How do the multilingual Swiss talk to each other? - SWI swissinfo.ch

Born in London, Thomas was a journalist at The Independent before moving to Bern in 2005. He speaks all three official Swiss languages and enjoys travelling the country and practising them, above all in pubs, restaurants and gelaterias.

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Switzerland has four national languages: German (spoken by about 63% of the population), French (23%), Italian (8%) and Romansh (0.5%). Romansh is not an official language (apart from in canton Graubünden). 

These percentages haven't changed massively over the years, although there has been a slight increase French and English and a slight decrease in German: 

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This content was published on Mar 3, 2019 Mar 3, 2019

While French is spoken more and more, fewer and fewer Swiss speak German regularly. The main reason for this is migration.

Then there's Swiss-German . This is a collection of local dialects that practically all Swiss who have grown up in the German-speaking part of the country speak among themselves. 

Swiss-German is very different from High German (as spoken in Germany) – even mother-tongue Germans find it tough to understand – so when Swiss-German speakers see that a German-speaking foreigner or someone from another part of Switzerland is struggling, they usually switch to a Swiss version of High German. Almost all Swiss-German speakers can do this as High German must be spoken in classrooms. It is also spoken in parliament and often on public television and radio:

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This content was published on Jul 6, 2018 Jul 6, 2018

It's not easy to understand the Swiss, even if you speak one of the national languages. Here's a guide to why that is.

This does not mean all Swiss are constantly flipping between several languages, although most of them regularly use more than one language either at home or at work:

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This content was published on Oct 5, 2016 Oct 5, 2016

Almost two-thirds (64%) of Swiss use more than one language at least once a week, with 38% using two, 19% three and 7% four or more.

So how do the multilingual Swiss talk to each other? One swissinfo.ch employee who speaks seven languages explains whether it's ever confusing trying to work out which languages to speak to a fellow Swiss:

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This content was published on Apr 4, 2016 Apr 4, 2016

Speaking many languages in a multilingual country like Switzerland is certainly a blessing – but can it ever be a burden?

One obvious area where misunderstandings could have serious consequences is politics. So how do the authorities ensure that parliamentarians are on the same page and know what they're voting for? In the House or Representatives (where German speakers must give speeches in High German) the answer is simultaneous interpreting. 

'I was absolutely nervous the first time I did it!' explains Hans Martin Jörimann, who has been interpreting in parliament for 14 years. 'I was overwhelmed not so much by the speeches that were delivered but by the context and all the specific jargon. Once you understand the way it works, it's a lot easier.' 

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This content was published on Sep 26, 2019 Sep 26, 2019

Ensuring Swiss politicians can understand each other is challenging, stressful but rewarding, says one of parliament's official interpreters.

A politically sensitive topic is when to start teaching English to Swiss schoolchildren. Many pupils and parents prefer English to be taught before another national language, arguing English is more useful. Others worry about the effects this could have on national cohesion:

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This content was published on May 21, 2017 May 21, 2017

Zurich decides today on whether to teach just one foreign language at primary schools – a move fraught with controversy.

Whatever happens in schools, more and more English is heard in Switzerland, owing not only to growing immigration from Anglophone countries but also because it is increasingly being used as a bridge between Swiss people from different linguistic regions. English is even creeping into German:

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This content was published on Dec 1, 2016 Dec 1, 2016

You're never far from an English word in Switzerland. A linguist explains why – and whether there will be a backlash.

And English is far from the only non-national language heard in Switzerland, with Portuguese and Albanian not far behind. How has migration changed the linguistic landscape?

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This content was published on Apr 5, 2017 Apr 5, 2017

The number of residents who do not speak any of the official Swiss languages as a main language has more than doubled this century.

As for Romansh, spoken by an estimated 50,000 people in the eastern canton of Graubünden, it faces the same challenges as any minority language, whether it's Welsh or Navajo:

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This content was published on Jun 9, 2017 Jun 9, 2017

Romansh, the language spoken in one of Switzerland's most mountainous cantons, is under threat.

Switzerland had no colonies – yet some Swiss worked with colonial powers and profited from their seizure of resources on other continents.