ROMANSH 2
GOVORITE LI ROMANŠ? JEZIK LANGUAGE
The financial capital of Switzerland is, according to the results of a survey from last year, still the most expensive city in Europe and the third most expensive in the world, after Singapore and Hong Kong. Last year’s ten most expensive cities on the planet also in- cluded Geneva, ranked seventh, so if you come to Switzerland you should bear in mind that you will have to spend more on enter- tainment than you would in other European cities. But don’t let that demoralise you. Zurich has so much to offer that you won’t be sorry for the money spent. This is the country’ big- gest city, though as you know it’s not the capital – that honour be- longs to Bern. As many as 30 per cent of its residents are foreign- ers, and though there are four different languages spoken equally throughout the country, Zurich here can be spelled in as many as six ways! When it comes to points of interest, it should be noted that Zurich is the proud owner of the biggest church clock face in Europe. Yes, that clock is even bigger than Big Ben’s! Situated in the heart of the old town, on the Church of St. Peter, the clock was added to the tower in 1366 and served for centuries as the standard for accurate local time in Zurich. With a diameter measuring 8.64 metres, the dials of this church’s clocks are still the biggest in Europe. Zurich is also specific in having more than 1,200 fountains. It is true
DO YOU SPEAK
Tekst / Words: Branka Gajić
J edna šaljiva opaska kaže: „Da bi razumeli jedni druge, Švajcarci govore en- gleski.” Šala prilično logična, budući da su u ovoj zemlji zastupljena čak če- tiri službena jezika. Ukupno 63,7% populacije Švajcarske govori nemačkim jezikom. Slede francuski sa 20,4%, italijanski (6,5%), a potom i retoroman- ski, takozvani romanš, koji govori oko 0,5 odsto stanovništva, najviše u kanto- nu Graubinden.
Retoromani, grupa nekoliko manjih naroda koji su deo švajcarske nacije, pretežno žive u istočnim de- lovima ove zemlje, u kantonu Graubinden. Iako či- ne manje od jednog procenta populacije, njihov je- zik i danas opstaje, i to u nekoliko dijalekata. Smatra se da Retoromani potiču od drevnih Retijaca ili Re- ta, plemena po kojima je dobila ime rimska provin- cija Retija.
A TU JE I LATINSKI
Confederatio Helvetica je službeno ime države na latinskom jeziku. La- tinski se koristi za ime- novanje zemlje kako bi se izbeglo favorizovanje jednog od četiri zvanična jezika. Odatle i upotreba skraćenice CH.
Po švajcarskom ustavu iz 1999. godine, osim podat- ka da je retoromanski jedan od četiri zvanična jezika, stoji i da je u komunikaciji s ljudima retoromanskog porekla, romanš takođe službeni jezik Švajcarske Konfederacije. Ovaj dokument ne precizira mesta u kojima se govori ovim jezicima, već je u nadležnosti svakog kantona da sam izabere svoj službeni jezik, uz obavezu poštovanja je- zičke manjine i istorije te regije. Prema proceni Uneska, na čitavoj planeti govori se oko 6.000 jezika, a gotovo polovini u bliskoj budućnosti preti izumiranje. Lingvisti procenjuju da šansa za opstanak jezika zavisi i od relativnog bogatstva neke sredine. U bogatoj Švaj- carskoj retoromanskim jezicima govori malo ljudi, ali preživljavaju vekovima. One funny note says: In order to understand one another, the Swiss speak English. The joke is quite logical, given that this country has as many as four of- ficial languages. A total of 63.7% of the Swiss population speaks German. Next comes French, with 20.4%, followed by Italian (6.5%) and then Rhaeto-Romance, so-called Romansh, which is spoken by around 0.5% of the population, mostly in the Canton of Graubünden. The Rhaeto-Romance people, a group of several smaller nations that form part of the Swiss nation, predominantly live in eastern parts of this country, in the Canton of Graubünden. Despite comprising less than one per cent of the pop- ulation, their language still survives today, and in several dialects. The Romansh
that Rome has many more, but Zurich’s are unique due to the fact that their water is great for drinking! Feel free to quench your thirst at every corner of this city, which has fantastic water that’s re- nowned far and wide for its quality, but also simply enjoy the foun- tains, some of which are quite ordinary, while other are true pearls of innovative design. Another interesting fact is that this city gave birth to one of the first modern, global art movements of the 20 th century, provoked by the consequences of World War I and the social values of the time. Artists gathered in Zurich’s Cabaret Voltaire, in the very heart of the city, created Dadaism, which was similarly an art and a pro- test movement, which would go on to spread like wildfire across Europe, and some suggest it even led to the emergence of Surreal- ism and Postmodernism. And, finally, if you think Zurich is a city of people wearing ties, you’re mistaken! Every August sees millions of differently dressed people traverse its streets as part of the biggest techno parade in Europe. In the glory of rhythm, electronic music and freedom of expression... P.S. If you are in Zurich and the temperature is below zero, head to the zoo, where you might get the chance to see the irresistibly cute imperial penguins, which keepers take for walks during such weather conditions!
people are believed to be descended from the ancient Rhaetians or Rhaeti, tribes after which the Roman province of Raetia was named. According to the Swiss Federal Constitution of 1999, apart from the fact that Romansh is rec- ognised as one of four official languages, it is al- so stated that, in communication with the people of the Rhaeto-Romance origin, Romansh is also an official language of the Swiss Confederation. This document does not specify the places where these languages are spoken, rather it is specified that it is under the jurisdiction of each canton to choose their own official languages, with the obli- gation to respect the linguistic minorities and his- torical compositions of those regions.
AND THEN THERE’S LATIN Confoederatio Helveti- ca is the official name of this country in Latin. La- tin is used to designate the country in order to avoid favouring one of the four official langu- ages. Hence the use of the abbreviation CH.
According to UNESCO estimates, around 6,000 languages are spoken worldwide, though almost half of them are threatened by extinction in the near future. Lin- guists estimate that the chances of a language surviving also depends on the rel- ative wealth of the area where it is spoken. In the wealthy Switzerland, Rhaeto-Ro- mance languages have a small number of speakers, but have survived for centuries.
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