Well, another curious question.
Since you moved in Switzerland, what have you *earned* by learning the local language ? (French - German - Italian)

Have you seen a difference in the neighbourhood (more friendly ?)
Better integration with the local events ?

or everything else you can think about...

It makes total difference, I'm not yet a fluent in German, but since my knowledge of German increase I can communicate better with neighbors, bus drivers, Gemeinde people, read the news paper, watch the Swiss news on TV and listen the radio.

I know you can do several things here in English or even other languages, it's incredible the amount of local people who speaks Spanish, Italian or even Portuguese here, but if course when you can at least understand what the others are talking about, what's going on in the place where you live and be able to have small talk with your neighbours you fell yourself more inside of all.

The ability for the indigenous tribes to identify me as a Brit.

And pity/hate at my attempt to murder their language.

friends!

people relate to you on a more personal level when you can hügel at them (swiss german- we always called it hoch huegli..)

more important than the best paid job in the world!

The most valuable thing for me is:

- to be able to be properly polite to folks here. The silly phrases that actually make a huge difference here in terms of being nice to people and show them you are trying..I think to work on the social skills in the foreign language is a big thing, different culture, different concept of appropriacy, different phrases. So I appreciate being a little more fluent in this. I used to smile and clumsily say sumfin to our old neighbor when she was smalltalking before, today when I met her I smiled differently, because I actually understand her and can reciprocate.

- to read and watch the news and listen to the radio (still little hard). I just hated to have to live somewhere and not know what is going on and what buggs the locals and what they worry about. Trying to get familiar with the local issues makes me feel more at home. Gives one knowledge of the rights and possibilites, too. I can't tune it out, either.

- French is beautiful when you listen to it. I love listening to the nuances, the weird unfamiliar sounds, I love to imitate. To listen to locals (and actually understand) pleases one's ear. The culture fits the little specialities I perceive in the language too. Trying to put my hands down on a culture and country's mentality and language goes hand in had. Reading French poetry is very rewarding.

So, basically, learning a local language gives one independence.

My daughter's teacher called us the other night. It was over minute before I noticed she was speaking (Luzern) Swiss German. I understood her!

The locals, at least in Basel, really appreciate it when I speak the dialect. And, so long as they're keeping it to simple concepts, I understand them.

I also speak French. An Englishman who speaks 3-4 languages? It opens all sorts of doors. It's willingness, not fluency that matters. ( And if it doesn't, they're not worth bothering with )

My first thought on reading the question was that if I hadn't learned the local language I'd be a very, very lonely Longbyt. Who on earth would I talk to on a daily basis?

However, when I asked Mr L about it this morning, he said it wouldn't just be folk to talk to I'd be lacking - I might well be lacking a husband as he probably wouldn't have asked me to marry him anyway.

So I suppose the most accurate answer is that knowing the local language 'earned' me a husband, a family, a job, friends - in short, my life in Switzerland.

__________________
Longbyt

Certainly not the promised pay rise...

Since you moved in Switzerland, what have you *earned* by learning the local language ?

I understood the sentence as what have you gained not how have your wages increased. Maybe I am wrong:-)
There are not too many countries in the world, where you can go and work and not speak the local language.
Maybe you can work here in some firms, because most of the staff speak English anyhow but it does not make one feel part of the country.

Access to an undreamt-of world of Swiss frivolity and cheery banter.

"Schweinsbratwurst, mit oder ohni?" Two years ago I'd have mumbled "ohni" and slunk off without any idea what I was declining. Now I have the confidence to ask "mit oder ohni was dann?" - and the answer was "Grippe!"

Not side-splittingly funny, maybe, but it made me smile - exactly the same kind of exchange you might have with a gas station attendant back home.

For a long time I thought such casual humor just wasn't part of the culture here, but of course it is... I'd just been overlooking it (overlistening it?) due to my very basic language skills.

This confirms what I have suspected. You don't have to be perfectly (or even nearly fluent) in the local language to get respect from the Swiss. But if you are polite and show that you are at least TRYING---they will cut you some slack.

Edward J. Cunningham
Derwood, MD

Alas, no. They certainly won't. Some might, however.

Spend some time in Canton Schwyz as a foreigner, even one with passable (High) German, and you'll see what I mean.

Canton Schwyz' loss then. That's one part of Switzerland I probably won't visit if I ever decide (or have the money and time) to visit on vacation.

Edward J. Cunningham
Derwood, MD

[off-topic mode ON]

I'm just amazed how the fact to learn and be able to speak a bit of English as opened my world, and not only about the United Kingdom and Doctor Who
but about the whole *human* stuff.



[off-topic mode OFF]

i think the majority of my neighbours are able to communicate in english, which is bad for my german. so basically there is nothing really different in this neighbourhood.

but apart of that, i can talk bla bla bla on the train which was great since i was preparing for my goethe prüfung, and those strangers simply told me when i spoke wrong. the great part is that i earned more cookies and pralines, as my "hard work in learning german" reward

Speaking the local language earns you some respect from the local people. At a Christmas dinner a couple of months ago, one of my husband's work colleagues told me he had noticed that a lot more expats were becoming proficient in German compared to (in his memory) about 10 years ago when it was unusual to find a Brit or an American who could get past the basics in German and were more often than not completely unable to utter a word in another language.

I didn't see it as an option not to learn the language here. I was going to live here - how crap was that going to be if I couldn't talk to anyone?

Neighbourhood gossip is too good to miss!

__________________
Don't sweat the petty things. Don't pet the sweaty things.

Well, sorry about that, as my answer was going to be "The promised raise." ;-)

Let's go with: I got laid a lot more often, at least until I got pulled off the market.

Oh, we like Americans. We've got the same hillbilly attitude and can relate to them. And the first English words any Schwyzer now learn is, "Yes, we can."

Learning the language helps to understand Swiss humour and what makes them tick. I've had some real interesting political discussions and love hearing about family history.

It's also nice to tell off a rude salesperson and have them understand you.

I'd consider visiting, at least, before you go making positive/negative generalizations about the population from a single Internet post...

And there was me thinking with a catchphrase like that they were all avid fans of Bob the Builder.

Gotta get with the times...