Romansh Alphabet

The Romansh alphabet has 26 letters^[3], identical to the standard Latin alphabet. Out of these, 5 are vowel letters (a, e, i, o, u) and the remaining 21 letters are consonants. Romansh also uses accented vowels, particularly è, to indicate pronunciation.

Rumantsch Grischun is the standardized written form of Romansh:

• Created - 1982 by linguist Heinrich Schmid^[1]

• Purpose - unite the five major dialects for official and administrative use

• Adoption - used by cantonal and federal authorities in Switzerland

• Dialects preserved - local dialects still used in daily life and education

This standardization helps maintain Romansh as a viable official language!

Romansh has five major dialectal varieties:

• Sursilvan - spoken in the Surselva region, largest dialect group

• Sutsilvan - spoken in the Sutselva region

• Surmiran - spoken in the Surmeir and Albula regions

• Puter - spoken in the Upper Engadine

• Vallader - spoken in the Lower Engadine

All dialects use the same alphabet system!

Romansh has unique official status in Switzerland:

• National language - since 1938 Swiss Constitution^[2]

• Official language - since 1996, equal to German, French, and Italian

• Federal use - used in communication with Romansh speakers

• Regional dominance - co-official in Grisons canton

This status protects and promotes Switzerland's smallest official language!

Romansh uses accented vowels for specific purposes:

• Grave accent è - most common, especially for verb "è" (is)

• Other grave accents (à, ì, ò, ù) - indicate stress in some words

• Acute accents (é, ó) - less common, show stress or closed vowels

• Function - help clarify pronunciation and distinguish meanings

These accents are less extensive than in some Romance languages!

The Lia Rumantscha is a crucial organization:

• Founded - 1919 as umbrella organization for Romansh language^[1]

• Mission - promote, preserve, and develop the Romansh language

• Activities - language promotion, media production, educational materials

• Publications - produces books, magazines, and digital content

The organization is essential for Romansh language maintenance!

Romansh has a small but significant speaker community:

• Approximately 60,000 speakers according to Swiss census^[2]

• Geographic concentration - primarily in Grisons canton

• Declining trend - numbers have decreased over past century

• Bilingualism - most speakers also speak German

• Revitalization efforts - ongoing programs to support language use

Despite small numbers, Romansh remains a vibrant Swiss language!

Romansh has several distinctive characteristics:

• Geographic isolation - developed in Alpine valleys, preserving archaic features

• German influence - extensive borrowing from neighboring German dialects

• Official status - only Romance language official in a German-majority country

• Multiple written standards - maintains five traditional written dialects plus Rumantsch Grischun

• Small speaker base - smallest community of any official language in Switzerland

These features make Romansh a unique Romance language!