Article: Do you speak English? Jaa, es bitzli. (the Swiss although wanting their children to use English in international dealings, can not decide on a single language policy in all of its cantons)(Brief Article)

ST NIKLAUSEN, LUCERNE

BESIDES Nazi gold and bank mergers, Switzerland has a language problem. The trouble is not a shortage of tongues, for the Swiss have four of their own. Some 65% speak one variety or another of Swiss-German, 18% French, 10% Italian and nearly 1% one of the four Romansh dialects used in some of the valleys in the canton of the Grisons (alias GraubCunden, Grigioni or Grischun). There are also the languages of the many immigrant workers. The problem is that many Swiss parents, not to mention businessmen who want to talk to colleagues abroad, would like more Swiss children to go out into the world with a better command of English.

At the ...

Related newspaper, magazine, and journal articles:

 
 
Newsweek Harper's Magazine The Washington Post Chicago Tribune Crain's Chicago Business PRNewswire Pediatric News The Nation Advertising Age The Economist (US) A FREE trial gives you access to over 80 million articles! Access over 6,500 publications with a FREE trial!