Is it correct to assume that more Swiss seniors are fluent in 3 Swiss languages but not English and more Swiss youths fluent in their Swiss mother tongue + English?
Is English quickly becoming defacto 4th Swiss official language? (Given how widespread it is).
My experience is that many seniors have good English
When I first came here some 30 years ago, I was in a little village supermarket looking for some time at the wine selection. An old man who worked there came to say hello and then said, âIs the wine not to your taste, sir?â
A few days later I was walking and saw an ancient farmer in a smock with a huge beard, I got talking and he had lived in California for 20 years.
In my opinion and from my experience, simply being fluent in the three Swiss languages isnât enough to get hired by the federal government in Bern. Youâll likely need additional qualifications as well. In Switzerland, and across Europe, being multilingual has long been common. However, itâs true that many Swiss youths are increasingly focused on learning English over a second Swiss language, since English is the language of globalization and offers many opportunities for those who master it.
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If you or your children want to learn another Swiss language, I would strongly recommend starting before the teenage years if possible. It makes a huge difference! Learning a language at a younger age is easier and faster than trying to pick it up in your mid-twenties or later. When you re young, your brain is more adaptable and better at picking up new sounds, grammar, and vocabulary, which makes it easier to become fluent. As you get older, it becomes harder because your brain isnât as flexible, and you become more set in the patterns of your native language.
For example, Italian and Russian were the two non-native languages I learned from scratch. I started learning Italian when I was about 7 years old. Now, I have a very advanced command of the language. I donât need to think ahead about what I want to say, and I can easily write an essay without using a dictionary or any other help.
On the other hand, I began learning Russian in my mid-20s, despite taking a few Russian classes in college in America. Even after living and studying in Russia for about five years and visiting the country often, I still struggle to converse in Russian unless itâs simple, casual sentences at an A2 to B1 level. I have to think carefully about what I want to say to avoid using the wrong word or verb. Writing an essay is very challenging, even with a dictionary at hand, and online translators like Google/Yandex Translate can sometimes cause more confusion than help.
My experience with learning Russian has been incredibly useful in helping me understand why so many foreigners in Switzerland struggle with German and French, even after many years of living here. Itâs a reminder that the opportunities to practice it, can make a significant difference in how fluent and comfortable you become.
To truly learn a swiss language, itâs crucial not to fall into the habit of sticking to an English-speaking environment and rarely interacting with locals. If you only socialize and work in English, youâll never fully immerse yourself in the local culture or language. To make real progress, you need to step out of that comfort zone, engage with the local community, and use the language in everyday situations.
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In big cities - yes.
I think there is zero chance politically of English becoming an official language in Switzerland. Taking the long-term view, Chinese is probably a more obvious choice.
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I agree not an official language but perhaps a companion language, one to be used in interactions between the official languages.
India has something similar and some of the federal courts transact their business solely in English.
If everyone learned their local languages plus English perhaps the rösti-grabund would become a hash-browns ditch. 
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Romansh is an âofficialâ language, and yet only 0.5% of the population speak it. English is not an official language and probably 50% of the population speaks it at some level (ok, maybe 20% in the French cantons :)). So the term âofficialâ doesnât really mean much in practical terms.
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I can understand why its hard to learn Russian. Their grammar and script is probably as hard as Asian languages. They have a bunch of reverse letters: E, R, N, W etc. So its not easy for foreigners who are used to latin script. Italian on the other hand has many similarities with English. I agree with u that itâs best to interact with Swiss people and not be limited to anglophone environment. Thatâs why I think going to an international school - private school is a bad idea and better to attend cantonal schools - public.
Chinese is way to hard to learn. I doubt it can ever replace English as the global communication language. Esperento tried and failed and itâs easier than Chinese.
English has similarities with many languages. I love this quote:
The problem with defending the purity of the English language is that English is about as pure as a cribhouse whore. We donât just borrow words; on occasion, English has pursued other languages down alleyways to beat them unconscious and rifle their pockets for loose grammar and new vocabulary.
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Yes it does actually. All those official documents, all conversations with authorities if and when they choose to get stuffy about the language of communication. Obviously at street level, English has become more common in the last forty years, and there are a number of companies for whom English is the main language of communication, but it is not and is not likely in the near future to become an official language.
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As far as I know, in order to become official, a language must be in the majority in a Gemeinde which is not the case with English. If one day a few languages obtain official status then my bet would be on English, Spanish, Portuguese, Albanian, Turkish, Polish, Croatian, Serbian, Tamil and Arabic. So many languages no wonder as you say things wonât change anytime soon.
I donât think itâs anything to do with majorities, I think itâs enshrined in the federal constitution, isnât it?
Absolutely. And Cantonal Constitutions as well. There are no Cantons with four languages, one with three, six with two and the other 19 only one.
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Article 4
which canton has 3 languages? GraubĂŒnden? Three official ones?
yep, in fact thatâs so. I never realized that 
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Itâs a great quiz question.
Romansh is a national language (such rules the constitution) but not an official one.
Die Amtssprachen des Bundes sind Deutsch, Französisch und Italienisch. In diesen drei Sprachen kommunizieren der Bundesrat und die Bundesverwaltung nach aussen. Hinzu kommen in bestimmten FÀllen das RÀtoromanische oder das Englische.
Sprachpolitik
The official languages of the Confederation are German, French and Italian. The Federal Council and the Federal Administration communicate with the outside world in these three languages. Rhaeto-Romanic and English are also used in certain cases.
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I find this clip quite entertaining.
Slightly off-topic, but fascinating!
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