Language fight

IQ[] · Post by **IQ[]** » Fri May 13, 2005 11:45 am

We have at the Dutch motorwayforum a OT-discussion about the language-problem in Belgium. And the problems that are existing around Brussels (maybe you heard it in the news).

Why aren't there any problems with the languages in Switzerland, like in Belgium? Or are there sometimes little problems, but aren't they as serious as in Belgium?

I'm looking forward to hear some reactions

(I hope my English is not very bad....)

RMN · Post by **RMN** » Sat May 14, 2005 5:07 am

You think we don't have any problems in switzerland with the languages?
It seems so but it isn't so.
we have a lot of problems.
i had one too in my forum

viewtopic.php?t=18&start=0

When you born in switzerland without native language german then its difficult for you to receive information in your native language.
Because german is the most common standard then french then italian.
So sometimes you don't have a chance to get information in your native language. and if you travel in an other part of switzerland with a foreign language you cannot talk with the people but maybee in english
i think we would have a lot of problems lesser with one language.
:dontknow:
maybee one of the franconphones can explain what a he is thinking about the language problem.

Mossonné · Post by **Mossonné** » Sun May 15, 2005 4:31 pm

In Belgium the name of the destinations are written in fonction of where you are. I mean : if you are driving in the french area and you go to Brussel, the destination is written in french : Bruxelles. As soon as you enter the Vlam-Flamande-dutch-speaking region, everything is written in dutch. So Bruxelles becomes Brüssels.

For Brussel it's easy to understand to same name in different languages but there are some cities with total different translation like Lille/Rijsel or Mons/Bergen or Liège/Luik. And I perfectly can understand the dificulty to find my way.

In Switzerland it's totally different and much better I think. Anywhere you are, the destination is written in the language of the final destination. Example : Genève is a french speaking city so even if you are in the other part of the country, the german speaking part, the name of this city will always been written in french. And if you are in Geneva, you will read Basel for Basle and not Bâle as it exists in french.

It's exactly the same in the aiports all around the world.

IQ[] · Post by **IQ[]** » Sun May 15, 2005 10:20 pm

Mossonné wrote:In Belgium the name of the destinations are written in fonction of where you are. I mean : if you are driving in the french area and you go to Brussel, the destination is written in french : Bruxelles. As soon as you enter the Vlam-Flamande-dutch-speaking region, everything is written in dutch. So Bruxelles becomes Brüssels.

Well, to be exact: Brüssel is German, in Dutch it is Brussel.

Also in Flanders the destinations are mostly written on this way, for example: Aken (Aachen)
But you're right about the point that a foreigner has difficulties to find his way in Belgium. In Switzerland the system is much better.

But aren't there any problems in Switzerland with the languages in cities like Biel/Bienne, Fribourg/Freiburg like in the 2-languages regions in Belgium (around Brussels, Voeren/Fourons)? I hope you know what happened there (riods).

Palance · Post by **Palance** » Mon May 16, 2005 10:14 am

As IQ wrote: In the Netherlands we hardly hear anything about problems in Switzerland. Maybe its because Belgium is closer than Switzerland, maybe there isn't anything to write about for the press.

Unfortunately I have hardly experience with Switserland (sorry... ). So I cannot tell if I have experienced any problems.

How is your 4th langauge used on roads anyway (Rheto-Roman) ??

Upsilon · Post by **Upsilon** » Mon May 16, 2005 6:28 pm

Now there is a polemic about the first language german-speaking swiss people learn at primary school : they want to replace French with English.

French-speaking swiss people become really upset with this decision.

vinny · Post by **vinny** » Tue May 17, 2005 10:02 pm

Now there is a polemic about the first language german-speaking swiss people learn at primary school : they want to replace French with English.

French-speaking swiss people become really upset with this decision.

I can imagine, but English is more practical I think. I had to learn English, German and French at school, and I still can write something in all those languages and that for living in a mono-languague country.

DrFly · Post by **DrFly** » Thu Aug 04, 2005 11:52 pm

I can't really agree with those saying we have big language problems in Switzerland....

We surely have communication problems, but that's inevitable when two persons speak two different languages, isn't it?

Yet I hardly ever saw really aggressive behaviours in Switzerland between communities.... I usually doesn't get any further than bad jokes...

As a French-speaking Swiss, I just spent a year in Zürich for my study, and I only saw smiles when locals heard I was coming from Lausanne...

In Belgium, bartenders in Vlaanderen wouldn't serve me if I ordered in French.. Such things just won't happen here, and I think Switzerland deserves credit for that...

Mossonné · Post by **Mossonné** » Sun Aug 07, 2005 6:12 pm

Oui c'est juste, je suis absolument d'accord avec toi.
C'est embêtant pour la communication mais absolument pas méchant.

vinny · Post by **vinny** » Fri Aug 12, 2005 2:10 pm

It's exactly the same in the aiports all around the world.

This is certainly not true. When I was in Italy I remember that on the airports mostly the Italian name of cities was used: "Frankoforte" for example.

bartenders in Vlaanderen wouldn't serve me if I ordered in French

A couple of months ago I spend a weekend in Liège. Coming from the Netherlands my French is not as good as it need to be. So mainly I had to speak English there, but I was suprised that at the tourist offices the people tried very hard to speak in Dutch to me. But somehow for French speakers we have a very difficult language...

DrFly · Post by **DrFly** » Tue Aug 16, 2005 12:02 am

vinny wrote: A couple of months ago I spend a weekend in Liège. Coming from the Netherlands my French is not as good as it need to be. So mainly I had to speak English there, but I was suprised that at the tourist offices the people tried very hard to speak in Dutch to me. But somehow for French speakers we have a very difficult language...

Indeed, but a Belgian guy, even French speaking, should have at least the slightest notions of Dutch, since it's a national language there. Just the same as a French-speaking Swiss should be able to know even the lowest basics in German. It's obilgatory at school anyway...

About your trip in Liège, vinny, I don't think it would have been very smart from the Tourist office to be unfriendly to a visiting guest, if they don't want to ruin the local tourist industry