Röstigraben – językowa fosa w poprzek Szwajcarii

Abstract

Röstigraben – Language Moat across Switzerland One of the enduring characteristics of Europe is the influence of the Roman and Germanic cultures on the continent. Switzerland is a case of these cultures crisscrossing each other. Röstigraben refers to the intra‑Swiss, informal Franco‑German language boundary. Here I analyze the relationship between the two language groups, first from the historical perspective and, second, from the sociological and political perspectives. The main question I ask is whether or not Röstigraben, which runs from the North to the South, splits the Swiss or bonds them. I argue that the dynamics of the relations between the two groups bonds them by not exposing the differences between them.

Keywords

• Switzerland
• multiculturalism
• Europe’s cultural history