Did you know that in Switzerland the Federal Constitution recognizes as official 4 national languages? These are German, French, Italian and Romansh.

In Switzerland, multilingualism is a very characteristic aspect of its identity. In fact, 4 out of 10 adults often speak more than one language.

Also, in addition to national languages, other languages ​​such as English or Portuguese, Spanish, Serbian, Croatian and Albanian, are also widely spoken.

Of the 26 cantons that make up Switzerland, four have more than one official language:

Bern: German and French.
Freiburg: French and German.
The Valais: French and German.
The Grisons: German, Romanche and Italian.

Also in Switzerland there are 2 bilingual cities: Biel and Freiburg; in both they speak German and French.

At the federal level, the official languages ​​are German, French and Italian; while the romanche is more used in the correspondence of the Confederation with people of Romanesque speech. Likewise, all those official publications of the State such as laws, reports, web pages, brochures and inscriptions in buildings, must be written at the same time in German, French and Italian.

Swiss German

It is the most popular language in Switzerland, with 64.9% of the population being the mother tongue. German-Swiss is a mixture of Germanic dialects, which are the common language in all areas and social strata.

There are important dialect differences between the different regions; as well as numerous dialect subgroups within the large linguistic regions; However, everyone understands without problems.

French

French is the first language for 22.6% of the Swiss; and it is in French-speaking Switzerland where French is the official language. Although in each region they have their special accents, Swiss French does not differ from standard French.

In some valleys valleys, in the Jurá and in the canton of Friborg the Franco-Provencal dialects (patois) still persist, although mostly they are only spoken by older adults.

Italian

In the case of Italian, this is the first language for 8.3% of the Swiss; being the official language in Ticino and in the southern valleys of Grisons. Lombard dialects are still quite widespread.

Romanche

Finally, romanche is the first language for just 0.5% of the Swiss population; being practiced in certain areas of Grisons. There are five different dialects: Sursilvan, Sutsilvan, Surmiran, Puter and Vallader.

The promotion of multilingualism is an exclusive competence of the Federal Office of Culture. In addition, the Law on Languages ​​regulates the use of the official languages ​​of the Confederation, promotes multilingualism in the administration, helps multilingual cantons and is responsible for the promotion of Romansh and the Italian language and their cultures.