The languages of Switzerland?

Question

Dear Swiss fellows:

I know Switzerland has four official languages - German, French, Italian and Romansh.

1. In Switzerland, if a German speaker and a French speaker meet in the street, which language would they communicate in?

Would it be German, French or English?

2. In Switzerland, if a French speaker and an Italian speaker meet in the street, which language would they communicate in?

French, Italian or English??

3. In Switzerland, if an Italian speaker and a German speaker meet in the street, which language would they communicate in?

Would it be German, Italian or English?

4. If you are a German speaker in Switzeralnd, which foreign language is the most popular and most important to learn at school?

English, French or Italian??

5. If you are a French speaker in Switzeralnd, which foreign language is the most popular and most important to learn at school?

English, German or Italian??

Answer 1

In Switzerland, children are required to learn one of the other languages - so likely they have a second language that is one of the official languages of Switzerland.

In order to take English, it has to be as their third language.

The German they grow up speaking is Sweitzer Deutsch, but they learn the grammar and such of Hochdeutsch in school, so German speaking Swiss practically already know two languages, and English is their fourth language.

The two would figure out what common language they have, then speak it.  It will vary from person to person.

Answer 2

I agree with almost everything that has been said up to here. Compliments! Only one thing has to be corrected:

German is of course taught at school, written in newspapers and in books, spoken at schools and universities. But what we speak in every day's life is not German and neither is it Swiss-German. I know you wont' like me for that and I know also the reason for it (that we, the Swiss, don't want to have too much in common with our neighbours in the North) - but the correct expression in a linguistic viewpoint for our lingua franca is Alemanic (or Allemanic, different ways of writing are possible - there are two words hidden therein: all and men!). It's the same language that is spoken in the Alsace in France and in Baden in Germany, but there are many local dialects.

To make the chaos perfect, here is a link to a site that describes "Swiss-German" (Schwiizerdüütsch), it's written in one of the dialects spoken in the Alsace, France: http://als.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schweizerd...

Anyway: Welcome to the country of Toblerone and Gruyère cheese. And no, we don't milk cows on the famous Bahnhofstrasse in Zurich! :-)

Answer 3

1. It depends on the language skills of the involved individuals. The conversation is likely to start in the language spoken in the part of they country they meet. If both are fluent it will continue in that language. If not the involved persons will switch to a language in which both are more or less fluent. This could be any of the three languages.

2. Same as 1.

3. Same as 1. with the addition that German speakers are less likely to be fluent in Italian while Italian speakers are more likely to be fluent in German.

4. French and English. It depends on the profession which language is more important. For example: For an IT professional English will be more important. For a Government employee French.

Answer 4

In business they often take the neutral option and use English, as most professional Swiss speak very good English.

Answer 5

English

Answer 6

Hey, I'm from Montreal, over here we speak English and french. Sometimes I speak in French to anglophones because they asked me to or English with francophones, but it's hard because you're always tempted to make it easier for them.

Sometimes I speak in one language and the other person answers in another. Sometimes we speak the language we were introduced in (i.e. French or English school?).

German Swiss speak very good French in fact most German speak very good french and English. French people were never really good with languages, most French Swiss I know can't speak German.

Answer 7

1. I believe they would speak in French. Most French Swiss aren't really like traditional Swiss people; more like French people who just live there.

2. The French and Italian speakers would probably speak equally in French or Italian- depending on who speaks the other person's language better. It also depends on if they met in the Italian or the French part of Switzerland.

3. The Italian and German speaker would likely (if both knew the other language) speak the language of the area they are in locally. (German or Italian part) Or whichever language is most comfortable.

4 & 5. Most German and French students in Switzerland are required to start the opposite language beginning in high school. Then in the last two years, they learn English. Most students would rather learn English to start lately, due to the popularity of English in the world.

The French kids don't like to speak German generally, and German kids don't like French.

They'd just rather speak English as far as I saw.

As a general rule when I was there, we spoke the local language. (I stayed with a Swiss-German family) If you are polite, most people don't mind speaking English with you. In fact, usually when people heard my accent, they switched to English.

Many people enjoy speaking English.

Keep in mind also, the interesting phenomena of strong Swiss dialects. People from certain areas of Switzerland will have such a unique dialect on their German that an hour's drive away they are not understood by the locals.

People in Swiss schools are taught in Höch Deutsch, or high German. They sometimes have to speak high german to eachother to get their message across!

My friend from Germany visited me in Switzerland. Although Swiss German *is* indeed German, it is so differend that she could not understand a word of it!

It's very very strange. For that, I love it!!

Answer 8

There are 4 languages spoken in Switzerland.

1 German

2 French

3 Italian

4 Romanic

German is spoken in North, East and Central Switzerland.

French is spoken in West Switzerland

Italian is spoken in the South (Ticino and parts of Graubunden)

Romanic is spoken ONLY in Graubunden which is in Southeast Switzerland....

Anyone that says that english is a national language in Switzerland has no idea what they are talking about...

Now to the question you have about how people from diffrent regiongs communicate with eachother;

I went to Highschool in Central and East Switzerland and class was though in German, however, French was a mandatory language to learn. I took Italian as well...

People can communicate with eachother in any mutual language tho.... just like anywhere else in the world ;)

They started to teach english in school too a few years back, so the chances that you meet english speaking people there is very good ;)

Answer 9

Most Swiss from different language groups would speak English to each other since German-speakers don't like to speak French and French speakers don't learn Swiss German.  Some Italian speakers might speak French, but they are a real minority.

Hope this helps.

Answer 10

Living in the south part of Switzerland (Tessin),i speak and write Italian fluently.I'm learning German and French.

If i meet a German speaker normally i'd speak English cuz they know English better than many Swiss Italians.

Thanks/merci/dankeshön/grazie.

Ciao and arrivederci.

Answer 11

I'm not between these "Dear Swiss fellows", but during my travel in Switzerland (two weeks) I spoke French and it was O.K. (at least for me.....)

Answer 12

I'm not Swiss, but I spent a couple weeks there. My understanding is they don't like the other groups languages and everyone speaks and learns English.

Answer 13

they are all multi lingual in these countries and have to learn them at school my mother had to learn 3 ,Flemish,Dutch,and French, then self taught English,Spanish and German she always said if you visit or live in these countries its a great asset to know what you are saying?

Answer 14

most likely they wouldnt talk to each other.   from what ive experienced in beligum atleast, if you didnt speak french they wouldnt bother to talk to you.

Answer 15

Swiss people speak Swiss /German . More like German but with a few differences. . The school children there have lessons in English.

Answer 16

Switzerland has four languages, yes, but most individual places in Switzerland have only one language. There are a few cantons (eg, Valais/Wallis and Fribourg/Freiburg) which are officially bilingual but even there, most of the cities and villages are one or the other. So for the most part, people will speak the language of the particular street they meet on.

For question #4, my kids do go to school in German in the German part of Switzerland, one has had English since 2nd grade and the other French since 5th grade. In my experience, the answer WAS French up to a few years ago but now I'd say English.

For question #5, my niece and nephew in the French part are learning only German at school (I think since 2nd or 3rd grade). English starts around 7th grade, I think.

For question #6, my guess would be German but I don't know for sure.

In general, German speakers are more inclined to learn foreign languages than are French speakers, but the average Swiss person speaks 3 languages well.