German is the predominant language, spoken by about two-thirds of the Swiss people and in 19 of the 26 cantons. These areas where German is spoken are in the northern, central, and eastern parts of Switzerland and include the cities of Bern, Zurich, and Basel. Although standard German is the official language, there is also a distinct Swiss German dialect or dialects, known as Schweizerdeutsch. Swiss German is not a formal written language, so spellings and pronunciations differ from one town or region to the next. Swiss German differs from standard German in vocabulary and the use of tenses. For example, in Swiss German, speakers often add an -Il ending, meaning "small," to many nouns. Some suggest that because they come from a small country, the Swiss like the idea of smallness. If you speak German, you will have no trouble communicating in these regions of the country. 2- The next most popular language is French, which is spoken by about 20 percent of the population. It is spoken in four of the western cantons of Switzerland, which include the cities of Geneva and Lausanne. Three other cantons are bilingual in German and French. Unlike German, the French used in Switzerland is nearly identical to the French spoken in France. So, if you are traveling from France into French-speaking Switzerland, you will notice little difference. Not surprisingly, Italian is spoken in the cantons close to the Italian border, including the cities of Lugano and Locarno. However, only about 4 percent of Swiss speak Italian as their first language. 3- Romansch (or Rumantsch), the fourth official language of the country, is in jeopardy. It is only spoken by about 1 percent of the population, those living in a small area in southeastern Switzerland. Because so few speak it, most speakers of Romansch can speak German as well. This area of the country was settled by the Rhetians about 2,000 years ago. The Rhetians had adopted the language of Rome, so Romansch derived from Latin. The language has been officially recognized as one of the four national languages of Switzerland since 1938, and in an attempt to preserve it, in 1983 the federal parliament passed a law for the protection of the Rhaeto-Romansch language and culture. 4- Unfortunately, the language has declined over the last few decades, with speakers dropping by a third from 1980 to 2000, for several reasons. Because the Romansch speakers lived in narrow isolated valleys, speakers developed seven separate dialects and three different written forms. Romansch speakers live in an economically depressed area of the country. As tourism becomes more important, German becomes a more viable language, and as German speakers move into the canton of Graubunden where Romansch is spoken, the Romansch speakers assimilate. 11. Which of the following is the best title for this article? * (1 Point) O Predominance of German The 26 Cantons Popular Languages Languages of Switzerland