Romansh (rumantsch)

Romansh is a Romance language spoken by 50-70,000 people in the Swiss canton of Grisons (Graubünden). It is one of the four national languages of Switzerland and has semi-official status.

Romansh, which is also known as Rumantsch, Romansch or Romanche or Rhaeto-Romansch, is not in fact a single language but rather a cluster of closely-related dialects. A standardised written form, known as Rumantsch Grischun (Graubünden Romansh) was created in 1982 by Heinrich Schmid, a linguist from Zurich, though it isn't particularly popular with speakers, who prefer to use their own dialects and often use German to communicate with speakers of different dialects.

Romansh first appeared in print in 1552 in a catechism by Jacob Bifrun called Christiauna fuorma, which he wrote in the Engadine dialect. A Romansh translation of the New Testament was published in 1560.

Today Romansh is used to some extent in schools and the media.

Romansh alphabet

A a B b C c D d E e F f G g H h I i J j L l M m
a be tse de e ef ghe ha i jot/i lung el em
N n O o P p Q q R r S s T t U u V v X x Z z  
en o pe ku er es te u ve iks tset  

The letters k (ka), w (ve dubel), and y (ipsilon / i grec) are only used in foreign loanwords.

Romansh pronunciation (Rumantsch Grischun)

Romansh pronunciation

Notes on Romansh pronunciation

Sample texts in Romansh

Tuots umans naschan libers ed eguals in dignità e drets. Els sun dotats cun intellet e conscienza e dessan agir tanter per in uin spiert da fraternità.

Romansch (Grischun)

Tut ils umans naschan libers ed eguals en dignitad ed en dretgs. Els èn dotads cun raschun e conscienza e duain agir in vers l’auter en spiert da fraternitad.

Romansch (Puter)

Tuot ils umauns naschan libers ed eguels in dignited ed in drets. Els sun dotos cun radschun e conscienza e dessan agir ün invers l’oter in spiert da fraternited.

Romansch (Surmiran)

Tot igls carstgangs neschan libers ed eguals an dignitad ed an dretgs. Els èn dotos cun raschung e schientscha e duessan ager l’egn vers l’oter an spiert da fraternitad.

Romansch (Sursilvan)

Tut ils humans neschan libers ed eguals en dignitad ed en dretgs. Els ein dotai cun raschun e cunscienzia e duein agir in viers l’auter en spért da fraternitad.

Romansch (Vallader)

Tuot ils umans naschan libers ed eguals in dignità ed in drets. Els sun dotats cun radschun e conscienza e dessan agir ün invers l’oter in ün spiert da fraternità.

Source: https://unicode.org/udhr/assemblies/first_article_all.html

Translation

All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood.
(Article 1 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights)

Sample videos

Information about Romansh | Phrases | Numbers | Tower of Babel

Links

Information about Romansh
http://switzerland.isyours.com/e/guide/graubunden/romansh.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Romansh
http://www.rumantsch.ch
http://www.liarumantscha.ch
http://www.prorumantsch.ch/brev.html
https://lmo.wikipedia.org/wiki/Puter
https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Category:Puter_Romansch
https://lmo.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vallader
https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Category:Vallader_Romansch
https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Category:Surmiran_Romansch
https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Category:Sursilvan_Romansch
https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Category:Sutsilvan_Romansch

Romansh lessons
http://www.romansh.ch

Romansh phrases
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=avNHv9mEaFs
http://www.about.ch/culture/languages/words_n_phrases.html
http://www.linguashop.com/en/basic-phrases-romansh.php

Romansh dictionaries
http://www.mypledari.ch
http://www.drg.ch
https://www.bargunsenar.ch/rm/dicziunari.html
http://www.pledarigrond.ch/rumantschgrischun/
http://www.e-lir.ch/e-LIR___Lexicon.1053.450.0.html
http://www.annalas.ch/artitgels

Radio e Televisun Rumantscha
http://www.rtr.ch

Romance languages

Aragonese, Aranese, Aromanian, Asturian, Catalan, Corsican, Dalmatian, Emilian-Romagnol, Extremaduran, Fala, Franco-Provençal, French, Friulian, Galician, Gallo, Gascon, Genoese, Guernésiais, Istro-Romanian, Istriot, Italian, Jèrriais, Ladino, Ladin, Ligurian, Lombard, Lorrain, Megleno-Romanian, Mirandese, Moldovan, Monégasque, Mozarabic, Neapolitan, Occitan, Occitan (Auvergnat), Occitan (Languedocien), Occitan (Limousin), Occitan (Provençal), Picard, Piedmontese, Portuguese, Romanian, Romansh, Sardinian, Sicilian, Spanish, Valencian, Venetian, Walloon

Languages written with the Latin alphabet

Page last modified: 09.06.24

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