Ethnicity, Language, & Religion of Switzerland
Ethnicity
Switzerland is divided ethnically, primarily between
the Germans, French, and
Italians. There is also a significant ethnic minority, the Romansch, who
have inhabited the region for hundreds of years. Both the Italians and French are
Latin-based groups, but each has significant ethnic influence from older people
who no longer exist, like the Gauls (French) and Etruscans (Italians). The Germans
obviously are of Germanic origin and are most closely related to the Germans, Austrians,
and further to the Dutch and Nordic people. The Romansch are an ethnic group that
is less defined by their ethnicity than they are by their language, which is Latin-based.
Ethnically, it seems the Romansch are a combination of numerous ancient and modern
ethnicities including the Illyrians, Celts, and Etruscans.
Language
The four official languages of Switzerland are also
divided in accordance to the people's ethnicities, with German
being the most popular native language, French the next most
popular, then Italian, and finally Romansch. While the people
learn the other languages (German, French, and Italian at least), they generally
also learn and use English to communicate. The three latter languages are all Latin-based
with a great number of similarities, while German is obviously a Germanic language.