Language Research

Switzerland is not the only officially multilingual state in Europe, but it is possibly the only one in which a high degree of multilingualism is practiced, within and beyond the framework established by the Federal Parliament. The language question has not yet become a political problem, nor is one ethno-linguistic group so dominant that the marginalized group is expected to learn and use language of majority. It is not a nation-state like France, Britain or Germany in which the standard national language functions as a symbolic rallying point for national sentiment but it is a state in which there are strong shared elements which can be gathered together to form a "national identity".

It would be a tragedy if Switzerland were not able to find its place in a united Europe, to which it could give its rich experience of relatively harmonious coexistence and resulting prosperity among four different ethno-linguistic groups. In order to do so, however, it must first recognize its enormous cultural and political capital. This can only be accomplished by each ethno-linguistic group recognizing and learning to respect the wishes and fears of the others.

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