Life in the chocolate Factory – bring a dictionary, in fact bring several!
Switzerland is a unique country in that it has not two languages but four. French, German, Italian and Romansch.
Swiss- German or Schweitzer Deutsch is the most widely spoken and largest grouping in Switzerland. It’s slightly different to normal High-German, and a lot more guttural. I listened to a half-dozen Swiss-Army reservists (like the National Guard) chatting on the train on the way to/from a training session and it was very ‘Achh, ach..ach’.. I thought they were getting ready to all hawk a lugey out the windows at times!
Politicians are usually fluent in several languages too – mostly French and German or German an Italian. Most even speak English as well which puts the rest of us in the shade! And they switch back and forth like turning on a light. Whoa!
The language barriers can be very clearly defined. I went to Fribourg in Central Switzerland a few months ago with a friend who was working on a start-up company and had asked me to create his budgets and finance plan etc. Fribourg is a lovely town that sits just on one side of the river ‘something or other’ and they speak French. Walk 15 metres across the bridge though and it’s nothing but Swiss-German. It’s that quick! All the road signs change, the menus, everything. It’s a trip!
The attitudes change too. The French and Italian sides are noticeably more laid back and liberal - 'life is for living' - whilst the German side is much more conservative and serious - 'we have rules for a reason' - it is like separate countries but they are all very proud of the 'Helvetic Confederation'. But the Swiss are all still very Swiss and it doesn’t pay to mess with a Swiss Policeman. But if you must, just do it in the French or Italian cantons – then you’ll only spend one night in jail – not the whole week!
Au Revoir, Guten Tag, Arrivaderci, Bye....
Switzerland is a unique country in that it has not two languages but four. French, German, Italian and Romansch.
Swiss- German or Schweitzer Deutsch is the most widely spoken and largest grouping in Switzerland. It’s slightly different to normal High-German, and a lot more guttural. I listened to a half-dozen Swiss-Army reservists (like the National Guard) chatting on the train on the way to/from a training session and it was very ‘Achh, ach..ach’.. I thought they were getting ready to all hawk a lugey out the windows at times!
Politicians are usually fluent in several languages too – mostly French and German or German an Italian. Most even speak English as well which puts the rest of us in the shade! And they switch back and forth like turning on a light. Whoa!
The language barriers can be very clearly defined. I went to Fribourg in Central Switzerland a few months ago with a friend who was working on a start-up company and had asked me to create his budgets and finance plan etc. Fribourg is a lovely town that sits just on one side of the river ‘something or other’ and they speak French. Walk 15 metres across the bridge though and it’s nothing but Swiss-German. It’s that quick! All the road signs change, the menus, everything. It’s a trip!
The attitudes change too. The French and Italian sides are noticeably more laid back and liberal - 'life is for living' - whilst the German side is much more conservative and serious - 'we have rules for a reason' - it is like separate countries but they are all very proud of the 'Helvetic Confederation'. But the Swiss are all still very Swiss and it doesn’t pay to mess with a Swiss Policeman. But if you must, just do it in the French or Italian cantons – then you’ll only spend one night in jail – not the whole week!
Au Revoir, Guten Tag, Arrivaderci, Bye....
posted by Captain Nemo at 3:20 pm
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