Swiss French

Swiss French (French: français de Suisse or suisse romand) is the variety of French spoken in the French-speaking area of Switzerland known as Romandy. French is one of the four official languages of Switzerland, the others being German, Italian, and Romansch. In 2020 around 2 million people, or 22.8% of the population, in Switzerland spoke French as their primary language, and 28% of the population used French most often at work.[1]

Not to be confused with Swiss migration to France or Swiss French people.
Swiss French
French of Switzerland
français de Suisse (French)
Native toRomandy, Switzerland
Native speakers
2.1 million in Romandy (2020)[1]
Early forms
Latin (French alphabet)
French Braille
Language codes
ISO 639-3–
Linguasphere51-AAA-if
IETFfr-CH
The French-speaking part of Switzerland is shown in green on this map.
Map of the Franco-Provençal area, historical language spoken in Romandy, with place names in arpitan and historic political divisions.

The French spoken in Switzerland is very similar to that of France or Belgium. The differences between the French of Switzerland and of France are mostly lexical, influenced by local substrate languages. This contrasts with the differences between Standard German and Swiss German, which are largely mutually unintelligible.

Swiss French is characterized by some terms adopted from Arpitan, which was formerly spoken widely across the alpine communities of Romandy, but has far fewer speakers today. In addition, some expressions have been borrowed from both Swiss and Standard German. Although a standard form of French is taught in schools and used in the government, the media and business, there is no uniform vernacular form of French among the different cantons of Switzerland. For example, some German terms in regions bordering German-speaking communities are completely unused in the area around Geneva, a city by France's border with Switzerland.[2]

Phonology
Oral
  Front Central Back
unrounded rounded
Close i/iː y/yː u/uː
Close-mid e/eː ø/øː ə o
Open-mid ɛ/ɛː œ ɔ
Open a ɑː
Nasal
Front Back
unrounded rounded
Mid õ
Open æ̃ œ̃ ɒ̃
  • The nasal vowels are pronounced like in France. /ɑ̃/ → [ɒ̃], /ɛ̃/ → [æ̃], /ɔ̃/ → [õ]. Conversely, the nasal vowels /ɛ̃/ and /œ̃/ are kept separate in much Swiss French speech, where much speech in France has merged them. For example, brin (stalk) and brun (brown) are still pronounced differently, like in Quebec and Belgium, unlike in Paris.[3]
  • As in Belgium, the distinction between the vowels /ɛ/ and /ɛː/ is maintained in Switzerland, but they have merged in France. For example, mettre (put) and maître (master) are still pronounced differently, unlike in France.
  • The distinction between mid vowels /o/ and /ɔ/ has also been maintained in final open syllables, as well as that between /e/ and /ɛ/. For example, peau (skin) and pot (jar) are still pronounced differently, unlike in France and Quebec. For that reason, entré (entered; past participle of the verb entrer) and entrait (third-person singular of entrer in the imperfect indicative) are differentiated, where Français de référence tends to merge them.[3]
  • There is a stronger distinction between long and short vowels in Switzerland:
    • Long vowels are allowed in closed syllables, even at the end of a word: ⟨ée⟩, ⟨aie⟩ [eː], ⟨ue⟩ [yː], ⟨ie⟩ [iː], ⟨oue⟩ [uː] and ⟨eue⟩ [øː]. As a result, almost all feminine adjectives are still phonetically distinct from their masculine counterparts, unlike in France and Quebec.[3]
    • Speakers also will not differentiate masculine from feminine adjectives phonetically, including in final closed syllables, although the spelling only partially bears out this occurrence, e.g. mental is pronounced /mɑ̃.tal/, whilst the feminine mentale is pronounced /mɑ̃.tɑːl/. Other minimal pairs are similarly differentiated, like amen and amène (third-person singular in the present indicative of amener, to lead).[3]
    • The marginal phoneme /ɑ/ is usually pronounced [ɑː], meaning pattes (paws) and pâtes (pasta) are differentiated. Similar to the process described above, the circumflex also affects vowel length when used above a vowel, meaning ⟨î⟩ is pronounced [iː], ⟨ê⟩ as [ɛː], ⟨û⟩ as [yː], ⟨oû⟩ as [uː] and ⟨eû⟩ [øː].[3]

Examples of words that differ between Switzerland and France
Swiss FrenchFrench of FranceEnglishNotes
actionpromotionspecial offerGermanism, from "Aktion" ("promotional campaign").
adieu[4]saluthello/goodbyeIn French, "adieu" means "farewell" and is generally never used except in cases where the people concerned will not meet again. In Switzerland it is used as an informal general form of greeting when people meet or leave each other.
attiquedernier étagetop floor
bancomatDistributeur automatique de billetsATM
bobet[4]crétin (noun) or bête/stupide (adjective)idiot (noun) or stupid (adjective)
boguetmobylettemoped
bonnardsympa or bienniceInformal term.
bonne-mainpourboiretip (gratuity)Literally "good-hand".
borne hydrantebouche d'incendiefire hydrant
bourbinesuisse-allemandSwiss-GermanThis word is considered pejorative.
carnotzetcave à vin/cellier/fumoirWine cellarThis expression can sometimes be found in France, in places close to Switzerland.
chenis [4]désordremess
chiquelettechewing-gumchewing-gum
collège (Genève, Valais, Fribourg) or gymnase (Vaud)lycéehigh school
crousilletirelirepiggy bank
cornetsac en plastiqueplastic bagIn France, "cornet" would typically designate an ice cream cone.
cutipscoton-tigecotton bud/swabAntonomasia from the brand Q-tips which phonetically becomes "cutips" when pronounced in French.
cycle (Genève, Fribourg, Valais)collègemiddle school
déjeuner[5]petit-déjeunerbreakfastMeal names have shifted in the French of France, where déjeuner is now the name for lunch, and dîner now refers to dinner. Swiss French (like those of Belgium and Québec) has retained the older meanings.
dîner[5]déjeunerlunchMeal names have shifted in the French of France, where déjeuner is now the name for lunch, and dîner now refers to dinner. Swiss French (like those of Belgium and Québec) has retained the older meanings.
duvetcouettecomforter / duvet"Duvet" comes from the fact that comforters used to be filled with down feather (duvet). "Duvet" in France means sleeping bag, for similar reasons.
s'encoublerse prendre les pieds dans quelque chose/trébucherto trip over
s'énuquerse briser la nuqueto break one's own neck
étude d'avocatscabinet d'avocatslaw firm
fœhnsèche-cheveuxhairdryerGermanism, from der Föhn (the hairdryer); both names ultimately derive from the Foehn wind.
fondsterrain or champsfield
fourredossier/houssefolderIn French, "fourrer" means "to stuff".
frouzles Françaispeople from France - FrenchThis word is considered pejorative.
galetasgrenieratticAlso used in Alpine regions of France, down to Dauphiné.
giratoirerond-point, giratoireroundaboutComes from "carrefour à sens giratoire" which would translate to "circular crossroads".
gouilleflaquepuddle
huitante[6]quatre-vingtseightyIn Swiss French, as opposed to the French of France, the words for seventy, eighty and ninety are similar in construction to the ones used for thirty up to sixty. Huitante is only heard in Vaud, Valais and Fribourg.
lingeserviettetowelSwiss French still uses the generic uncountable word “le linge” to define “laundry”, but the countable word “un/le/les linge-s” (which has no meaning in the French of France) means “une/la/les serviette-s”. Furthermore, the use of “serviette” is exclusively for “napkin” in Swiss French, whereas in regular French it could mean both “towel” or “napkin”.
lolette[7]tétinepacifier/teat
maman de jourassistante maternelleday care assistant
mascognertricher aux examenscheat during exams
maturitébaccalauréathigh-school final examinationFrom German "Maturitätsexamen", "Matura".
mutrmèremotherComes from the German word for "Mother", "Mutter".
natel[6](téléphone) portablemobile phone
nom de bleu !nom de dieu !in the name of god!/god dammit!
nonante[6]quatre-vingt-dixninetyIn Swiss French, as opposed to the French of France, the words for seventy, eighty and ninety are similar in construction to the ones used for thirty up to sixty.
panosse[6]serpillièrefloorcloth or mop
papier ménagepapier essuie-toutpaper towel
pivepomme de pinconifer cone
poutzernettoyerto cleanComes from the German verb "putzen" which means "to clean".
Procès verbal d'examen (PV)bulletin de notereport card
réclamepublicitéadvertisement"Réclame" is an older disused word for advertising in French.
régieagence immobilièrereal estate agency
royepluierain
royerpleuvoirto rain
sans autresans plus attendrewithout delay
santéà tes/vos souhaitsbless you (when someone sneezes)
septante[6]soixante-dixseventyIn Swiss French, as opposed to the French of France, words for seventy, eighty and ninety are similar in construction to the ones used for thirty up to sixty.
serviceje t'en/vous en prieyou're welcomeFrom "à votre service" meaning "at your service".
servicescouvertscutlery
signofile/indicateurclignotantindicator/turn signal (motor vehicle)
souper[5]dînerdinnerMeal names have shifted in the French of France, where souper has been replaced by dîner (which historically referred to lunch). Swiss French (like those of Belgium and Québec) has retained the older meanings.
tablardétagèreshelf
uni (short for université)fac (short word for faculté)university
votationscrutinvoting
vatrpèrefatherComes from the German word for "Father", "Vater".

See also

Notes and references
  1. "Languages". Federal Statistical Office. Retrieved 2022-07-07.
  2. "L'aire de diffusion de l'arpitan, en France, en Italie et en Suisse". NotreHistoire.ch (in French). Archived from the original on 2013-07-23.
  3. Knecht, Pierre (2004). Dictionnaire suisse romand (in French). Éditions Zoé. ISBN 9782881825088.
  4. Babbel.com; GmbH, Lesson Nine. "20 Swiss French Expressions To Know Before Visiting Switzerland". Babbel Magazine. Retrieved 2022-04-27.
  5. "DÉJEUNER, DÎNER, SOUPER". www.tlfq.org (in French). Retrieved 2022-04-27.
  6. "From 'natel' to 'ça joue': The Swiss French words which help you sound like a local". The Local Europe. 2021-09-06. Retrieved 2022-04-26.
  7. "From 'natel' to 'ça joue': The Swiss French words which help you sound like a local". The Local Europe. 2021-09-06. Retrieved 2022-04-26.
  • French (Swiss) DoReCo corpus compiled by Mathieu Avanzi, Marie-José Béguelin, Gilles Corminboeuf, Federica Diémoz and Laure Anne Johnsen. Audio recordings of narrative texts with transcriptions time-aligned at the phone level, translations, and time-aligned morphological annotations.
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