The Use of English in Swiss Newspapers

This book is concerned with the significance of the English language in Switzerland. This topic is worth investigating, because the intrusion of English into various sectors in Switzerland is very controversial. While some Swiss citizens welcome English, focusing on the benefits it can provide to their country, others consider it a danger to the national languages and therefore, to their culture. In order to analyse whether English has also penetrated the press, one of Switzerland’s most important sources of information, four high-circulation daily Swiss newspapers, were analysed for their use of anglicisms. The results show that while the overall frequency of English in papers is generally low, there are immense differences between the different types of newspapers, as well as among the numerous sections and topic areas.