Language

Switzerland has four national languages. French, German, Italian and Romansh. English, though not an official language, is often used to bridge the divides.

German is spoken by about 64%
French by about 20%
Italian by about 7%
Romansh is spoken by less than one per cent of the total population.

The most notable linguistic fact about German-speaking Switzerland is the use of dialect for spoken communication and standard German for written communication. French is spoken in the west of the country, while Italian is spoken in Ticino and the south of neighbouring Graubünden, and Romansh is spoken only in Graubünden. However, there are language minorities from elsewhere in all the major cities.