On one of the train rides we were on, I was talking to my mom about the culture of Switzerland. What was I going to buy for souvenirs for the folks back home? Army knives? Probably not.. Cowbells? Doubtful. What else was “Swiss”? Cheese? Chocolate? It’s interesting the history behind the country. There are three main languages spoken- French, Italian and German (Swiss German, though High German would work I suppose). Not to mention the amount of people who speak English too. I was surprised at the fluidity with which the Swiss transitioned between languages - greeting with an Italian “Buona Sera” followed by a French “Merci” after a purchase, and a German “Aufwiedersein” as we left. Now, obviously those are the easy phrases that anyone can pick up. But, when asked, many spoke all three languages semi-fluently if not with full fluency. What an incredible skill, one that I envy with all my heart. Quite frankly, I felt more uncomfortable linguistically on this trip than I have in a long time. I felt in a constant state of language confusion -- what do I say? Which do I choose? I was often so confused that I either answered in garbled English or soft Hungarian. Really? Hungarian? Oh well. What can I say? (do you see what I did there- say... what can I say-- this post is about language!!!)
Good thing the menu was in Italian, translated to German on the next line. Evidently German is the language of the two that uses capital letters.
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