What's the language in Switzerland?

Do you know the answer to this question? Chances are, if you take a guess, you’ll be at least partially right. You see, Switzerland has four official languages…German, French, Italian, and Romansh. Most of the country speaks Swiss German (which Germans can’t understand), but they write and are taught in standard German. If a Swiss native is talking with a German or Austrian, they will usually switch to accommodate them.

Now if that’s not confusing enough, most regions, even valleys, add their own dialect, making every 20 miles technically another language. (Not that we can understand any of it in the first place.) Our stay near Gruyere was in the French region and our host said we would find over a dozen different Swiss-French dialects within 50 miles. Near Lugano it will be back to Italian - with a Swiss flair of course.

I’m still not sure how a government can go about business with so many languages and dialects within its borders. And speaking of the government, did you know they have the final say on names for your new baby? All baby names must be submitted and approved by the government. For this reason you will not find a Swiss named Paris (that’s a city), seven (that’s a number), or moonbeam (that’s a light in the sky).