ABSTRACT
This chapter gives an overview of the sociolinguistic situation in Switzerland. It focuses mainly on the four national languages: German, French, Italian and Romansh. In each section, the authors address diversely the question of dialectal and local varieties, which differs in regard with linguistic, epistemological and methodological traditions. Without claiming exhaustiveness, this chapter offers an update on the last 10-15 years of research in the areas of multilingualism, sociolinguistic variation (including dialectology), language use and contact, language attitudes and ideologies, language policy and planning, including language learning and teaching policies. The chapter also succinctly presents the current public debate as well as topics gaining growing attention in specific languages or language areas, thus outlining some aspects of future developments in sociolinguistic research on Switzerland.
