The four main ethnic groups live in 25 cantons, all of which enjoy a high degree of autonomy, especially in the areas of language and cultural policies. Thus, the teaching of language is not uniform throughout the country, there are variations among the different cantons.

What is amazing is that the Swiss people, made up of different linguistic and racial groups, have been able to live in harmony and share a common national identity. This extraordinary achievement has been praised, admired and hailed as a model for racial harmony by many countries, including Singapore. These different races with diverse cultures and histories have been able to live together in a country without any clashes and have, for 700 years since independence, made their country wealthy. What is their secret?

First of all, let us examine how the different races communicate with one another. Unlike in Singapore, where the different races live among one another, the different races in Switzerland live in separate geographical areas. In the German-speaking areas, German is the lingua franca. The ordinary people do not speak French but understand it. In the Italian-speaking areas, the street signs are in Italian and the people there speak Italian, but they are also able to understand German or French. Similarly in the
French-speaking areas, the people speak and write in French, but they understand German as well.

In a nutshell, the different races can communicate with and understand one another. The main reason for this splendid situation is that their schools, apart from teaching their individual mother tongues, also teach a second or a third language.

Although schools in different cantons adopt different educational systems, they have something in common. In all schools, the mother tongue is taught as the first language as well as used as the language of instruction. Students are also taught two other languages. (Romansh is a minority language taught only in Romansh-speaking areas.)

The Swiss are keen to preserve their own mother tongues, hence the schools in the different language areas use their own mother tongues as the language of instruction. Even in the Romansh-speaking areas treat Romansh as their mother tongue, though the language is only spoken by less than 1% of the total Swiss population.

According to a German-speaking friend, German is taught as a mother tongue in the elementary schools in the German-speaking areas and students used to start learning
French or Italian only in secondary schools. Now the trend is moving towards picking up a second language in the third or fourth year in elementary schools. Similarly in French-and Italian-speaking areas, the mother tongue is taught first while the second or third language is picked up later on.

While in Switzerland, I found out that the schools in Zurich have begun a new experiment in education this year. From the first year of their elementary school, the students not only learn German, their mother tongue, but English as well. This new experiment is based on the premise that knowing English, an international language, would be an advantage for the people of Zurich, an international city.

This experiment, however, has its fair share of controversy and detractors. A French-speaking friend explained that learning English instead of the other Swiss languages is an impediment to the cultural amalgamation of the German and French-speaking groups in Switzerland. This shows that the Swiss still feel very strongly about preserving their own languages and are concerned about the linguistic links between the different races.

It is not true to say that there has been no friction among the different groups in Switzerland. A 1991 report published by the Swiss government mentioned some problems which existed between the difference groups. These problems are quite complex and it is not easy to achieve harmony between the difference groups.

For instance, the Romansh people are a small minority who reside in the mountainous areas. Their language is faced with the threat of extinction. It is a problem as to how they can preserve their mother tongue and at the same time, communicate with the others. Another problem is that within the German-speaking areas, the people speak a variety of German dialects called Swiss German, which is different from the Standard German (or High German) taught in schools. This has created some communication problems between German-speaking and non-German-speaking Swiss.

Although Switzerland faces the problems of managing and balancing the different languages, the Swiss can still maintain harmony among the races. This is mainly due to the fact that they do not discriminate against any minority languages, and they have mutual tolerance and respect for one another's language and culture. Moreover, they have a strong sense of nationhood which helps them smooth over the minor frictions within the country.

The Swiss people are always proud of being Swiss. Swiss living in any country in the world can retain their Swiss citizenship because Switzerland allows for dual citizenship. A Swiss relative of mine has been living in the Philippines for the past 40 years. This relative has become a Filipino citizen but she still retains her Swiss citizenship. She also retains her pride as a Swiss and her love for the Swiss culture.

A strong sense of nationhood and mutual tolerance and respect between the different races are the reasons why Switzerland has been able to maintain the harmonious and peaceful co-existence between its difference races. Multi-racial and multi-lingual Singapore can certainly learn from this.

瑞士国家虽小，却有四种不同的官方语言。这四种语言的使用分布在不同的地区内，由四种属于欧洲的语言族群组成。语言的使用率在1990年是：德语65%，法语18%，意语10%，罗曼斯语1%，其他6%。

这四个语言族群，分居在25个州内，每州都有相当大的自主权，尤其是有关语言与文化政策的制定。因此，语文教学制度不是统一的，各州的制度都有差异点。

令人诧异的是：瑞士这个由不同的语文族群构成的国家，却能使各族群和谐相处，并拥有共同的国家观念。这项不凡的成就，常获得外国（包括我国）的称赞和羡慕，也常被高举为种族和谐的模范。这些来自不同文化和历史的种族，能够安居在一个国家内，并且在独立700年以来，使国家富裕起来，而没有种族与文化的冲突，到底他们有什么秘诀？

首先，让我们看看他们的族群间的沟通关系吧。他们的语言族群是分居在不同地区内的，不像我国的不同种族混居在一起。在德语区内，通用的是德文与德语，普通人虽不讲法语却听得懂法语。在意语区内，街道上看到的都是意大利文，人们也说意语，但也听得懂德语或法语。

在法语区内，通用的是法文与法语，但也听得懂德语。总括一句，他们在不同族群间，能够沟通、能够了解；导致这个好现象的是学校里除了母语外，都教授第二或第三语文，维护母语的学习。

瑞士的学校制度，虽然因州而异，但却有一共同点，都以各自的母语作为第一语文（即教学用语），然后学其他两种语文（罗曼斯是少数语文，只有在本区内教授）。

瑞士人热衷于维护本族群的母语，所以，不同语区境内的学校都是以各自的母语为教学用语，就是少过1%人口的罗曼斯区，也保持用罗曼斯语作为母语。

据讲德语的瑞士朋友说，在过去，德语区在小学教导母语，中学起才开始学法文或意文。现在的改变趋势是从小学三四年级便开始学第二语文。同样地法语区和意语区的学校，也先教导母语，后来才学第二语文或第三语文。

我在瑞士期间，发现苏黎士市的学校，从今年起开始了一个新的教学实验，小学一年级不仅学母语德文，还须同时学英文。这个实验，当然是因为英文是国际语文，苏黎士是个国际化的城市，深觉通晓英文的好处。

然而，这个实验，却引起好多争论与不满。我听讲法语的瑞士人说，提早读英文，不读本国另一语文，而读一种不属于瑞士的语文，是对德、法语族群文化溶合的一种障碍。可见瑞士人对于本国语文的维护还是很强，还是很关心各族群间的语文联系。

若说瑞士各语言族群完全没磨擦，也并非是事实。一本1991年瑞士官方出版的报告曾提到各种语文族群相处的一些问题。他们的问题相当复杂，在各语言间取得协调，也非易事。

举两个例子来说：罗曼斯族是极少数的山区民族，他们的语言面临消灭的危机，如何维持他们的母语，又使他们能与其他语族沟通，是一个问题。另一问题是在德语区内，流行的日常用语是多种方言德语，与（学校教导的）标准德语有别，这使讲德语的人，与讲法、意语的人沟通产生困难。

瑞士内部虽存在着语言协调与平衡的问题，但是他们还依然能够维持各种族的和谐关系，主要原因是不歧视少数语文，而能容忍与尊重彼此的语言与文化。同时，他们有强烈的国家观念，能化解内部的小磨擦，又常以身为瑞士人为荣。

瑞士人去到世界上哪一个国家居住，都能保留自己的国籍，因为瑞士容许双重国籍。例如我的瑞士亲戚，虽在菲律宾住了40年，也进了菲律宾籍，但依然保持瑞士籍，依然存有瑞士人的自尊心，以及喜爱瑞士的风俗文化。

具有强烈的国家认同感，各族群能互相容忍、互相尊重，这是为什么瑞士能维持种族和谐、和平共存的原因。这也是多元种族、多元语文的我国人民所应借鉴的。
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关键字:英文地域风情