what kind of language does switzerland speak?
Romansh language French Language German Language Italian Language
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 The federal government is obliged to communicate in the official languages , and in the federal parliament simultaneous translation is provided from and into German , French and Italian . 

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 Three of Europe 's major languages are official in Switzerland . Swiss culture is characterised by diversity , which is reflected in a wide range of traditional customs . A region may be in some ways strongly culturally connected to the neighbouring country that shares its language , the country itself being rooted in western European culture . The linguistically isolated Romansh culture in Graubünden in eastern Switzerland constitutes an exception , it survives only in the upper valleys of the Rhine and the Inn and strives to maintain its rare linguistic tradition . 

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 The principal official languages ( German , French , and Italian ) have terms , not used outside of Switzerland , known as Helvetisms . German Helvetisms are , roughly speaking , a large group of words typical of Swiss Standard German , which do not appear either in Standard German , nor in other German dialects . These include terms from Switzerland 's surrounding language cultures ( German Billette from French ) , from similar term in another language ( Italian azione used not only as act but also as discount from German Aktion ) . The French spoken in Switzerland has similar terms , which are equally known as Helvetisms . The most frequent characteristics of Helvetisms are in vocabulary , phrases , and pronunciation , but certain Helvetisms denote themselves as special in syntax and orthography likewise . Duden , one of the prescriptive sources for Standard German , is aware of about 3000 Helvetisms . Current French dictionaries , such as the Petit Larousse , include several hundred Helvetisms . 

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 Spanning the intersection of Germanic and Romance Europe , Switzerland comprises four main linguistic and cultural regions : German , French , Italian and Romansh . Although the majority of the population are German speaking , Swiss national identity is rooted in a common historical background , shared values such as federalism and direct democracy , and Alpine symbolism . Due to its linguistic diversity , Switzerland is known by a variety of native names : Schweiz [ ˈʃvaɪts ] ( German ) ; Suisse [ sɥis ( ə ) ] ( French ) ; Svizzera [ ˈzvittsera ] ( Italian ) ; and Svizra [ ˈʒviːtsrɐ ] or [ ˈʒviːtsʁːɐ ] ( Romansh ) . 

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 As the Confederation , from its foundation in 1291 , was almost exclusively composed of German @-@ speaking regions , the earliest forms of literature are in German . In the 18th century , French became the fashionable language in Bern and elsewhere , while the influence of the French @-@ speaking allies and subject lands was more marked than before . 
