As small as Switzerland may seem on a map with its approximately eight million inhabitants, the country has significant linguistic diversity, as there are four different language regions and therefore four official languages. 17 of the 26 cantons use German as their official language, in three cantons German and French are spoken equally and in Grisons (Graubünden) Italian, German and Romansh have been recognised as official languages. The different languages have resulted in a colourful variety of dialects, not all of which are still spoken today as they were a hundred years ago.
The Swiss make targeted use of their languages
In German-speaking Switzerland, standard German is used for all official writing and in schools, but Swiss German dialects are dominant in everyday life.
In the French parts of Switzerland (Romandy), people speak Swiss French and communication with neighbouring France is easy because there are no pronounced dialects.
About half a million Swiss speak Swiss Italian, and there are some minor communication problems with their Italian neighbours due to the different dialects. Certain terms have a completely different meaning in Switzerland than they do in Italy. For example, the word "una svizzera" in Swiss Italian means a Swiss woman, whereas in Italy it means a hamburger.
There is not just "one" Swiss German dialect
The term Swiss German is often mistakenly understood to describe the German-speaking dialect used throughout Switzerland.
However there are a number of different Alemannic dialects, including Bernese German (Berndeutsch) or Basel German (Baseldeutsch), Zürich German (Zürichdeutsch) and Walser German (Walliserdeutsch), which all belong to the group of Swiss German dialects.
In some cases, the individual dialects differ significantly from one another, and yet there are only a few characteristics that occur exclusively in any one region. For example the term "abläschele" (to make a bargain), is used in the Bern region, but is also common in other regions.
False French
Français fédéral, or false French, usually arises from official texts written in German, which are subsequently translated into French. False French is not a dialect in the classical sense, and is spoken with a strong Swiss German accent – it is a popular "language" for satirists to use.
The Valais dialect is particularly special
The official language in the Valais region is French and German, but in everyday life they prefer to speak "Wallisertiitsch", which is one of the oldest dialects in Switzerland. The sporadic French influence often causes perplexed looks outside of the canton.
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FAQ about dialects in Switzerland
Switzerland has always been shaped by conquests and immigration, and so very different languages have been able to coexist over the centuries. Even before the 6th century, groups with Alemannic dialects immigrated to Switzerland, breaking up the nationwide spread of Romance languages. Since 1848, German, French and Italian have been considered the national languages of the Confederation.