The Languages of Switzerland

29 November 2018

Celts, Romans, Alemann: the names are familiar in Switzerland. The exhibition  ’Archaeology in Switzerland’ gives an overview of their history.

The Celtic tribes spoke the same language and shared the same (religious) culture.

The Romans brought unity in language, law, culture, political system and economy, a process called romanisation nowadays.

However, this unity was rather fragile and collapsed after the departure of the Romans in the fifth century. Frankish rulers united the territory again and introduced Christianity, abbeys, bishoprics and a central administrative system. Charlemagne was their most effective ruler.

One development could not be turned back, however: the linguistic variety of Switzerland, the result of the Roman and Romansh heritage, the French-speaking kingdoms of Burgundy in the west, the Frankish rule, the arrival of the German-speaking Alemanni in the centre, north and east of the country, the migration of the German-speaking Walser in the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries and the Italian languages in the south of the country.

(Further information: www.nationalmuseum.ch).