Romandy

(Redirected from Romandie)

Romandy (French: Romandie or Suisse romande; Arpitan:

Romandia)[note 1] is the French-speaking historical and cultural Romandy
region of Switzerland. In 2020, about 2 million people, or 22.8% Romandie (French)
of the Swiss population, lived in Romandy.[1] The majority of the Welschland (German), Romandia (Italian),
romand population lives in the western part of the country, Romanda (Romansh)
especially the Arc Lémanique region along Lake Geneva,
connecting Geneva, Vaud, and the Lower Valais. Cultural region of Switzerland

French is the sole official language in four Swiss cantons: Geneva,

Vaud, Neuchâtel, and Jura. Additionally, French and German
have co-official status in three cantons: Fribourg/Freiburg,
Valais/Wallis, and Berne/Bern.

Name Language distribution in Switzerland by the year

2000. Romandy is shown in green
The adjective romand (feminine romande) is a regional dialectal
Country Switzerland
variant of roman (modern French romain, i.e. "Roman"); in Old Entire Cantons Geneva
French used as a term for the Gallo-Romance vernaculars. Use of Jura
the adjective romand (with its unetymological final -d) in Neuchâtel
reference to the Franco-Provençal dialects can be traced to the Vaud
Parts of Cantons Bernese Jura (Berne)
15th century; it is recorded, as rommant, in a document written
Western Fribourg
in Fribourg in 1424 and becomes current in the 17th and 18th (Fribourg)
centuries in Vaud and Fribourg; it was adopted in Geneva in the Lower Valais (Valais)
19th century, but its usage never spread outside of what is now Largest city Geneva
French-speaking Switzerland.
Area
• Total 2
8,284 km (3,198 sq mi)
The term Suisse romande has become widely used since World
[2]
War I; before World War I and during the 19th century, the Population (2019)
term Suisse française "French Switzerland" was used, reflecting • Total 1,951,187
the cultural and political prestige of France (the canton of Vaud • Density 235/km2 (610/sq mi)
having been created by Napoleon out of former Bernese subject Demographics
territories, while Geneva, Valais and Jura were even briefly • Languages French (Swiss French)
joined to France, as the Léman, Simplon and Mont-Terrible
départements, respectively). Suisse romande is used in contrast to Suisse alémanique ("Alemannic Switzerland")
the term for Alemannic German speaking Switzerland. Formed by analogy is Suisse italienne ("Italian
Switzerland"), which is composed of Ticino and of a part of Grisons.

In Swiss German, French-speaking Switzerland is known as Welschland or Welschschweiz, and the French-
speaking Swiss as Welsche, using the old Germanic term for non-Germanic speakers also used in English of
Welsh (see *Walhaz). The terms Welschland and Welschschweiz are also used in written Swiss Standard German
but in more formal contexts they are sometimes exchanged for französischsprachige Schweiz ("French-speaking
Switzerland") or französische Schweiz ("French Switzerland"). Simple Westschweiz "western Switzerland" may
also be used as a loose synonym.

Politics
"Romandy" is not an official territorial division of Switzerland any more than there is a clear linguistic boundary.
For instance, substantial parts of the canton of Fribourg and the western canton of Bern are traditionally
bilingual, most prominently in Seeland around the lakes of Morat, Neuchâtel and Bienne (Biel). French is the sole
official language in four Swiss cantons: Geneva, Vaud, Neuchâtel, and Jura; and the co-official language – along
with German – in the cantons of Valais, Bern,[3] and Fribourg,[4] French speakers forming the majority of the
population in the regions of Lower Valais, Bernese Jura and Fribourg francophone ("French-speaking Fribourg").
Bernese Jura is an administrative division of the Canton of Bern,[5] whereas the two others are informal
denominations.

French is the sole official language in the following cantons:

Density
Joined Population Area
Arms[note 2][6] Canton of Capital [note 3] (per
Switzerland (km2)
km2)

Vaud 1803 Lausanne 814,762[7] 3,212 247

Geneva 1815 Geneva 506,343[8] 282 1,756

Neuchâtel 1815/1857 Neuchâtel 175,894[9] 802 222

Jura 1979 Delémont 73,709[10] 839 87

Three regions located in French-German bilingual cantons have a French-speaking majority:

Population Density
Joined [note 3] Area
Region Canton of Largest city (per
Switzerland (km2)
km2)

Fribourg
Fribourg/Freiburg 1481 Fribourg/Freiburg 235,069[11][note 5] 1,264[12][note 5] 186
francophone[note 4]

Lower
Valais[note 6]
Valais/Wallis 1815 Martigny 122,718[11] 1,344 91

Bernese
Bern 1814 Moutier 53,721[13] 541 99
Jura[note 7]
Romandy Geneva 1 951 187 8 284 235

Geography
The linguistic boundary between French and German is known as Röstigraben
(lit. "rösti ditch", adopted in Swiss French as barrière de rösti). The term is
humorous in origin and refers both to the geographic division and to perceived
cultural differences between the Romandy and the German-speaking Swiss
majority. The term can be traced to the WWI period, but it entered mainstream
usage in the 1970s in the context of the Jurassic separatism virulent at the time.

The linguistic boundary cuts across Switzerland north-to-south, forming the

eastern boundary of the canton of Jura and then encompassing the Bernese Jura,
where the boundary frays to include a number of bilingual communities, the
largest of which is Biel/Bienne. It then follows the border between Neuchâtel and
Bern and turns south towards Morat, again traversing an areal of traditional
bilinguism including the communities of Morat and Fribourg. It divides the
canton of Fribourg into a western French-speaking majority and an eastern
German-speaking minority and then follows the eastern boundary of Vaud with
the upper Saane/Sarine valley of the Bernese Oberland. Cutting across the High
French-speaking population in
Alps at Les Diablerets, the boundary then separates the French-speaking Lower the Canton of Fribourg in 2000.
Valais from the Alemannic-speaking Upper Valais beyond Sierre. It then cuts
southwards into the High Alps again, separating the Val d'Anniviers from the
Mattertal.
Historically, the linguistic boundary in the Swiss Plateau would have more or less followed the Aare during the
early medieval period, separating Burgundy (where the Burgundians did not impose their Germanic language on
the Gallo-Roman population) from Alemannia; in the High Middle Ages, the boundary gradually shifted
westward and now more or less corresponds to the western boundary of the Zähringer possessions, which fell
under Bernese rule in the late medieval period, and does not follow any obvious topographical features. The
Valais has a separate linguistic history; here, the entire valley, as far as it was settled, would have been Gallo-
Roman speaking until its upper parts were settled by Highest Alemannic speakers entering from the Bernese
Oberland in the high medieval period (see Walser).

Language
Traditionally speaking the Franco-Provençal or Patois dialects of Upper
Burgundy, the romand population now speak a variety of Standard French.

Today, the differences between Swiss French and Parisian French are minor
and mostly lexical, although remnants of dialectal lexicon or phonology may
remain more pronounced in rural speakers. In particular, some parts of the
Swiss Jura participate in the Frainc-Comtou dialect spoken in the Franche-
Comté region of France.

Since the 1970s, there has been a limited amount of linguistic revivalism of A road sign in Saint-Gingolph,
Franco-Provençal dialects, which are often now called Arpitan (a 1980s Valais, spelling a Franco-Provençal
greeting bondzo! alongside the
neologism derived from the dialectal form of the word alpine) and their area
Standard French bienvenue (2013
Arpitania. photograph).

Cultural identity
The cultural identity of the Romandy is supported by Radio Télévision Suisse and the universities of Geneva,
Fribourg, Lausanne and Neuchâtel.

Historically, most of the Romandy has been strongly Protestant, especially Calvinist; Geneva was one of the
earliest and most important Calvinist centres. However, Roman Catholicism continued to predominate in Jura,
Valais, and Fribourg. In recent decades, due to significant immigration from France and Southern European
countries, Catholics can now be found throughout the region.

The Tour de Romandie is an annual cycling event on the UCI World Tour, often considered to be an important
race in preparation for the Tour de France.

Library Network
The Library Network of Western Switzerland is in the region of Romandy.

It is a collection of Libraries of Western Switzerland that are based in the region of Romandy.

See also
Languages of Switzerland
Swiss French
Röstigraben
Jurassic separatism
Bernese Jura
Lake Geneva region
Rhodanic Republic
 Arpitania
Organisation internationale de la Francophonie

Notes
1. Before World War I, the term French Switzerland (French: Suisse française) was also used ([Link]
ch/emissions/geopolitis/[Link]). (German:
Romandie [ʁomɑ̃ ˈdiː] or Welschland, Italian: Romandia, Romansh: Romanda)
2. Cantonal coats of arms shown with cantonal heraldic colors (Standesfarben).
3. See references for dates
4. Two-thirds of the residents of the Canton of Fribourg are French speakers. All districts of the canton have a
French-speaking majority except See and Sense.
5. Only districts with a French-speaking majority included.
6. 90% French speakers. The region includes 8 out of the 13 districts of the canton of Valais.
7. 90% French speakers. Since 2010, the Bernese Jura has been an administrative arrondissement of the
canton of Bern.

References
1. Bilan de la population résidante permanente (total) selon les districts et les communes ([Link]
g/web/20110806213408/[Link]
[Link]), Statistique suisse, archived from the original ([Link]
02/blank/data/[Link]) (XLS) on 6 August 2011, retrieved 21 December 2010
2. Suisse française, Suisse romande: le virage de 14–18? ([Link]
[Link]). Radio Télévision Suisse. 8 December 2013.
3. "Langues officielles (Un canton – deux langues) Chancellerie d'Etat - Canton de Berne" ([Link]
h/sta/fr/index/ein_kanton-zwei_sprachen/ein_kanton-zwei_sprachen/[Link]). [Link].
Retrieved 26 June 2020.
4. "Fribourg, le canton à la couture des langues" ([Link]
bourg-le-canton-a-la-couture-des-langues). [Link] (in French). Retrieved 26 June 2020.
5. "Jura bernois (La Direction) Direction de l'intérieur et de la justice - Canton de Berne" ([Link]
gk/fr/index/direktion/organisation/rsta/gemeinden_regierungsstatthalteraemter/jura_bernois.html).
[Link]. Retrieved 26 June 2020.
6. Louis, Mühlemann, Wappen und Fahnen der Schweiz, 700 Jahre Confoederatio Helvetica, Lengnau, 3rd ed.
1991. Swiss Armed Forces, Fahnenreglement, Reglement 51.340 d (2007).[1] ([Link]
et/vtg/de/home/themen/internationale_kooperation/MP/militaerisches_zeremoniell.[Link]
[Link]/[Link]) Archived ([Link]
1106084548/[Link]
es_zeremoniell.[Link]/[Link]) 6
November 2011 at the Wayback Machine
7. "Ständige und nichtständige Wohnbevölkerung nach institutionellen Gliederungen, Geburtsort und
Staatsangehörigkeit" ([Link] [Link] (in
German). Swiss Federal Statistical Office - STAT-TAB. 31 December 2020. Retrieved 21 September 2021.
8. "Ständige und nichtständige Wohnbevölkerung nach institutionellen Gliederungen, Geburtsort und
Staatsangehörigkeit" ([Link] [Link] (in
German). Swiss Federal Statistical Office - STAT-TAB. 31 December 2020. Retrieved 21 September 2021.
9. "Ständige und nichtständige Wohnbevölkerung nach institutionellen Gliederungen, Geburtsort und
Staatsangehörigkeit" ([Link] [Link] (in
German). Swiss Federal Statistical Office - STAT-TAB. 31 December 2020. Retrieved 21 September 2021.
10. "Ständige und nichtständige Wohnbevölkerung nach institutionellen Gliederungen, Geburtsort und
Staatsangehörigkeit" ([Link] [Link] (in
German). Swiss Federal Statistical Office - STAT-TAB. 31 December 2020. Retrieved 21 September 2021.
11. "PX-Web - Tabelle wählen" ([Link]
[Link]. Retrieved 22 June 2019.
12. Statistik, Bundesamt für (24 November 2016). "Arealstatistik Land Cover - Kantone und Grossregionen nach
6 Hauptbereichen - 1979-1985, 1992-1997, 2004-2009 | Tabelle" ([Link]
stiken/kataloge-datenbanken/[Link]). Bundesamt für Statistik (in German).
Retrieved 22 June 2019.
13. "Statistiques" ([Link]
s/statistiques/). Conseil du Jura Bernois. 2018. Archived from the original ([Link]
h/fr/actualites/statistiques/) on 4 February 2021. Retrieved 26 June 2020.

Bibliography
Charles-Ferdinand Ramuz, La Suisse romande, Sociétés coopératives Migros romandes, copyright Mme
Olivieri-Ramuz, Lausanne, 1955.
Histoire de la littérature en Suisse romande, vol.4, Lausanne, 1996-1999, republished Geneva, 2015
Corinne Blanchaud, Dictionnaire des écrivains francophones classiques, Belgique, Canada, Québec,
Luxembourg, Suisse romande, Paris, 2013
Académie de Genève Humbert, Nouveau glossaire genevois, Slatkine, 1983, ISBN 2-05-100516-
8, OCLC 715183529 ([Link]

Retrieved from "[Link]