Photo/Foto: www.eda.admin.ch

Romansh Language Week

The slogan of the Romansh language week (Emna Rumantscha) is “Rumantsch: in ferm toc Svizra“, Romansh: an essential part of Switzerland.

The Federal Ministry of Foreign Affairs is organising this event in cooperation with the Canton of Graubünden and the Romansh Radio and Television Broadcasting Corporation (Radiotelevisiun Svizra Rumantscha, RTR).

The aim is to raise awareness, understanding and knowledge of the Romansh language and culture. Romansh is not just a language. Its direct predecessors are the Rhaetian language and (vulgar) Latin. This makes it one of the oldest languages in Europe.

The national languages of Switzerland are German, French, Italian and Romansh (Article 4 of the Swiss Constitution). There is no hierarchy of national languages. This multilingualism and cultural diversity are both a challenge and an enrichment.

Promoting minority languages in Switzerland is part of a continuous political dialogue of the federal government.

(Source and further information: www.eda.admin.ch).