View source for Languages of Switzerland

{{Short description|none}} <!-- "none" is preferred when the title is sufficiently descriptive; see [[WP:SDNONE]] -->
{{Cleanup|reason=Refs must be updated and using the same format and language.|date=September 2019}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2021}}
{{Languages of
| country    = Switzerland
| image      = Karte Schweizer Sprachgebiete 2022.png
| image size = 350px
| official   = German, French, Italian, Romansh
| national = {{ublist|
{{legend|#F7C7B5|[[German language|German]] 62.6%|outline=gray}}|
{{legend|#D9D4E9|[[French language|French]] 32.9%|outline=gray}}|
{{legend|#B6DDC7|[[Italian language|Italian]]  8.2%|outline=gray}}|
{{legend|#FFFCC8|[[Romansh language|Romansh]] 0.5%|outline=gray}}}}
| vernacular = [[Swiss German]], [[Swiss Standard German]], [[Swiss French]], [[Swiss Italian]], [[Franco-Provençal]], [[Lombard language|Lombard]], [[Walser German]], [[Frainc-Comtou]], [[Bavarian language|Bavarian]]
| immigrant  = {{ublist|[[English language|English]] 5.4%|[[Portuguese language|Portuguese]] 3.7%|[[Albanian language|Albanian]] 3.2%|[[Serbo-Croatian]] 2.5%|[[Spanish language|Spanish]] 2.4%|others 7.7%}}
| sign       = [[Swiss German Sign Language]], [[French Sign Language]], [[Italian Sign Language]]<ref>[http://www.vpod-ticino.ch/Articoli/Leggi_articolo.php?art_id=202]  {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090410065554/http://www.vpod-ticino.ch/Articoli/Leggi_articolo.php?art_id=202 |date=10 April 2009 }}</ref>
| keyboard   = [[QWERTZ]]
| keyboard image = [[File:KB Swiss.svg|200px]]
| source = FSO<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.bfs.admin.ch/bfs/de/home/statistiken/bevoelkerung/sprachen-religionen/sprachen.html |title=Sprachen 2015
 |publisher=Federal Statistical Office FSO |location=Neuchâtel, Switzerland |date=31 January 2017 |language=de, fr, it |access-date=13 June 2017}}</ref>
}}
{{Culture of Switzerland}}
The four national '''languages of Switzerland''' are [[German language|German]], [[French language|French]], [[Italian language|Italian]], and [[Romansh language|Romansh]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.admin.ch/ch/e/rs/101/a4.html |title=SR 101 The Federal Constitution of the Swiss Confederation of 18 April 1999 (Status as of 12 February 2017): Art. 4 National languages |date=12 February 2017 |publisher=The Federal Council |location=Berne, Switzerland |website=The portal of the Swiss government |type=Federal Law collection |access-date=13 June 2017 |archive-date=23 October 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141023100747/http://www.admin.ch/ch/e/rs/101/a4.html |url-status=dead }}</ref> German, French, and Italian maintain equal status as official languages at the national level within the [[Federal Assembly (Switzerland)|Federal Administration]] of the [[Switzerland|Swiss Confederation]], while Romansh is used in dealings with people who speak it.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.admin.ch/opc/de/classified-compilation/20062545/index.html#a5 |title=SR 441.1 Bundesgesetz über die Landessprachen und die Verständigung zwischen den Sprachgemeinschaften [Federal Act on the National Languages and Understanding between the Linguistic Communities] (Sprachengesetz, SpG) vom 5. Oktober 2007 (Stand am 1. Januar 2017): Art. 5 Amtssprachen |date=1 January 2017 |website=The portal of the Swiss government |publisher=The Federal Council |location=Berne, Switzerland |language=de, fr, it, rm |type=Federal Law collection |access-date=13 June 2017}}
</ref>  [[Latin]] is occasionally used in some formal contexts, particularly to denote the country (''Confoederatio Helvetica)''.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.dailyresearch.co.uk/business/languages-of-instruction-in-switzerland/43/|title=Languages of instruction in Switzerland - Daily Research|website=www.dailyresearch.co.uk|publisher=Daily Research|access-date=January 20, 2022|archive-date=21 May 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220521220409/https://www.dailyresearch.co.uk/business/languages-of-instruction-in-switzerland/43/|url-status=dead}}</ref>

In 2020, 62.3% of the population of Switzerland were native speakers of German (either [[Swiss German|Swiss]] or [[Swiss Standard German|Standard German]]) at home; 22.8% French (mostly [[Swiss French]], but including some [[Franco-Provençal]] [[dialect]]s); 8% Italian (mostly [[Swiss Italian]], but including [[Lombard language|Lombard]]); and 0.5% Romansh.<ref name="Languages_2020">{{Cite web |last= |first= |title=Languages |url=https://www.bfs.admin.ch/bfs/en/home/statistiken/bevoelkerung/sprachen-religionen/sprachen.html |access-date=2022-07-07 |website=Office Federal Statistical |language=en}}</ref>  The German region (''Deutschschweiz'') is roughly in the east, north, and centre; the French part (''la Romandie'') in the west; and the Italian area (''Svizzera italiana'') in the south. There remains a small Romansh-speaking native population in [[Grisons]] in the east. The cantons of [[Canton of Fribourg|Freiburg]], [[Canton of Bern|Bern]], and [[Valais]] are officially bilingual; [[Grisons]] is officially trilingual.

==History==
The main languages of Swiss residents from 1950 to 2015, in percentages, were as follows:<ref name="FSOML">{{cite web|url=https://www.bfs.admin.ch/bfs/de/home/statistiken/bevoelkerung/sprachen-religionen/sprachen.assetdetail.4542311.html|title=Die zehn häufigsten Hauptsprachen der ständigen Wohnbevölkerung|date=28 February 2018|publisher=Swiss Federal Statistical Office FSO|location=Neuchâtel, Switzerland|language=de, fr, it|type=official website|access-date=18 November 2018}}</ref>

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:right;"
|+Overview of the native language of Swiss
!scope="col" class="hintergrundfarbe6" | Year
!scope="col" class="hintergrundfarbe6" | German
!scope="col" class="hintergrundfarbe6" | French
!scope="col" class="hintergrundfarbe6" | Italian
!scope="col" class="hintergrundfarbe6" | Romansh
!scope="col" class="hintergrundfarbe6" | Other
|- 
|scope="row"| 2015
| 63.7 || 22.7 || 8.4 || 0.6 || 5.3
|-
|scope="row"| 2000
| 63.7 || 20.4 || 6.5 || 0.5 || 9.0
|-
|scope="row"| 1990
| 63.6 || 19.2 || 7.6 || 0.6 || 8.9
|-
|scope="row"| 1980
| 65.0 || 18.4 || 9.8 || 0.8 || 6.0
|-
|scope="row"| 1970
| 64.9 || 18.1 || 11.9 || 0.8 || 4.3
|-
|scope="row"| 1960
| 69.4 || 18.9 || 9.5 || 0.9 || 1.4
|-
|scope="row"| 1950
| 72.1 || 20.3 || 5.9 || 1.0 || 0.7
|}

In the 2012 survey, for the first time, respondents could indicate more than one language, causing the percentages to exceed 100%.<ref name=FSOML/>

== Federal authorities ==
While the [[National Council (Switzerland)|National Council]] offers simultaneous translation to and from German, French and Italian, the [[Council of States (Switzerland)|Council of States]] does not translate debates – its members are expected to understand at least German and French.

Employees of the federal government are expected to write documents in their native tongue. 77% of the original official documents were edited in German, 20% in French, and 1.98% in Italian. More than half of the Italian speakers employed by the federal government are translators.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.swissinfo.ch/ger/leben-und-altern/bundesverwaltung-ist-eigentlich-zweisprachig/7241630 |title=Bundesverwaltung ist eigentlich zweisprachig |date=2009-03-01 |access-date=2024-03-17 |publisher=Swissinfo}}</ref>

The [[Federal Supreme Court of Switzerland|Federal Supreme Court]] publishes its decisions only in one language, usually in the language used in the earlier instance. The so-called [[regest]] – a summary of the decision – will be offered in German, French and Italian, but only in important and influential cases (German "Leitentscheide").<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.bger.ch/index/federal/federal-inherit-template/federal-faq/federal-faq-38.htm |title=Werden die Urteile des Bundesgerichts übersetzt? |access-date=2024-03-17 |publisher=Supreme Federal Court of Switzerland |language=de |trans-title=Are the decisions of the Federal Court translated?}}</ref>

==National languages and linguistic regions==

===German===
{{Further|Swiss German|Swiss Standard German|German-speaking Switzerland|Walser German}}
[[File:Brunig-Napf-Reuss-Linie.png|thumb|180px|Distribution of [[High Alemannic]] dialects. Marked in red is the [[Brünig-Napf-Reuss line]].]]
[[File:Hoechstalemannisch.png|thumb|180px|Distribution of [[Highest Alemannic German|Highest Alemannic]] dialects]]

The German-speaking part of Switzerland ({{langx|de|Deutschschweiz}}, {{langx|fr|Suisse alémanique}}, {{langx|it|Svizzera tedesca}}, {{langx|rm|Svizra tudestga}}) constitutes about 65% of [[Switzerland]] (North Western Switzerland, Eastern Switzerland, Central Switzerland, most of the [[Swiss Plateau]] and the greater part of the [[Swiss Alps]]).

In seventeen of the Swiss cantons, German is the only official language ([[Canton of Aargau|Aargau]], [[Canton of Appenzell Ausserrhoden|Appenzell Ausserrhoden]], [[Canton of Appenzell Innerrhoden|Appenzell Innerrhoden]], [[Canton of Basel-Stadt|Basel-Stadt]], [[Canton of Basel-Landschaft|Basel-Landschaft]], [[Canton of Glarus|Glarus]], [[Canton of Lucerne|Luzern]], [[Canton of Nidwalden|Nidwalden]], [[Canton of Obwalden|Obwalden]], [[Canton of Schaffhausen|Schaffhausen]], [[Canton of Schwyz|Schwyz]], [[Canton of Solothurn|Solothurn]], [[Canton of St. Gallen|St. Gallen]], [[Canton of Thurgau|Thurgau]], [[Canton of Uri|Uri]], [[Canton of Zug|Zug]], and [[Canton of Zurich|Zürich]]).<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.admin.ch/ch/e/rs/101/a1.html |title=SR 101 The Federal Constitution of the Swiss Confederation of 18 April 1999 (Status as of 12 February 2017): Art. 1: The Swiss Confederation |date=12 February 2017 |publisher=The Federal Council |location=Berne, Switzerland |website=The portal of the Swiss government |type=Federal Law collection |access-date=13 June 2017 |archive-date=4 October 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141004144901/http://www.admin.ch/ch/e/rs/101/a1.html |url-status=dead }}</ref>

In the cantons of [[Canton of Bern|Bern]], [[Canton of Fribourg|Fribourg]] and [[Canton of Valais|Valais]], French is co-official; in the trilingual [[canton of Graubünden]], more than half of the population speaks German, while the rest speak [[Romansh language|Romansh]] or [[Italian language|Italian]]. In each case, all languages are [[official language]]s of the respective canton.

While the French-speaking Swiss prefer to call themselves ''Romands'' and their part of the country is [[Romandy]], the German-speaking Swiss used to (and, colloquially, still do) refer to the French-speaking Swiss as "Welsche", and to their area as ''Welschland'', which has the same etymology as the English [[Wiktionary: Welsh|Welsh]] (see ''[[Walha]]'').<ref>{{cite web
	| url = https://www.reddit.com/r/todayilearned/comments/48ajo6/til_that_the_swiss_german_word_for_a_swiss_french/?rdt=33694	| title = TIL	| website = Reddit	| date = 29 February 2016	| access-date = 7 March 2024}}
</ref> Research shows that individuals with a French-sounding name in the German-speaking part suffer from social discrimination.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Nesseler|first1=Cornel|last2=Carlos|first2=Gomez-Gonzalez|last3=Dietl|first3=Helmut|date=2019|title=What's in a name? Measuring access to social activities with a field experiment|journal=Palgrave Communications|volume=5|pages=1–7|doi=10.1057/s41599-019-0372-0|doi-access=free|hdl=11250/2635691|hdl-access=free}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Dietl|first1=Helmut|last2=Carlos|first2=Gomez-Gonzalez|last3=Moretti|first3=Paolo|last4=Nesseler|first4=Cornel|date=2020|title=Does persistence pay off? Accessing social activities with a foreign-sounding name|journal=Applied Economic Letters|volume=28|issue=10|pages=881–885|doi= 10.1080/13504851.2020.1784381|doi-access=free|hdl=11250/2659779|hdl-access=free}}</ref>

Nevertheless, in 2017, 11.1%, or about 920,600 of the Swiss residents speak [[Standard German]] ("Hochdeutsch") at home, but this figure likely includes numerous German (and Austrian) immigrants.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.bfs.admin.ch/bfs/de/home/statistiken/kataloge-datenbanken/tabellen.assetdetail.7226746.html|title=Ständige Wohnbevölkerung ab 15 Jahren nach zuhause gesprochenen Sprachen - 2017 {{!}} Tabelle|last=Statistik|first=Bundesamt für|date=29 January 2019|website=Bundesamt für Statistik|language=de|access-date=21 February 2019}}</ref>
[[File:Sprachgebiete der Schweiz im 20. Jahrhundert.jpg|thumb|Geography of languages in Switzerland in the early 20th century. Page from a school atlas, in the [[Jewish Museum of Switzerland]]'s collection.]]
By the [[Middle Ages]], a marked difference had developed within the German-speaking part of Switzerland between the rural cantons (Uri, Schwyz, Unterwalden, Glarus, Zug, Appenzell, Schaffhausen) and the city cantons (Lucerne, Berne, Zurich, Solothurn, Fribourg, Basel, St. Gallen), divided by views about trade and commerce. After the [[Swiss Reformation|Reformation]], all cantons were either Catholic or Protestant, and the denominational influences on culture added to the differences. Even today, when all cantons are somewhat denominationally mixed, the different historical denominations can be seen in the mountain villages, where Roman Catholic Central Switzerland abounds with chapels and statues of saints, and the farmhouses in the very similar landscape of the Protestant Bernese Oberland show Bible verses carved on the housefronts instead.

In addition to this more widespread notion of Swiss German dialect, there is also [[Walser German]], another [[Highest Alemannic]] speech brought by [[Walser]] emigrants from [[Valais]].

Because the largest part of Switzerland is German-speaking, many French, Italian, and Romansh speakers migrate to the rest of Switzerland, and the children of those non-German-speaking Swiss-born within the rest of Switzerland speak German.

===French===
[[File:Arpitan francoprovencal map.jpg|right|thumb|300 px|[[Arpitan]] language area map with place names in Arpitan and historic political divisions]]
{{Main article|Swiss French|Suisse romande}}

[[Romandy]] ({{langx|fr|Romandie, la Suisse romande}}, {{langx|de|Romandie, Welschland, Welschschweiz, or in some contexts: Westschweiz}},{{efn|name=Welsch|"[[Walha|Welsch]]" is an old German word for "Foreign" and is the same word the [[Anglo-Saxons]] used for the original British inhabitants which today are the [[Welsh people]].{{Citation needed|date=January 2009}}}} {{langx|it|Svizzera romanda}}) is the French-speaking part of [[Switzerland]]. It covers the area of the [[cantons of Switzerland|cantons]] of [[Canton of Geneva|Geneva]], [[Canton of Vaud|Vaud]], [[Canton of Neuchâtel|Neuchâtel]], and [[Canton of Jura|Jura]] as well as the French-speaking parts of the cantons of [[Canton of Bern|Bern]] (German-speaking majority), [[Canton of Valais|Valais]] (French-speaking majority), and [[Canton of Fribourg|Fribourg]] (French-speaking majority). 1.9 million people (or 24.4% of the Swiss population) live in Romandy.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bfs.admin.ch/bfs/portal/fr/index/themen/01/02/blank/data/01.Document.67224.xls |format=XLS |title=Bilan de la population résidante permanente (total) selon les districts et les communes |date=2 January 2015 |publisher=Swiss Federal Statistical Office |location=Neuchâtel, Switzerland |access-date=24 October 2015 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110806213408/http://www.bfs.admin.ch/bfs/portal/fr/index/themen/01/02/blank/data/01.Document.67224.xls |archive-date= 6 August 2011 }}</ref>

Standard [[Swiss French]] and the [[Standard French|French]] of [[France]] are highly mutually intelligible, though some differences exist. For example, like most Francophone Belgians, speakers of Swiss French use ''septante'' (seventy) instead of ''soixante-dix'' (literally, "sixty ten") and ''nonante'' (ninety) instead of "quatre-vingt-dix" ("four twenty ten"). In the cantons of [[Vaud]], [[Valais]] and [[Canton of Fribourg|Fribourg]], speakers use ''huitante'' (eighty) instead of "quatre-vingts" (four twenties) used in the rest of the [[Francophonie|French-speaking world]]; the cantons of Geneva, Bern and Jura use "quatre-vingts".<ref>{{cite web |author=Dominique Didier |url=http://monsu.desiderio.free.fr/curiosites/septante.html |title=Septante, octante ou huitante, nonante |publisher=Monsu.desiderio.free.fr |access-date=22 October 2015}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|first=Mathieu|last=Avanzi|url=https://francaisdenosregions.com/2017/03/26/comment-dit-on-80-en-belgique-et-en-suisse/|title=Comment dit-on 80 en Belgique et en Suisse ?|website=francaisdenosregions.com|date=26 March 2017|access-date=12 October 2021}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|last=Thibault|first=André|title=Dictionnaire suisse romand : particularités lexicales du français contemporain|publisher=Zoé|others=Pierre Knecht|year=2004|isbn=978-2-88182-870-6|edition=Nouvelle éd. revue et augmentée|location=Carouge (Geneva)|pages=457|language=French|trans-title=Swiss French Dictionary: lexical particularities of contemporary French|chapter=huitante|oclc=828226325|quote=Local. VD, VS, FR ; les autres cantons emploient ''quatre-vingt(s)'', comme en français de référence.|trans-quote=Local. VD, VS, FR; the other cantons use {{lang|fr|quatre-vingt(s)}} like in Standard French.}}</ref> "[[Sou (coin)|Sou]]" is used throughout Romandy for a [[Coins of the Swiss franc|5-centime coin]], as is "tune" (or "thune") when referring to a 5-Swiss-franc piece. Swiss French also uses "déjeuner, dîner, souper" for breakfast, lunch and dinner instead of "petit-déjeuner, déjeuner, dîner" used in France.

Historically, the vernacular language used by inhabitants of most parts of Romandy was [[Franco-Provençal language|Franco-Provençal]]. Franco-Provençal (also called Arpitan) is a language sometimes considered to be halfway between the [[langue d'oïl]] (the historical language of northern France and ancestor of French) and Occitan (the [[langue d'oc]], spoken in southern France). Standard French and Franco-Provençal/Arpitan, linguistically, are distinct and mutual intelligibility is limited. Increasingly, Franco-Provençal/Arpitan is used only by members of the older generations.<ref>{{cite journal |last= Meune|first= Manuel |date= 18 December 2018|title= From Little Fatherlands to Imagined Protonation: The Discourse on Francoprovençal in the Journal de Genève and the Gazette de Lausanne (1826–1998)
|url= https://www.intechopen.com/chapters/64815|journal= Advances in Discourse Analysis|pages= |doi= 10.5772/intechopen.81502|access-date=7 March 2024|doi-access= free|isbn= 978-1-78985-757-3 }}
</ref> In parts of Jura [[Franc-Comtois]] dialects are also spoken; these belong to the same [[Oïl]] bloc as Standard French.

The term ''Romandy'' does not formally exist in the political system, but is used to distinguish and unify the French-speaking population of Switzerland. The [[television]] channel [[Télévision Suisse Romande]] (TSR) served the ''Romande'' community across Switzerland and worldwide through [[TV5Monde]] until it was merged with the [[Radio Suisse Romande]] (RSR) and renamed [[Radio Télévision Suisse|RTS]] (Radio Télévision Suisse) in 2010.

===Italian===
{{main article|Swiss Italian|Ticino|Italian Graubünden}}
[[File:Suisse italiene.png|thumb|right|250px|[[Swiss Italian|Italian language in Switzerland]]]]
Italian Switzerland ({{langx|it|Svizzera italiana}}, {{langx|rm|Svizra taliana}}, {{langx|fr|Suisse italienne}}, {{langx|de|italienische Schweiz}}) is the [[Swiss Italian|Italian-speaking part of Switzerland]], which includes the canton of [[Ticino]] and [[Italian Graubünden|the southern part of Grisons]]. Italian is also spoken in the [[Zwischbergen|Gondo]] Valley (leading to the [[Simplon Pass]], on the southern part of the watershed) in Valais. The traditional vernacular of this region is the [[Lombard language]], specifically its [[Ticinese dialect]].

The linguistic region covers an area of about 3,500&nbsp;km<sup>2</sup> and has a total population of around 350,000,<ref>{{in lang|fr}} [http://www.bfs.admin.ch/bfs/portal/fr/index/themen/01/02/blank/data/01.Document.67126.xls Bilan de la population résidante permanente selon les cantons] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090920100559/http://www.bfs.admin.ch/bfs/portal/fr/index/themen/01/02/blank/data/01.Document.67126.xls |date=20 September 2009 }}; calculated adding up the inhabitants in [[Ticino]] and 11% of the inhabitants of [[Grigioni]], Swiss Federal Statistical Office</ref> with the number of Italophones residing in Switzerland being 545,274 (about 7% of the Swiss population).<ref name="CHLangHome2012">{{cite web |title=Bevölkerung, Strukturerhebung der eidgenössischen Volkszählung 2011: Bevölkerung nach Sprache und Religion, Ständige Wohnbevölkerung ab 15 Jahren nach zuhause gesprochenen Sprachen, 2011 |url=http://www.bfs.admin.ch/bfs/portal/de/index/news/04/01.Document.169329.xls |type=Statistics |format=XLS |date=30 May 2013 |publisher=Swiss Federal Statistical Office |location=Neuchâtel, Switzerland |language=de, fr, it |access-date=22 December 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131114071643/http://www.bfs.admin.ch/bfs/portal/de/index/news/04/01.Document.169329.xls |archive-date=14 November 2013  }}</ref>

The proportion of Italian-speaking inhabitants had been decreasing since the 1970s, after reaching a high of 12% of the population during the same decade. This was entirely because of the reduced number of immigrants from Italy to Switzerland. However it has increased again during the last decade.{{when|date=September 2022}}<ref name=FSOML/>

===Romansh===
{{main article|Romanina language|Canton of Grisons}}
[[File:Schulsprachen Romanischbünden 2003.PNG|thumb|Languages of instruction in the traditionally Romansh-speaking areas of Grisons as of 2003<br />
{{Legend|#0000FF|Romansh school}}
{{Legend|#51A8FF|Bilingual Romansh-German school}}
{{Legend|#04D00F|German school, Romansh as a subject}}
{{Legend|#008000|German schooling only}}]]
[[Romansh language|Romansh]] is an official language in the trilingual [[Canton of Grisons]], where the municipalities in turn are free to specify their own official languages.
Romansh has been recognized as one of four "national languages" by the [[Swiss Federal Constitution]] since 1938. It was also declared an "official language" of the Confederation in 1996, meaning that Romansh speakers may use their language for correspondence with the federal government and expect to receive a Romansh response. Although Romansh is split into several dialects, the federal and cantonal authorities use the standardized version (''Romansh Grischun'') exclusively.

Romansh speakers remain predominant in the [[Surselva]], the [[Albula Region]], and the [[Engiadina Bassa/Val Müstair Region]].

== English ==
While learning one of the other national languages at school is important, many Swiss nowadays find it easier to use [[English language|English]] as a [[lingua franca]] with other Swiss people of different linguistic backgrounds.<ref>[https://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/culture/english-as-a-common-language-in-switzerland--a-positive-or-a-problem-/46494332 English as a common language in Switzerland: a positive or a problem?] from Swissinfo.ch</ref> In 2022, Switzerland ranked 23rd in Europe in the [[EF English Proficiency Index|English Proficiency Index of EF language school]].<ref name="SWI swissinfo.ch 2023 l777">{{cite web | title=Swiss are not as good at English as they might think, study finds | website=SWI swissinfo.ch | date=2023-07-16 | url=https://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/culture/swiss-are-not-as-good-at-english-as-they-might-think--study-finds/48666690 | access-date=2023-08-18}}</ref>

Swissinfo, a multilingual outlet of [[Schweizer Radio und Fernsehen|Swiss Radio and Television]], reported in 2021 that interview subjects are often asked technical questions in English, given that interviewers are often not proficient enough to do so in the local language. The interviewees then answer in their own local language. The interviews are later translated and dubbed over at the studio. A 2003 study on the online communication behavior of Swiss medical students showed that they quickly changed to English as soon as students from other languages were involved. The main drivers behind using English were the Italian-speaking students from Ticino, as students from other parts of the country rarely understood their messages.<ref>{{Cite news |title=English as a common language in Switzerland: a positive or a problem? |url=https://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/culture/english-as-a-common-language-in-switzerland-a-positive-or-a-problem/46494332 |last=Stephens |first=Thomas |date=2021-04-07 |access-date=2024-03-17 |publisher=Swissinfo}}</ref>

{| class="wikitable sortable"
|+ Inhabitants who mainly speak English in everyday life
|-
! Area !! Percentage
|-
| [[Canton of Zug]] || 14.1
|-
| [[Walchwil]], village in the Canton of Zug || 27.3
|-
| [[Zug|City of Zug]] || 20.0
|-
| [[Basel-Stadt|Canton of Basel-City]] || 12.5
|-
| [[Canton of Geneva]] || 11.8
|-
| [[Canton of Zürich|Canton of Zurich]] || 10.8
|-
|colspan=2|Residents aged 15 or above; according to 2022 census data<ref>{{Cite news |title=In Walchwil und Zug spricht man hauptsächlich Englisch – im Arbeitsleben ist die Sprache nicht mehr wegzudenken |url=https://www.zugerzeitung.ch/zentralschweiz/zug/statistik-in-walchwil-und-zug-spricht-man-hauptsaechlich-englisch-im-arbeitsleben-ist-die-sprache-nicht-mehr-wegzudenken-ld.2571507 |date=2024-01-26 |access-date=2024-04-09 |work=[[Zuger Zeitung]] |language=de |trans-title=In Walchwil and Zug people mainly seak English - in the working life, English is indispensable}}</ref>
|}

In advertising and sports, English slogans and labels are frequently used, as it reduces the need for regional branding. For example, Swiss railways sell tourism offers through the "RailAway" label since 1999, and many national sport federations have English names (e.g. [[Swiss Olympic Association|Swiss Olympic]]), with their German or French names almost never being used.

== Other languages ==
;Franco-Provençal and Lombard
Besides the national languages and the many varieties of [[Swiss German language|Swiss German]], several regional Romance languages are spoken natively in Switzerland: [[Franco-Provençal]] and [[Lombard language|Lombard]].

;Sinte
About 20,000 [[Romani people|Romani]] speak [[Sinte Romani|Sinte]], an [[Indo-Aryan languages|Indic language]]. [[File:Logo der Schweizerischen Eidgenossenschaft.svg|thumb|The logo of the Swiss [[Federal administration of Switzerland|Federal administration]], in the four national languages of Switzerland]]
;Sign languages
Five [[sign languages]] are used: [[Swiss-German Sign Language|Swiss-German]], [[French Sign Language|French]], [[Italian Sign Language|Italian]], [[Austrian Sign Language|Austrian]], and [[German Sign Language|German]].<ref name=Wittmann>{{cite web |author=Wittmann, Henri |date=1991 |title=Classification linguistique des langues signées non vocalement |publisher=Revue québécoise de linguistique théorique et appliquée 10:1.215–88 |url=http://www.nou-la.org/ling/1991a-class.pdf |language=fr |access-date=22 October 2015|author-link=Henri Wittmann }}</ref>

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:right"
|+ ''Language in Switzerland''{{efn|name=Structural survey|Since 2010, statistics of languages in Switzerland provided by the Swiss Federal Statistical Office are based on a national structural survey of 200,000 people aged 15 years and older (corresponding to 2.5% of the total resident population). Data are [[extrapolation|extrapolated]] to obtain statistical results for the whole population (aged 15 years and older). These results are estimates subject to some degree of uncertainty indicated by a [[confidence interval]]. Therefore, the figures of the structural survey may not be entirely comparable to data collection before 2010 based on census figures (counting every person living in Switzerland).<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bfs.admin.ch/bfs/en/home/statistics/population/surveys/se/methodological-basis-research-regional-partners.html|title=Methodological basis for research and regional partners [Accuracy of results; Cumulated data-pooling]|publisher=[[Federal Statistical Office (Switzerland)|Swiss Federal Statistical Office]]|location=Neuchâtel, Switzerland}}</ref>}}
! rowspan="2" | Language
! colspan="2" | 2000<ref>{{cite web |title=Tableau 7: Population résidante selon la langue principale avec au moins 600 locuteurs, en nombres absolus, en 2000 |publisher=Swiss Federal Statistical Office |location=Neuchâtel, Switzerland |quote=according to the 2000 census (over 1,000 speakers) }}</ref><br />Mother tongue
! colspan="2" | 2015{{Citation needed|reason=Previous citation does not provide any of the data in this column|date=January 2022}}<!--<ref>{{cite web |title=Population résidante permanente de 15 ans et plus, selon les langues principales, en 2015 |url=https://www.bfs.admin.ch/bfsstatic/dam/assets/1861437/master |publisher=Federal Statistical Office - FSO |location=Neuchâtel, Switzerland |format=XLS |language=fr |access-date=11 September 2019}}</ref>--><br/>Main language
! colspan="2" | 2018<ref>{{cite web |title=Population résidante permanente de 15 ans et plus, selon les langues principales, en 2018 |url=https://www.bfs.admin.ch/bfs/fr/home/statistiques/population/langues-religions/langues.assetdetail.11607335.html |publisher=Federal Statistical Office - FSO |location=Neuchâtel, Switzerland |format=XLS |language=fr |access-date=30 January 2020 |date=29 January 2020}}</ref><br />Main language
! colspan="2" | 2020<ref name="Languages_2020" /><ref>{{cite web |title= Langues principales depuis 1910: Population résidante permanente âgée de 15 ans ou plus |url=https://www.bfs.admin.ch/bfs/fr/home/statistiques/population/langues-religions/langues.assetdetail.20964042.html |publisher=Federal Statistical Office - FSO |location=Neuchâtel, Switzerland |format=XLS |language=fr |access-date=14 July 2022 |date=24 January 2022}}</ref><br />Main language
|-
! style="text-align:right"|Number
!  %
! Number
! %
! Number
! %
! Number
! %
|- 
| [[German language|German]]
|  4,639,762
| {{Pct | 4639762 |7288010 | 1 }}
|  4,424,150
| {{Pct | 4424150 |6907818 | 1 }}
|  4,458,156
| {{Pct | 4458156 |7084068 | 1 }}
|  4,477,946
| {{Pct | 4477946 |7187715 | 1 }}
|-
| [[French language|French]]
|  1,484,411
| {{Pct | 1484411 |7288010 | 1 }}
|  1,567,197
| {{Pct | 1567197 |6907818 | 1 }}
|  1,619,708
| {{Pct | 1619708 |7084068 | 1 }}
|  1,624,424
| {{Pct | 1624424 |7187715 | 1 }}
|-
| [[Italian language|Italian]]
|  470,961
| {{Pct | 470961 |7288010 | 1 }}
|  581,381
| {{Pct | 581381 |6907818 | 1 }}
|  593,646
| {{Pct | 593646 |7084068 | 1 }}
|  575,017
| {{Pct | 575017 |7187715 | 1 }}
|-
| [[Romansch language|Romansch]]
|  35,072
| {{Pct | 35072 |7288010 | 1 }}
|  40,299
| {{Pct | 40299 |6907818 | 1 }}
|  36,709
| {{Pct | 36709 |7084068 | 1 }}
|  35,938
| {{Pct | 35939 |7187715 | 1 }}
|-
| [[English language|English]]
|  73,422
| {{Pct | 73422 |7288010 | 1 }}
|  374,642
| {{Pct | 374642 |6907818 | 1 }}
|  471,056
| {{Pct | 414890 |7084068 | 1 }}
|  416,887
| {{Pct | 416887 |7187715 | 1 }}
|-
| [[Portuguese language|Portuguese]]
| 89,527
| {{Pct | 89527 |7288010 | 1 }}
|  256,560
| {{Pct |  256560 |6907818 | 1 }}
|
|
|  251,570
| {{Pct | 251570 |7187715 | 1 }}
|-
| [[Albanian language|Albanian]]
| 94,937
| {{Pct | 94937 |7288010 |1 }}
| 188,125
| {{Pct |  188125 |6907818 | 1 }}
|
|
|  230,007
| {{Pct | 230007 |7187715 | 1 }}
|-
| [[Serbo-Croatian]]
| 103,350
| {{Pct | 103350 |7288010 | 1 }}
| 161,882
| {{Pct |  161882 |6907818 | 1 }}
|
|
|  165,317
| {{Pct | 165317 |7187715 | 1 }}
|-
| [[Spanish language|Spanish]]
| 76,750
| {{Pct | 76750 |7288010 | 1}}
|  159,859
| {{Pct |  159859 |6907818 | 1 }}
|
|
|  172,505
| {{Pct | 172505 |7187715 | 1 }}
|-
| [[Turkish language|Turkish]]
| 44,523
| {{Pct | 44523 |7288010 | 1 }}
|  78,015
|{{Pct |78015 |6907818 | 1 }}
|-
| [[Arabic language|Arabic]]
| 14,345
| {{Pct | 14345|7288010 | 1 }}
|  36,857
|{{Pct |  36857|6907818| 1 }}
|-
| [[Russian language|Russian]]
| 8,570
| {{Pct |8570 |7288010 | 1 }}
|   32,244
|{{Pct |32444 |6907818| 1 }}
|-
| [[Tamil language|Tamil]]
| 21,816
| {{Pct | 21816|7288010 | 1 }}
|   31,145
|{{Pct | 31145|6907818| 1 }}
|-
| [[Polish language|Polish]]
| 5,206
| {{Pct |5206 |7288010 | 1 }}
|  24,881
|{{Pct | 24881|6907818| 1 }}
|-
| [[Dutch language|Dutch]]
| 11,840
| {{Pct | 11840|7288010 | 1 }}
|  22,357
|{{Pct | 22357|6907818| 1 }}
|-
| [[Hungarian language|Hungarian]]
| 6,194
| {{Pct |6194 |7288010 | 1 }}
| 20,597
|{{Pct | 20597|6907818| 1 }}
|-
| [[Kurdish language|Kurdish]]
| 7,531
| {{Pct |7531 |7288010 | 1 }}
|  19,401
|{{Pct | 19401|6907818| 1 }}
|-
| [[Thai language|Thai]]
| 7,569
| {{Pct | 7569|7288010 | 1 }}
| 14,528
| {{Pct | 14528|7288010 | 1 }}
|-
| [[Greek language|Greek]]
| 4,792
| {{Pct |4792 |7288010 | 1 }}
| 13,763
|{{Pct | 13763|6907818| 1 }}
|-
| [[Czech language|Czech]]
| 5,444
| {{Pct |5444 |7288010 | 1 }}
| 13,433
|{{Pct | 13433|6907818| 1 }}
|-
| [[Romanian language|Romanian]]
| 3,397
| {{Pct |3397 |7288010 | 1 }}
|   12,738
|{{Pct | 12738|6907818| 1 }}
|-
| [[Chinese language|Chinese]]
| 8,279
| {{Pct | 8279|7288010 | 1 }}
|  12,324
|{{Pct | 12324|6907818| 1 }}
|-
| [[Slovak language|Slovak]]
| 2,018
| {{Pct |2018 |7288010 | 1 }}
| 12,072
|{{Pct | 12072|6907818| 1 }}
|-
| [[Persian language|Persian]]
| 3,467
| {{Pct |3467 |7288010 | 1 }}
|   11,108
|{{Pct | 11108|6907818| 1 }}
|-
| [[Macedonian language|Macedonian]]
| 6,415
| {{Pct |6415 |7288010 | 1 }}
|   10,698
|{{Pct | 10698|6907818| 1 }}
|-
| [[Swedish language|Swedish]]
| 5,560
| {{Pct |5560 |7288010 | 1 }}
|   8,771
|{{Pct | 8771|6907818| 1 }}
|-
| [[Vietnamese language|Vietnamese]]
| 4,226
| {{Pct |4226 |7288010 | 1 }}
|  6,720
|{{Pct | 6720|6907818| 1 }}
|-
| [[Tagalog language|Tagalog]]
| 3,019
| {{Pct |3019 |7288010 | 1 }}
|  6,275
|{{Pct | 6275|6907818| 1 }}
|-
| [[Japanese language|Japanese]]
| 4,100
| {{Pct |4100 |7288010 | 1 }}
| 6,001
|{{Pct | 6001|6907818| 1 }}
|-
| [[Danish language|Danish]]
| 2,739
| {{Pct |2739 |7288010 | 1 }}
| 5,272
|{{Pct | 5272|6907818| 1 }}
|-
| [[Standard Tibetan language|Tibetan]]
| 1,108
| {{Pct |1108 |7288010 | 1 }}
| 5,219
|{{Pct |  5219|6907818| 1 }}
|-
| [[Bulgarian language|Bulgarian]]
| 1,579
| {{Pct |1579 |7288010 | 1 }}
|  4,583
|{{Pct | 4583|6907818| 1 }}
|-
| [[Finnish language|Finnish]]
| 2,628
| {{Pct |2628 |7288010 | 1 }}
| 4,299
|{{Pct | 4299|6907818| 1 }}
|-
| [[Hindi]]-[[Urdu language|Urdu]]
| 1,407
| {{Pct |1407 |7288010 | 1 }}
|  3,846
|{{Pct |  3846|6907818| 1 }}
|-
| [[Slovene language|Slovene]]
| 1,601
| {{Pct |1601 |7288010 | 1 }}
|3,690
|{{Pct | 3960|6907818| 1 }}
|-
| [[Somali language|Somali]]
| 2,661
| {{Pct |2661 |7288010 | 1 }}
| 3,607
|{{Pct | 3607|6907818| 1 }}
|-
| [[Aramaic language|Aramaic]]
| 1,333
| {{Pct |1333 |7288010 | 1 }}
| 2,465
|{{Pct |  2465|6907818| 1 }}
|-
| [[Hebrew language|Hebrew]]
| 1,176
| {{Pct |1176 |7288010 | 1 }}
|   2,159
|{{Pct |  2159|6907818| 1 }}
|-
| [[Norwegian language|Norwegian]]
| 1,361
| {{Pct |1361 |7288010 | 1 }}
| 2,108
|{{Pct |  2108|6907818| 1 }}
|-
| [[Korean language|Korean]]
| 1,202
| {{Pct |1202 |7288010 | 1 }}
|  1,816
|{{Pct |  1816|6907818| 1 }}
|-
| Other languages
|
| 
| 77,751
|{{Pct | 77751 |6907818 | 1 }}
| 1,255,656
|{{Pct | 1255656 |7084068 | 1 }}
|  589,393
| {{Pct | 589393 |7187715 | 1 }}
|}

==Neo-Latin==
{{See also|Name of Switzerland}}
[[File:Fünffranken (cropped).jpg|thumb|180px|A [[coins of the Swiss franc|Swiss five-franc coin]] with the [[Latin]] inscription ''Confoederatio Helvetica'']]
[[File:Bundeshaus Bern 2009, Flooffy.jpg|thumb|The Federal Palace of Switzerland, with the Latin inscription ''{{Smallcaps|Curia Confoederationis Helveticae}}'']]

To avoid having to translate the [[name of Switzerland]] into the four national languages,{{efn|name=Name of Switzerland|When there is no room to use the four official languages, unlike on the [[banknotes of the Swiss franc]], on the logo of the [[Federal administration of Switzerland]] and on the [[Swiss passport]].}} [[Latin]] is used on the [[coins of the Swiss franc]] (''[[Helvetia]]'' or ''Confoederatio Helvetica'') and on [[Swiss stamps]] (''Helvetia''). The [[country code top-level domain]] for Switzerland on the internet is [[.ch]], the abbreviation of the Latin name, ''Confoederatio Helvetica'' (Swiss Confederation); similarly, the [[International vehicle registration code]] for Swiss automobiles is "CH". The [[Federal Palace of Switzerland]] bears the inscription ''{{Smallcaps|Curia Confoederationis Helveticae}}''.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Bern_Parliament_Pediment_Inscription_2019-09-14_00-09.jpg |last=Tschentscher |first=Axel |title=File:Bern Parliament Pediment Inscription 2019-09-14 00-09.jpg |website=commons.wikimedia.org |date=14 September 2019 |access-date=22 March 2020 }}</ref>

To have a unique name across the country (without favoring German, French or any other language), several Swiss foundations and associations have Latin names, such as [[Pro Helvetia]], Pro Infirmis, [[Pro Juventute]], [[Pro Natura (Switzerland)|Pro Natura]], [[Pro Patria (association)|Pro Patria]], Pro Senectute, [[Pro Specie Rara]], [[Helvetia Nostra]], and many more.

==See also==
* [[Swiss people]]
* [[Demographics of Switzerland]]
* [[Röstigraben]], referring to the asserted difference in mentality between German Swiss and the French-speaking Romands
* [[Swiss literature]]
* [[List of multilingual countries and regions]]

==Notes==
{{notelist}}

{{Clear}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Languages of Switzerland}}
*[http://ignorethecode.net/blog/2009/07/07/auto-correcting-german-and-swiss-german/ Swiss German]
*[http://www.eldrid.ch/swgerman.htm A quick guide to the Swiss German language]
*[http://www.all-about-switzerland.info/swiss-german-dialects.html Characteristics of Swiss German dialects]
*[http://www.sieps.ch sieps.ch] Information Services on Swiss Private Schools and Universities
*[http://www.pimsleur.com/Learn-Swiss-german Pimsleur Swiss German] Pimsleur Swiss German Course

{{Languages of Switzerland}}
{{Switzerland topics}}
{{Languages of Europe}}
{{Portal bar|Language|Switzerland}}
{{Authority control}}

[[als:Romandie]]

{{DEFAULTSORT:Languages of Switzerland}}
[[Category:Languages of Switzerland| ]]
[[Category:Regions of Switzerland|Linguistic]]
[[Category:Geography of Switzerland]]
[[Category:Regions of Europe with multiple official languages| ]]

[[af:Romandie]]
[[cs:Romandie]]
[[it:Svizzera Italiana]]
[[nn:Romandie]]
[[pl:Romandia]]
[[sv:Romandiet]]