(copy of the main Basics page w/o graphical background)
Where are the Romansh located?
The Romansh are found in two contexts: the first
is in the traditional homeland as defined as areas with current or recent
Romansh majorities, and the second context could be called diasporic,where
they are both dispersed and integrated into other language communities.
Both contexts are found in the Swiss Canton of Grisons (Graubunden is the
Swiss-German name for the Canton and Grischun is the standardized Romansh
name) where the majority of Romansh speakers live.
Demographic variations exist between rural areas
with near-homogenous and aging populations and urban conglomerations with
diverse culture groups. Areas with high percentages (above 50%) of Romansh
speakers only exist in small and medium sized villages with two strong
concentrations: the upper Rhine valley known as Surselva (Vorderrheintal
in German) and the lower Engadine valley along the Inn River. In the traditional
rural areas, agriculture including transhumance, tourism and other services
are the predominant activities.
The diasporic context is found in both Graubunden/Grischun
and in Switzerland as a whole especially Zurich, and even other countries.
The pattern here is integration with other languages, predominately German,
and participation in the Swiss/global economy. Except for those areas adjacent
to traditional areas or in Chur, these Romansh have only minimal access
to Romansh education.
This is even more complex than where, but a simple
answer is those who speak the Romansh language by virtue of how the tabulation
of statistics is conducted i.e. "what language do you speak" on the national
census. The not so simple answer is a mixture of overlapping identities
that include Swiss (a unique nationalism), Bundner/Grischun (Rhaetian)
regionalism, and fragmented sub-groups based on linguistic and confessional
differences.
Other names for the Romansh are more a matter of
perspective and language of the observer. Interestingly, none of the five
Romansh dialects historically called themselves "Romansh." The German term
Ratoromanisch is probably the most important because German has been the
predominant contact, displacement, and research language. The hyphen "Rhaeto-"
refers to both the pre Roman peoples which was used by the Romans as the
provincial name, and the persistence of the term in a geographical sense
to imply location.
The five dialects of Romansh are Sursilvan, Sutsilvan,
Surmeiran, Puter, and Vallader. The first 3 are in the drainage basin of
the Rhine River, and the later two also known collectively as Ladin are
in the Inn River valley (Engadine). Romansh as a whole is classified with
two other languages (Ladino in the Dolomites of South Tyrol, Italy and
Friulian in Northeast Italy) as the "Rhaeto-Romance" language on par with
other Romance languages such as French and Italian.
What are the major issues?
Cultural survival is the main issue!The activities
of the Romansh to preserve and even enhance their language are the most
interesting aspects to observe. Three things that stand out are (1) the
Swiss support for the Romansh which is both substantial with monetary subsidies
and symbolic with democratically achieved "national" language status; (2)
the evolving language situation, which is dramatic as a new standardized
written language (Rumantsch Grischun) is introduced, the Romansh are geographically
mobile, and technology such as the internet are encountered; and (3) landscape
changes due to ethnic awareness such as the deliberate modification of
signs as well as planning and management of tourism development.
The significance of the Romansh language survival
is more than their own. Their situation is about as ideal as a small language
can expect: a supportive democracy & government and relatively high
level of development & wealth. Their successes can be used a model
for other endangered languages if we understand the important activities
and mindsets of their preservation. Their failures would also indicate
the likely demise of the thousands of small languages without equivalent
support.
The Research Abstract.
The research explores the cultural landscape of
Romansh speakers in Switzerland. The fundamental question is whether small
ethno-linguistic groups can create and protect a place (earthly and poetic)
for their language to flourish. Swiss-Romansh have many advantages because
of their political stability and economic prosperity. Their efforts in
promoting and protecting the Romansh language offer a possible model for
other culture groups.
The research elucidates four distinct geographic
scales: national (Switzerland's multilingual federalism), regional (alpine
canton of Grischun/Graubünden), local Romansh villages (vinscnanca
or communes), and an imaginary Rhaetian ethnicity. I employ the term cultural
preservation to discuss the Romansh situation. Cultural preservation includes
elements of both historical preservation and cultural survival. Preservation
focuses on cultural heritage and monument protection. Cultural survival
includes politicized communication concerning identity and territory. The
Swiss-Romansh promote cultural preservation in a variety of forms such
as inscribing the language and ethno-vernacular styles into the landscape.
In this dissertation, I elaborate specific
themes concerning the Romansh. The first theme concerns the ethnographic
past that suggests the ways Romansh construct identity and territory. Secondly,
the unique political and social qualities of Switzerland promote alpine
regions and Romansh language. Landscape and place are the third theme which
allows a thick description of various Romansh valleys and villages. The
fourth theme identifies specific linguistic and landscape preservation
components that exemplify cultural preservation. Finally, I conclude with
a discussion of cultural preservation and speculate on the Romansh as a
model for other ethno-linguistic groups. The qualitative research elucidates
meaning and understanding from the Romansh people and their cultural landscape.
The research methodology relies on ethnographic methods that includes interacting,
interpreting, and negotiating in a non-familiar environment.
The conclusions and prospects are mixed. On
one hand, the Romansh have the organizational and financial wherewithal
to perpetuate their language. Individual communities maintain their own
traditions and language, while they retain democratic power over contentious
cultural questions. On the other hand, the possibilities for cohesive communities
and Romansh places outside of traditional areas are minimal. Geographical
mobility associated with pursuit of the good life creates new, complex
patterns of language contact and language change.
An Anthology of my Ethnographic and Doctoral Research Experience?