<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><p>Specific historical and linguistic circumstances gave way to a Swiss original concept of a multilingual state as the nation of the will. The discussion concerns problems inherent to the unity-in-diversity philosophy and the proportional representation of national languages within the framework of the Swiss constitution, including the legislation protecting language and the language principles obtaining in Switzerland. Drawing on the language ideology studies, this paper shows how the linguistic diversity is designed on the administrative level and what provisions have been made to maintain multilingualism. The discussion also addresses and concludes on the ever timely questions of diversity, pluralism and intergroup cooperation fostered by the Swiss political and social culture.</p></abstract>

Specific historical and linguistic circumstances gave way to a Swiss original concept of a multilingual state as the nation of the will. The discussion concerns problems inherent to the unity-in-diversity philosophy and the proportional representation of national languages within the framework of the Swiss constitution, including the legislation protecting language and the language principles obtaining in Switzerland. Drawing on the language ideology studies, this paper shows how the linguistic diversity is designed on the administrative level and what provisions have been made to maintain multilingualism. The discussion also addresses and concludes on the ever timely questions of diversity, pluralism and intergroup cooperation fostered by the Swiss political and social culture.

Swiss Multilingualism: A Historical Background to Language Policy

Studies in Logic, Grammar and Rhetoric

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 License.

{"article-title":"Swiss Multilingualism: A Historical Background to Language Policy"}

Specific historical and linguistic circumstances gave way to a Swiss original concept of a multilingual state as the nation of the will. The discussion...

Swiss Multilingualism: A Historical Background to Language Policy

Published Online: Jan 10, 2020

Page range: 69 - 84

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/slgr-2019-0029

Keywords
multilingualism, linguistic peace, territoriality principle, federal constitution

© 2019 Agnieszka Stępkowska, published by Sciendo

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 License.

Swiss Multilingualism: A Historical Background to Language Policy

Published Online: Jan 10, 2020

Page range: 69 - 84

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/slgr-2019-0029

Keywordsmultilingualism, linguistic peace, territoriality principle, federal constitution

© 2019 Agnieszka Stępkowska, published by Sciendo

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 License.

Keywords
multilingualism, linguistic peace, territoriality principle, federal constitution