Swiss Review 3/2021

Swiss Review / June 2021 / No.3 3 La pitschna Svizra è in pajais pluriling , in pajais cun gist quatter linguas naziunalas uffizialas: Quai accentuain nus adina puspè gugent. Nus descrivain quest fatg sco insatge prezius è spezial. Mo apunta, i dependa. Pajais na discurran betg. Ils umans sun quels che discurran – en ina lingua u apunta en pliras linguas. Igl è dimena decisiv sch`ins viva en in pajais pluriling cun umans plurilings ensemen ubain sche gruppas d´ina suletta lingua vivan ina sper l´autra. Tar l´emprim cas stat diversitad linguistica per ritgezza e multifariadad, tar l´auter cas plitost per foss e cunfins. Nua stan las Svizras ed ils Svizzers dimena en chaussa pluri­ linguitad? Be fitg paucs èn famigliarisads cun tut las quatter linguas svizras. Tuttina n´è la plurilinguitad betg be in mitus. La nova enquista da l´uffizi federal da statistica demussa: La plurilinguitad da la populaziun svizra per­ manenta s´augmenta cuntinuant. Actualmain duvran 68 da 100 persunas regularmainduas, trais, quatter udapli linguas en lurmintgadi. 68 pertschient vivan propi pluriling: Precis quai è la valur a la quala ins avess da mesirar la plurilinguitad d´in pajais. Perhaps you speak each of Switzerland’s four national languages. Or perhaps you don’t. Or maybe your Romansh is a bit rusty. Whatever the case, the passage above speaks of the linguistic diversity that we Swiss naturally like to think of as something quite precious. Although it depends on howyou look at it. After all, countries don’t speak – people speak. In a single language, or even in several. The decisive factor in a multilingual country is whether multilingual people engagewith each other – orwhether respective language communities keep to themselves. In the first case, language diversity is a valuable cultural asset. In the latter, it is a source of division. What about people in Switzerland? Very few of us speak all four national languages. Nevertheless, new surveys show thatmultilingualism is nomyth. Switzerland’s permanent resident population is becoming more polyglot, with 68 per cent currently saying that they use two, three, four or more lan­ guages on an everyday basis. In other words, 68 per cent live multilingual lives – a figure that gauges our true flair for languages. This edition’s Focus article examines what this means in practice. Perhaps another thing to consider is that language diversity boils down to more than just linguistic aptitude – it is also a frame of mind and a reflec­ tion of our willingness to understand other people. MARC LETTAU, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Editorial 5 Mailbag 6 Focus Switzerland – a nation of polyglots 10 Politics Switzerland outlaws the burka 12 Images Philippe Rahm and the art of human warmth 16 Literature Ernst Frey crossed the USA as a tramp from 1891 to 1894 News from your region 17 Covid-19 Swiss politicians tried to silence the scientists 19 Profile Genevan sailor Alan Roura is most at home on the open sea 21 Report The Ghost Festival – huge numbers but uncannily quiet 25 SwissCommunity news 28 Notes from the Federal Palace 30 Books / Sounds 31 Top pick / News Contents Bainvegnì en il pajais da las bleras linguas Cover photo: Swiss mezzo-soprano Stephanie Szanto (stephanieszanto.ch ) – make-up: Sinem Yavsaner; photo: Danielle Liniger “Swiss Review”, the information magazine for the “Fifth Switzerland”, is published by the Organisation of the Swiss Abroad