QUICK ROMANSH RESOURCE GUIDE:

    English 10
    Geo-topics
    Deutsch 10
 

ENGLISH TOP TEN:

1.  Rhaeto-Romansh: Facts and Figures.
    Published by the Lia Rumantscha and probably the only way to read this informative book is to buy it directly from them or in a regional bookstore. (my copy doesn't have an ISBN) Contains an exceptional amount of self-explanation of who and where the Romansh are as well as the rationale and organization of the LR.

2. Lia Rumantscha website. http://www.liarumantscha.ch
    The Romansh umbrella organization maintains a web page in Romansh, German, and English.

3. Robert H. Billigmeier's A Crisis in Swiss Pluralism.
    [citation]     The benchmark for understanding the Romansh.

4. Haiman and Beninca's The Rhaeto-Romance Languages.
    [citation]     Essential linguistic background to the language and its classification.

5. Frauke Kraas' article "The Decline of Ethno-diversity in High Mountain Regions:..."
    [citation]     Geographical research with some cultural ecology; see her maps.

6. Benjamin Barber's The Death of Communal Liberty.
    [citation]     Combines a political discourse with Rhaetian regional history.

7. Randolph Head's Early Modern Democracy in the Grisons.
    [citation]     Recent and also gets at Rhaetian regionalism.

8. Furer's work on the standardized written language.
    (only English work about Rumantsch Grischun that I know of)

9. UNESCO Red Book of Endangered Languages website. [link page]
    A comprehensive list and report of European languages.

10. Planta's  1776  An account of the Romansh language.
    This surely will test your university's interlibrary capability, but it is the first English language work and we still use his spelling "Romansh" as the standard.


Deutsch / German
This is much more difficult since German-language research is extensive,
including the Romansh who have used German as a publishing language.

1. Lia Rumantscha website and publications.

2. Robert H. Billigmeier's Land und Volk der Rätoromanen.

3. Iso Camartin's chapter in Schweizerischen Volkskultur.

4. Alexi Decurtin's work in Romanica Raetica

5. Frauke Kraas' Die Ratoromanen Graubundens:

6. Erwin Diekmann's work on language contact.

7. Jud's classic/reprinted work. (language surveys)

8. Planta and Schorta comprehensive Rätisches Namenbuch.

9. H. Schmid's explanation of Rumantsch Grischun.

10. Langenscheidts Wörterbuch: Rätoromanisch. Edited by Lia Rumantscha.
 


GEOGRAPHICAL CONTRIBUTION:
    Some interesting geographical contributions that are indicative of geography's variety of methods and topics.
Richard Weiss contribution to ethnographic mapping (also GR topics).
Regional Geography: Beiträge zur Geographie Graubündens
Jaberg and Jud's classic language surveys.
Alexander Murphy's work on language conflict in Belgium (opposite scenario of Switzerland).

OTHER TOPICS:
Switzerland's political culture & multilingualism
    Bendix's folklore (national id)
    McRae's language/politics
Alpine cultural ecology
    Netting's ethnography (alpine social structure)
    Cole & Wolf's ethnography (Ladin/Tirol)
    CIPRA Alpenreport
Romansh Literature
    Curly Horned Cow  (Bezzola-English/Romansh anthology)
    Identity in Literature (Deplazes)
    Anthology (Romansh/Deutsch)
 

[back to top]

[return to front page/default]