Wait! What, Switzerland? – a guide to better understand the peculiarities of Switzerland

I love random knowledge. The kind of knowledge that quite often is useless, but then you meet that one person who is interested in philosophy and British humor and is fascinated that you can sing Monty Python’s Philosopher’s Song by heart. And Switzerland is full of things that make me go “but wait, what?”.

So that’s what I’m going to do in this blog. I’ll do my best to share the answers to those “but wait, what?” questions related to Switzerland. The kind of answers you don’t find on your average travel blog. How do they communicate? Why don’t they cross the language border? Why is Swiss wine so expensive? WHAT ON EARTH IS SCHWINGEN???

How this curiosity about Switzerland started

I became aware of this the first time I crossed the language border, the Röschtigraben or Rideau de Rösti (more on that in a future post). During the crash course I had about Swiss culture, I was told that Swiss learn the language of their city/village and another official one, meaning, if you had studied in Zurich, you would have learned Standard German as first language and French or Italian as a second one. So, I was sure my basic knowledge of French would be useful to help me navigate Zurich. Oh boy, was I wrong! I soon realized it would be easier, faster and less painful for both parts if I spoke English.

But wait, how does the French part communicate with the German part of Switzerland? And how about the Italians?

Basically, in daily life they do what I did.

First, they try to find a common “Swiss” language that all parts feel comfortable with. If that doesn’t happen, they usually switch to English. If English isn’t a possibility, well, then I assume the universal “pointing at things” kicks in.

How about official matters, for example, a meeting of the Federal Council (Bundesrat for those who speak German and Conseil Fédéral for those who speak French)?

According to the article “‘I Can English Understand,’ New Official Says. The Swiss Have Their Doubts.” from the New York Times, “in meetings people often speak French and German in the same discussion, depending on which one they feel more comfortable with.”.

Great! But do I care about this?

Well, you don’t have to. But, finding out the answers to those questions allowed me to understand a bit better this complex country and its people. Also provided me easy conversation topics when meeting locals, as Swiss are (in general) very proud of their culture. So next time you find yourself in an Apèro and the weather has been scrutinized enough, bring up one of the topics you will read about here. I guarantee you won’t be left in the void.

Uf wiederluege!