden. Here, in addition to Romansh, German and Italian are recognized as official languages.

Why do Switzerland have 4 official languages?

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Celtic is the first language in Switzerland. However, Rhaetian is also considered the ancestral language of the people of this region.

From the end of the 1st century BC. e. until the 4th century AD e. Romanization of the territory took place. Then the Helvetii and Celtic tribes became dependent on Rome, to which they later submitted completely. And in 15 BC. e. The Romans also conquered the Rhaeta. Thus, the second component of the linguistic basis of the state was the Roman-Roman element in combination with the ancient Celtic and Rhaetian languages.

Answering the question what is the main language in Switzerland, it should be said that currently 63.7% of citizens speak German. The process of Germanization of the state began with the collapse of the Roman Empire (V-VI centuries). In 406–407, most of the territory of the current state was conquered by the Alemanni. After this, the social system and language that existed among the Germans were established here.

These 4 languages ​​are official for all of Switzerland, but at the end of the 20th century. The cantons were given the right to independently choose their official language from the list of national ones.

The remaining 9% are other languages ​​that immigrants bring with them; these languages ​​do not have official status.

Relationships between language groups

A sense of national unity is almost non-existent among the inhabitants of Switzerland. They greatly value their historical identity, and every citizen of this country feels, first of all, not a Swiss, but a Berner, a Genevan, etc.

The most significant difference is between the two largest language groups - German-speaking and French-speaking Swiss. The former live mainly in the eastern part of the country, the latter - in the western part. The conventional border between these regions partially coincides with the river, which is called the Saane in German and Sarin in French. This border is called “Restigraben” - “potato ditch”. The name comes from the word "resti", which is the name of a traditional potato dish in Bern.

None of the official languages ​​of Switzerland is the language of interethnic communication in the country. Most residents speak German, French, and Italian.

Tip 3: Why Switzerland has 4 official languages

Switzerland is a small but incredibly beautiful country located at the foot of the Alps. Despite its not very impressive size and poverty of natural resources, it is rightfully considered a record holder in terms of production levels. This state is known throughout the world as synonymous with quality and reliability. It is in Switzerland that the powers that be keep their savings; the precision of Swiss watches is the envy of all mechanics on the planet. The most demanding gourmets are delighted with chocolate and the special taste of Swiss cheese. Popular health resorts all over the world are located here, and the quality of service and healthcare has also already become the talk of the town. The architecture of Switzerland is also a separate topic for discussion. Completely toy houses and castles, as if straight out of illustrations for fairy tales, beckon you to touch their secrets.

Descendants of the Alemans

This beautiful country has two more features. Firstly, little Switzerland has four influential neighbors - France, Germany, Italy and Austria. And one tiny but proud Liechtenstein. And secondly, there are four official state languages. Most residents speak Alemannic (one of the dialects of the German language). Almost a third of the population speaks French, mostly living in the cantons (provinces) bordering France. Another part of the Swiss prefers the melody of the Italian language. The official languages ​​also include Romansh, a completely unique language that is actually a mixture of Latin, French and Italian. It is spoken only by people living in the Alpine province of Greibünden. Considering the reverent attitude of the Swiss towards small ethnic groups, there is an opinion that Romansh became one of the official languages ​​precisely for this reason.

Political neighborhood

If you look at the political map of the world, the reason for such an abundance of official languages ​​immediately becomes clear. According to historical chronicles, in the distant past Switzerland was literally torn apart by foreign invaders. The North and East of the country were dominated by the Germans, and therefore German is spoken here. On the French side there are French cantons, but in the south, in the mountainous provinces, native speakers of Italian and Romansh live. These conventional boundaries are carefully guarded. Unfortunately, not all Swiss speak four languages. As a rule, they speak two languages: the native language of their province and English. Despite the linguistic and religious differences of the main ethnic groups, the strength of Switzerland lies in the unity and friendship of peoples. Such national unity is a source of pride and a good example to follow.

What language is spoken in Switzerland?

During the summer holidays, MGIMO students can get acquainted with the activities of foreign affairs agencies and put into practice the language knowledge acquired at the university. Roman Soloviev, a 2nd year master's student in the Diplomacy and Diplomatic Service program, shared his impressions of his internship in the capital of Switzerland, Bern.

After completing the first year of my master's degree, I was lucky enough to undergo an internship at the Embassy of the Russian Federation in the Swiss Confederation. I really had to work a lot with the language, and the tasks were very diverse: from translating notes and messages from Russian ministries to translating embassy documents on economic topics. Here, knowledge of the peculiarities of diplomatic correspondence in German turned out to be indispensable. And the translation of the ambassador’s speech for Turgenev’s evening became an unexpected difficulty, primarily due to the artistic style of presentation. At the university we did not encounter such texts.

The Swiss version of the German language has its own characteristics, but there are few fundamental differences from literary German, the so-called Hochdeutsch, so you can understand the meaning of the statement even without a dictionary. From the height of their experience, colleagues argued that the Swiss version (Schweizerdeutsch) is quite close to the Austrian version, but somewhat lower in style compared to the language spoken in Berlin. I also came across purely Swiss lexical units, for example, verwedeln as a synonym for verschleiern. I didn’t notice any particular grammatical discrepancies, except that the compiler of one of the studied reports was very fond of common definitions, for example, Notwendig ist ein interdepartmentales, auf möglichst hoher Hierarchiestufe angesiedeltes und mit genügend Ressourcen dotiertes Querschnittsorgan.

The Swiss itself, like the Bernese dialect, can present certain difficulties, but it is used only in everyday life. In most cases, you had to understand something solely based on the surrounding context, but if you answer in confident “normal” German, then the Swiss usually politely switch to it.

The consular service requires a completely different approach to the use of language. And although during my practice I only managed to get acquainted with its features, I still managed to notice a number of nuances. First of all, remember that this is working with people. The language must combine, on the one hand, the laconicism of bureaucratic terms, and on the other, the ability to hold the attention of the interlocutor. No one is interested in listening to a stream of professional vocabulary from a foreigner, especially in Hochdeutsch, which many ordinary Swiss perceive almost as a foreign language. At the same time, the idea must be expressed very precisely, especially when it comes to solving the problems of foreign citizens.

Of course, even for the initial stages of work you need an extremely wide vocabulary, but everyday tasks inevitably push you to constantly expand it. A graduate of the Faculty of International Relations will never know all the legal vocabulary, but the consular service will quickly learn to distinguish birth certificates from Germany, Austria and Switzerland by name.

My neighbor Claire lives and works as a truck driver in Solothurn, a German-speaking canton in Switzerland. But she grew up in Crans-Montana, a city in the French-speaking part of the country. Therefore, she carries out all orders to the “French” regions of Switzerland.

“The office knows that I easily find language with the locals, and they always put the southwestern part in the plan. If they sent a German-speaking driver, they would lose customers in the region,” explains the truck driver.

Switzerland has four official languages ​​- German, French, Italian and Romansh. And although the inhabitants of this country have the same nationality, the difference in languages ​​does its job. If you live in the “Italian” part and came to the “French” part for work, most likely you will not see success in business. You must speak the main language of the canton.

Determining what language is spoken in a particular part of Switzerland is simple: you need to look at which country the region is closer to. For example, I live in the canton of Solothurn, which is closer to Germany. So this is the German speaking part.

The exception is the Romansh language. It is spoken by 30 thousand people in the canton of Grisons in the southeast of the country. This Romance language is the closest to Latin of all the “living” languages. Many perceive it as a mixture of Swiss, German and Italian. But the locals honor him, and Grisons is the only canton that has enshrined Romansh as an official language in its Constitution.

The presence of four official languages ​​does not mean that every local resident throughout the country speaks them all. As a rule, they own two - native and second national. For example, so that a person from the canton of Bern can talk with fellow citizens from Lugano, he learns French from the 3rd grade of school. Today, primary schools teach one native state language (depending on the canton) and two foreign ones: one national language of choice (the vast majority is French) and English.

But even if you are going to Switzerland with knowledge of German and French, you should not delude yourself. The greeting “Guten Tag” in Solothurn will be answered with “Grüzi”, which means “Hello” in Swiss dialect. What is “Swiss German”, or, as it is called, “Schweizerdeutsch”? It is a dialect very different from "High German". It is useless to teach him: in order to understand the interlocutor, you need to be born and live with him in the same canton, since the dialect differs from region to region.

In my opinion, the Swiss simply distort German words. For example, adding the diminutive suffix "li" in every second noun: Blümli (flower), Brötli (bun). But there are stranger examples: not an ATM, but an ATM - Käseli; not a toilet, but a toilet - Huüsli.

A Danish woman I know came to Switzerland with perfect knowledge of German. She signed up for aerobics and was shocked by the first lesson, as she understood no more than 20% of what her trainer was saying. And yet, in most cases, the Swiss speak “high German” almost perfectly, which is most often used in politics, in the educational process, and at work.

17 of the 26 cantons name German as their only official language. According to statistics, 64% speak German, 20% speak French, and 7% speak Italian. Less than 1% use Romansh as a language of communication.

By the way, the Swiss differ not only in their languages, but also in their mentality. For example, the French part is more lazy and relaxed. But the German one, on the contrary, is well-coordinated: here everything must be precise and punctual. So, if a Swiss person promises you something, first find out what part of the country he is from.

If you are a tourist, you should not be afraid of the linguistic jungle of Switzerland. In big cities, everyone from the hotel staff to the policeman speaks English. Even in business, English began to be used as the language of communication between French and German speaking Swiss. However, if you want to live here, it is impossible to do without a good knowledge of German or French.

Olga Johnson, resident of Geneva

“Unlike other parts of Switzerland, Geneva is very international. Here, at first, it is quite possible to get by with knowledge of the English language. There are many international companies in Geneva, and you can even find a job in them without knowing either French or German. Of course, you must be a highly qualified specialist in your field. The local population appreciates it when you speak French. If they see that it is difficult for you, they immediately switch to English. But for greater integration, French is still needed. It makes it much easier to find the right organizations, develop networking, and communicate in government agencies. But knowing German gives you little advantage in Geneva if you don’t know French.”

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