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Swiss-German banned in Bern

Thursday, 4 May 2023 06:30

While it’s well-known Switzerland has four official languages – that doesn’t extend to the different dialects of Swiss German.

The House of Representatives in Bern has voted to ban speeches in Swiss German – speeches in German, should be in high-German, they say. 

Swiss German is experiencing a revival as the young are using it more – especially on social media. 

Some parliamentarians pointed out that there is such a thing as Swiss-French, but French speakers use standard French in parliament. 

There are worries if several different dialects were used in parliament – it would make life more difficult for the interpreters, who would have to have a knowledge of all the variations. 

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