Today in Switzerland, Romansh enjoys great popularity—books are written and songs are sung in it—and yet it is considered endangered
Romansh is a unique phenomenon both in cultural-political and linguistic terms, notes the portal Swissinfo.ch. It emerged at the intersection of Vulgar Latin and local dialects. Currently, only 0.5% of the country's population consider Romansh their native language. Today, according to UNESCO, it is classified as an endangered language.
In 1938, the threat to this language came from fascism in Mussolini's Italy. From the "Duce's" point of view, Romansh is merely a "Lombard dialect," and therefore all regions of the canton of Graubünden where this language is spoken, as well as the canton of Ticino, should "return to the motherland."
And that is precisely why at the referendum on February 20, 1938, the people of Switzerland so decisively defended Romansh, granting it the official legal status of the fourth "national" language alongside German, Italian, and French. This referendum sent a signal to any external forces that believe linguistic unity alone allows them to claim the annexation of territories that "by mistake" ended up in other countries.
In the view of the Confederation's citizens, linguistic unity, for example, between "German" Switzerland and Germany, does not mean that the German-speaking cantons should one day "return" to Germany, following the model of annexed Austria. The same logic applied in their minds regarding Romansh.
Today, there are no external threats to Romansh, but there are internal problems. This was discussed at a press conference dedicated to the historic referendum by Johannes Flury, president of the linguistic organization for the protection of Romansh interests, "Lia Rumantscha." From his perspective, all major problems can be grouped into three categories.
1. Demographics. Young people are leaving the mountain valleys of Graubünden where Romansh is spoken, primarily for reasons related to education and career opportunities. There is very little work in Romansh-speaking areas; the Alps are emptying.
2. Mass media. According to "Lia Rumantscha," the presence of full-fledged mass media using Romansh to describe complex modern phenomena plays a significant role in preserving this language as a full-fledged means of communication. Currently, the media situation is very difficult: print media in Romansh has practically died out, and television may follow, especially if on March 4, 2018, the country's people approve the so-called popular legislative initiative "NoBillag."
3. Globalization. Romansh areas are currently experiencing an "invasion" from German-speaking regions of the country. Added to this are foreign tourists and guest workers, primarily from Portugal, who find Romansh easy due to its distant kinship with Romance languages in general. On the other hand, migration flows are making Romansh widespread even outside its traditional areas. Currently, at least a third of those for whom Romansh is native live outside the canton of Graubünden.
Johannes Flury recalls that under current legislation, federal authorities allocate targeted financial aid to the cantons of Graubünden and Ticino to support and develop minority languages. And that is good. On the other hand, this same law prohibits using these funds outside the designated cantons, meaning, for example, opening a kindergarten in Romansh in Zurich is currently impossible.
Thus, "there has long been a need to revise the relevant legislative framework," says J. Flury. In his view, the solution could be based on legal practice. For example, in Switzerland, anyone can file a complaint or lawsuit in Romansh in any canton, not just in Graubünden.
The same should be done for the language as a whole—it must be effectively recognized as a national language throughout the country, so that funds received for its support can be invested in all cantons and regions where there is a compact population of native Romansh speakers.