Switzerland is a Central European country known for its picture-perfect sceneries, delicious cuisines, and a high standard of living. It also takes pride in its diversity by having four official languages --- one of the most in the continent.

These are namely German, French, Italian, and Romansh. Read further to learn more about them.

German

Swiss German is the primary language in the country at 63%. The majority of the population is fluent in Swiss German. It is spoken across Switzerland, primarily in the Northern, Central, and Eastern region of the country.

Standard German has noticeable differences from Swiss German in terms of vocabulary, pronunciation, and orthography. Since it has millions of speakers, several dialects have evolved from the language. Swiss German is unique in the country through its Alemannic dialects and French-inspired expressions, which do not exist in Germany and Austria anymore.

However, standard German remains to be used in different forms of media, correspondence, books, and other literary materials.

French

Next to German is French, with over 1.5 million speakers or 22% percent of the entire population. Standard French and Swiss French are pretty similar, but they still have differences.

Unlike the one spoken in France, Swiss-French is slower and comes in a different accent. French spoken in the country has a more deep and antique tone. It also has more variations in the words and expressions.

Romandy refers to the part of Switzerland where French is the only language spoken. These areas include the Cantons of Jura, Vaud, and Geneva. On the other hand, Bern, Freiburg, and Valais are cantons that speak both French and German. It is used to unite people who speak the same language. Another way of bringing French-speaking citizens together is the Francophone Festival that is celebrated every 20th of March.

Italian

Approximately 565,000 people in Switzerland speak Italian. This accounts for 8.5% of the population, mainly in Canton of Ticino, Gondo Valley in Valais, and Southern Graubünden.

Canton of Ticino has a significant Italian population of almost 20%. It is the reason why they have developed a Ticinese dialect which has minor differences from Italian. Lombard, another Italian-derived language, is also predominant in Ticino.

Overall, Swiss Italian is very identical to standard Italian.

Romansh

Lastly is Romansh, the least spoken out of the official languages in Switzerland with just 37,000 speakers. Romansh is a Romance language that dates way back to 15 B.C.

It is also regarded as a community language. Most speakers reside in rural and tight-knit communities, specifically in the Canton of Grisons, located in the Southeastern part of the country.

A Multilingual Country

Apart from these four languages, a small population of Switzerland also speaks English at 5.8%, Portuguese at 3.6%, and Albanian at 3.1%. The mix of different languages roots from the immigrants in the country who continue to speak their mother tongue.

However, the capacity to speak one of the national languages remains a strict requirement for Swiss naturalization. Nevertheless, Switzerland is indeed a country with a rich culture, as seen in its multilingual society.

Checking out which language you should learn? Read ”What are the Best Languages to Learn in 2021?” to learn more.