128-529: Nidwalden or Nidwald ( German : Kanton Nidwalden [ˈniːdˌvaldn̩] ; Romansh : Chantun Sutsilvania ; French : Canton de Nidwald [ni.dwal] ; Italian : Canton Nidvaldo ) is one of the 26 cantons forming the Swiss Confederation . It is composed of eleven municipalities and the seat of the government and parliament is in Stans . It is traditionally considered
256-465: A de facto official language of Namibia after the end of German colonial rule alongside English and Afrikaans , and had de jure co-official status from 1984 until its independence from South Africa in 1990. However, the Namibian government perceived Afrikaans and German as symbols of apartheid and colonialism, and decided English would be the sole official language upon independence, stating that it
384-402: A second language , and 75–100 million as a foreign language . This would imply the existence of approximately 175–220 million German speakers worldwide. German sociolinguist Ulrich Ammon estimated a number of 289 million German foreign language speakers without clarifying the criteria by which he classified a speaker. As of 2012 , about 90 million people, or 16% of
512-540: A " half-canton ", the other half being Obwalden . Nidwalden lies in Central Switzerland . It borders the canton of Obwalden to the west, the cantons of Lucerne and Schwyz to the north, the canton of Uri to the east and the canton of Bern to the south. The canton is essentially in the Alps , south of Lake Lucerne . It is one of the smallest cantons, the population is 40,287 (in 2007). The largest town
640-612: A "commonly used" language and the Pan South African Language Board is obligated to promote and ensure respect for it. Cameroon was also a colony of the German Empire from the same period (1884 to 1916). However, German was replaced by French and English, the languages of the two successor colonial powers, after its loss in World War I . Nevertheless, since the 21st century, German has become
768-400: A President and two vice-presidents. The five-member Council of State ( Italian : Consiglio di Stato ), not to be confused with the federal Council of States , is the executive authority of the canton, and it directs cantonal affairs according to law and the constitution. It is elected in a single constituency using the proportional representation system. Currently, the five members of
896-518: A great number of small and middle-sized businesses dominate the economy. The largest employer is the airplane constructor Pilatus . The small and middle-sized businesses work in a wide range of areas. Many specialize in machine construction, medical equipment, international trade, optics and electronics. Traditional areas such as forestry and agriculture are still of importance. Agriculture is specialized in cattle and dairy farming. The farms are still run by individual families. In recent years, Nidwalden
1024-559: A greater need for regularity in written conventions. While the major changes of the MHG period were socio-cultural, High German was still undergoing significant linguistic changes in syntax, phonetics, and morphology as well (e.g. diphthongization of certain vowel sounds: hus (OHG & MHG "house") → haus (regionally in later MHG)→ Haus (NHG), and weakening of unstressed short vowels to schwa [ə]: taga (OHG "days")→ tage (MHG)). A great wealth of texts survives from
1152-573: A headscarf. The Burqa ban was later approved by the Grand Council in November 2015. In September 2016, Ticino voters approved a Swiss People's Party -sponsored referendum that gives precedence to Swiss workers, as opposed to foreign workers, defying freedom of movement agreements between Switzerland and the EU . The canton is divided into eight districts : Leventina was a subject of
1280-433: A member canton. The former condominiums and Leventina became the eight districts of the canton of Ticino, which exist to the present day and are provided for by the cantonal constitution. There are 108 municipalities in the canton (as of June 2021 ). These municipalities ( comuni ) are grouped in 38 circoli (circles or sub-districts) which are in turn grouped into the eight districts ( distretti ). The mayor ( sindaco )
1408-458: A native tongue today, mostly descendants of German colonial settlers . The period of German colonialism in Namibia also led to the evolution of a Standard German-based pidgin language called " Namibian Black German ", which became a second language for parts of the indigenous population. Although it is nearly extinct today, some older Namibians still have some knowledge of it. German remained
SECTION 10
#17327759553061536-486: A new constitution. The open assembly ( Landsgemeinde ) was abolished in 1997. Nidwalden is located in the centre of Switzerland. To the north it is bounded by the Lake Lucerne ( Vierwaldstättersee ), to all other directions by mountain chains ( Urner Alps ). The area of the canton is 276.1 square kilometers (106.6 sq mi) of which about 40% is inhabited or used for farming. Forests occupy about one third of
1664-696: A popular foreign language among pupils and students, with 300,000 people learning or speaking German in Cameroon in 2010 and over 230,000 in 2020. Today Cameroon is one of the African countries outside Namibia with the highest number of people learning German. In the United States, German is the fifth most spoken language in terms of native and second language speakers after English, Spanish , French , and Chinese (with figures for Cantonese and Mandarin combined), with over 1 million total speakers. In
1792-483: A result, the surviving texts are written in highly disparate regional dialects and exhibit significant Latin influence, particularly in vocabulary. At this point monasteries, where most written works were produced, were dominated by Latin, and German saw only occasional use in official and ecclesiastical writing. While there is no complete agreement over the dates of the Middle High German (MHG) period, it
1920-640: A third of the area, but also the lakes Maggiore (or Verbano ) and Lugano (or Ceresio ) make up a considerable minority. The canton shares borders with three other cantons across the main ridge of the Alps: Valais to the northwest, to which it is connected by the Nufenen Pass , Uri to the north, to which it is connected by the Gotthard Pass and the Grisons to the northeast, to which it
2048-690: Is Lugano , and the two other notable centres are Bellinzona and Locarno . While the geography of the Sopraceneri region is marked by the High Alps and Lake Maggiore , that of the Sottoceneri is marked by the Alpine foothills and Lake Lugano . The canton, which has become one of the major tourist destinations of Switzerland, distinguishes itself from the rest of the country by its warm climate, and its culture and gastronomy. The land now occupied by
2176-596: Is Stans , followed by Hergiswil and Buochs . Together with Obwalden, Nidwalden was part of the forest canton of Unterwalden , one of the three participants in the foundation of the Old Swiss Confederacy , named in the Pact of Brunnen of 1315 with Uri and Schwyz. The division of Unterwalden into two separate territories, Obwalden and Nidwalden, appears to develop over the course of the 14th and 15th centuries. The earliest traces of human settlement date to
2304-412: Is 114.6 persons per km . As of 2000, 83.1% of the population spoke Italian, 8.3% spoke German and 1.7% spoke Serbo-Croatian . As of 2019, 70.0% of the total population was Catholic . According to a 2012 survey, the population aged 15 years and older was mostly Catholic (70%); further Christian denominations accounted for 10% of the population (including Swiss Reformed 4%), 2% were Muslim and 1% of
2432-601: Is a recognized minority language in the following countries: In France, the High German varieties of Alsatian and Moselle Franconian are identified as " regional languages ", but the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages of 1998 has not yet been ratified by the government. Namibia also was a colony of the German Empire, from 1884 to 1915. About 30,000 people still speak German as
2560-612: Is also notable for its broad spectrum of dialects , with many varieties existing in Europe and other parts of the world. Some of these non-standard varieties have become recognized and protected by regional or national governments. Since 2004, heads of state of the German-speaking countries have met every year, and the Council for German Orthography has been the main international body regulating German orthography . German
2688-558: Is an Indo-European language that belongs to the West Germanic group of the Germanic languages . The Germanic languages are traditionally subdivided into three branches: North Germanic , East Germanic , and West Germanic . The first of these branches survives in modern Danish , Swedish , Norwegian , Faroese , and Icelandic , all of which are descended from Old Norse . The East Germanic languages are now extinct, and Gothic
SECTION 20
#17327759553062816-591: Is becoming an increasingly common place to live and work. This is caused by its low taxes, its central location between Zürich and Milan , and its natural environment. Because of its mountainous geography, tourism is important in Nidwalden. The lake and the mountains attract many tourists, both during the winter and the summer. Major resorts include Klewenalp , Stanserhorn (mountain), the region around Bannalp , and Bürgenstock . Traditional culture in Nidwalden has been kept alive by many local organisations. There
2944-478: Is called the "German Sprachraum ". German is the official language of the following countries: German is a co-official language of the following countries: Although expulsions and (forced) assimilation after the two World wars greatly diminished them, minority communities of mostly bilingual German native speakers exist in areas both adjacent to and detached from the Sprachraum. Within Europe, German
3072-430: Is complicated by the existence of several varieties whose status as separate "languages" or "dialects" is disputed for political and linguistic reasons, including quantitatively strong varieties like certain forms of Alemannic and Low German . With the inclusion or exclusion of certain varieties, it is estimated that approximately 90–95 million people speak German as a first language , 10–25 million speak it as
3200-548: Is connected by the Lukmanier Pass and the Mesolcina Valley; the latter valley, a few kilometres north of Bellinzona, being the only (natural) low elevation access to another canton. Ticino shares international borders with Italy as well. To the southwest is the region of Piedmont and to the southeast is the region of Lombardy . The main border crossing between Italy and Switzerland is that of Chiasso , in
3328-535: Is generally seen as ending when the 1346–53 Black Death decimated Europe's population. Modern High German begins with the Early New High German (ENHG) period, which Wilhelm Scherer dates 1350–1650, terminating with the end of the Thirty Years' War . This period saw the further displacement of Latin by German as the primary language of courtly proceedings and, increasingly, of literature in
3456-611: Is generally seen as lasting from 1050 to 1350. This was a period of significant expansion of the geographical territory occupied by Germanic tribes, and consequently of the number of German speakers. Whereas during the Old High German period the Germanic tribes extended only as far east as the Elbe and Saale rivers, the MHG period saw a number of these tribes expanding beyond this eastern boundary into Slavic territory (known as
3584-538: Is given in the following table: Tertiary sector workers make up 76.5% of the Ticinese workforce, compared to the Swiss average of 67.1%. Commerce (23.1%), tourism (10.1%) and financial activities (3.9%) are all important for the local economy, while the contribution from agriculture and fishing is marginal, employing 6.5% of the workforce on a Swiss average of 15.4%. The median gross private sector monthly salary in 2012
3712-409: Is given in the following table: Up to the 20th century Nidwalden was dominated by agriculture. Cattle and cheese were exported mainly to northern Italy . Around 1500, many people in Nidwalden worked as mercenary soldiers. From the middle of the 19th century onwards, trade, industry and tourism gained momentum. Nevertheless, until the middle of the 20th century, agriculture dominated the canton. Today
3840-403: Is highly diverse as elevations range from Lake Maggiore, affected by subtropical climate , to the high Alps, affected by subarctic and tundra climate . Therefore, similarly to the rest of Switzerland, many different types of ecosystems are found in the region. In the lower areas, deciduous forests are omnipresent, while at high elevations they tend to be replaced by coniferous forests, except in
3968-565: Is less closely related to languages based on Low Franconian dialects (e.g., Dutch and Afrikaans), Low German or Low Saxon dialects (spoken in northern Germany and southern Denmark ), neither of which underwent the High German consonant shift. As has been noted, the former of these dialect types is Istvaeonic and the latter Ingvaeonic, whereas the High German dialects are all Irminonic; the differences between these languages and standard German are therefore considerable. Also related to German are
Nidwalden - Misplaced Pages Continue
4096-552: Is one of the 26 cantons forming the Swiss Confederation . It is composed of eight districts and its capital city is Bellinzona . It is also traditionally divided into the Sopraceneri and the Sottoceneri , respectively north and south of Monte Ceneri . Red and blue are the colours of its flag. Ticino is the southernmost canton of Switzerland. It is one of the three large southern Alpine cantons, along with Valais and
4224-435: Is one of the major languages of the world . German is the second-most widely spoken Germanic language , after English, both as a first and as a second language . German is also widely taught as a foreign language , especially in continental Europe (where it is the third most taught foreign language after English and French), and in the United States. Overall, German is the fourth most commonly learned second language, and
4352-597: Is one of the three biggest newspapers in Namibia and the only German-language daily in Africa. An estimated 12,000 people speak German or a German variety as a first language in South Africa, mostly originating from different waves of immigration during the 19th and 20th centuries. One of the largest communities consists of the speakers of "Nataler Deutsch", a variety of Low German concentrated in and around Wartburg . The South African constitution identifies German as
4480-401: Is partly derived from Latin and Greek , along with fewer words borrowed from French and Modern English . English, however, is the main source of more recent loanwords . German is a pluricentric language ; the three standardized variants are German , Austrian , and Swiss Standard German . Standard German is sometimes called High German , which refers to its regional origin. German
4608-525: Is the Sachsenspiegel , the first book of laws written in Middle Low German ( c. 1220 ). The abundance and especially the secular character of the literature of the MHG period demonstrate the beginnings of a standardized written form of German, as well as the desire of poets and authors to be understood by individuals on supra-dialectal terms. The Middle High German period
4736-601: Is the meeting place for both the Grand Council and the Council of State. Nearby Piazza Governo is Piazza Indipendenza, which commemorates the independence of the canton. Since a referendum in September 2013, Ticino is the only Swiss canton where wearing full-face veils is illegal. Supporters of the ban cited the case of a 20-year-old Pakistani woman from Bellinzona , who was killed by her husband for refusing to wear
4864-578: Is the only language in this branch which survives in written texts. The West Germanic languages, however, have undergone extensive dialectal subdivision and are now represented in modern languages such as English, German, Dutch , Yiddish , Afrikaans , and others. Within the West Germanic language dialect continuum, the Benrath and Uerdingen lines (running through Düsseldorf - Benrath and Krefeld - Uerdingen , respectively) serve to distinguish
4992-411: Is the president of the municipal government ( municipio ) which comprises at least three members; a council also exists. The members of the council and the municipio are elected every four years by the citizens resident in the comune – the next elections are scheduled for April 2024. Since the late 1990s, there has been an ongoing project to aggregate some municipalities , with the constitution of
5120-533: Is traditional music, yodeling, dances, theaters and festivals. There are also a number of modern cultural events, such a concerts and galleries. German language German (German: Deutsch , pronounced [dɔʏtʃ] ) is a West Germanic language in the Indo-European language family , mainly spoken in Western and Central Europe . It is the most spoken native language within
5248-485: Is understood in all areas where German is spoken. Approximate distribution of native German speakers (assuming a rounded total of 95 million) worldwide: As a result of the German diaspora , as well as the popularity of German taught as a foreign language , the geographical distribution of German speakers (or "Germanophones") spans all inhabited continents. However, an exact, global number of native German speakers
Nidwalden - Misplaced Pages Continue
5376-689: The Ostsiedlung ). With the increasing wealth and geographic spread of the Germanic groups came greater use of German in the courts of nobles as the standard language of official proceedings and literature. A clear example of this is the mittelhochdeutsche Dichtersprache employed in the Hohenstaufen court in Swabia as a standardized supra-dialectal written language. While these efforts were still regionally bound, German began to be used in place of Latin for certain official purposes, leading to
5504-639: The Alamanni , Bavarian, and Thuringian groups, all belonging to the Elbe Germanic group ( Irminones ), which had settled in what is now southern-central Germany and Austria between the second and sixth centuries, during the great migration. In general, the surviving texts of Old High German (OHG) show a wide range of dialectal diversity with very little written uniformity. The early written tradition of OHG survived mostly through monasteries and scriptoria as local translations of Latin originals; as
5632-814: The Bronze and Iron Ages , the area of what is today Ticino was settled by the Lepontii , a Celtic tribe. Later, probably around the rule of Augustus , it became part of the Roman Empire . After the fall of the Western Empire, it was ruled by the Ostrogoths , the Lombards and the Franks . Around 1100 it was the centre of a struggle between the free communes of Milan and Como : in the 14th century, it
5760-568: The Czech Republic ( North Bohemia ), Poland ( Upper Silesia ), Slovakia ( Košice Region , Spiš , and Hauerland ), Denmark ( North Schleswig ), Romania and Hungary ( Sopron ). Overseas, sizeable communities of German-speakers are found in Brazil ( Blumenau and Pomerode ), South Africa ( Kroondal ), Namibia , among others, some communities have decidedly Austrian German or Swiss German characters (e.g. Pozuzo , Peru). German
5888-537: The Early Middle Ages . German is an inflected language , with four cases for nouns, pronouns, and adjectives (nominative, accusative, genitive, dative); three genders (masculine, feminine, neuter) and two numbers (singular, plural). It has strong and weak verbs . The majority of its vocabulary derives from the ancient Germanic branch of the Indo-European language family, while a smaller share
6016-480: The European Union 's population, spoke German as their mother tongue, making it the second most widely spoken language on the continent after Russian and the second biggest language in terms of overall speakers (after English), as well as the most spoken native language. The area in central Europe where the majority of the population speaks German as a first language and has German as a (co-)official language
6144-671: The European Union . It is the most widely spoken and official (or co-official) language in Germany , Austria , Switzerland , Liechtenstein , and the Italian autonomous province of South Tyrol . It is also an official language of Luxembourg , Belgium and the Italian autonomous region of Friuli-Venezia Giulia , as well as a recognized national language in Namibia . There are also notable German-speaking communities in France ( Alsace ),
6272-522: The German states . While these states were still part of the Holy Roman Empire , and far from any form of unification, the desire for a cohesive written language that would be understandable across the many German-speaking principalities and kingdoms was stronger than ever. As a spoken language German remained highly fractured throughout this period, with a vast number of often mutually incomprehensible regional dialects being spoken throughout
6400-588: The Grisons . However, unlike all other cantons, it lies almost entirely south of the Alps and has no natural access to the Swiss Plateau . Through the main crest of the Gotthard and adjacent mountain ranges, it borders the canton of Valais to the northwest, the canton of Uri to the north and the canton of Grisons to the northeast; the latter canton being also the only one to share some borders with Ticino at
6528-746: The Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian I , and the other being Meißner Deutsch , used in the Electorate of Saxony in the Duchy of Saxe-Wittenberg . Alongside these courtly written standards, the invention of the printing press led to the development of a number of printers' languages ( Druckersprachen ) aimed at making printed material readable and understandable across as many diverse dialects of German as possible. The greater ease of production and increased availability of written texts brought about increased standardisation in
SECTION 50
#17327759553066656-694: The Maggia . The Verzasca Valley is between the Leventina Valley and the Maggia Valley. There is also a smaller area that drains directly into the Lake Lugano . Most of the land is considered within the Alps, but a small area is part of the plain of the Po which drains the north of Italy . Although it includes the lowest point of Switzerland (Lake Maggiore) as well as its lowest town ( Ascona ),
6784-595: The Neolithic with sites found near Stansstad that are from 4000 to 3100 BC. The same sites, near Stansstad, also contain Late Bronze Age (1400–1100 BC) artifacts, with additional Bronze Age sites near Hergiswil and Ennetmoos. A La Tène (500–100 BC) grave for a 10-year-old girl has been found in Stans. Based on these finds, it appears that the Nidwalden region has been settled since the 1st millennium BC. During
6912-666: The Old High German language in several Elder Futhark inscriptions from as early as the sixth century AD (such as the Pforzen buckle ), the Old High German period is generally seen as beginning with the Abrogans (written c. 765–775 ), a Latin-German glossary supplying over 3,000 Old High German words with their Latin equivalents. After the Abrogans , the first coherent works written in Old High German appear in
7040-404: The Rhine basin in the north, at the Gotthard Pass and around lake of Santa Maria . The extreme south of the canton is drained by the Po as well, but through the Breggia and Adda , and Gaggiolo, Olona , Lambro . The canton is traditionally (but not administratively) split into two regions. The northern region, the Sopraceneri , is formed by the valleys around Lake Maggiore and includes
7168-473: The Roman Empire Ob and Nidwalden were inhabited by a Gallo-Roman or Celtic population. While there are few artifacts from the population, many names of the towns, rivers and mountains have either Celtic or Gallo-Roman roots. By the 8th century the Alemanni entered the valleys of present-day Nidwalden and intermingled. At this time a Roman Catholic church was built in Stans, most likely founded by an Alemanni noble family. The church in Stans would remain until
7296-427: The Sprachraum in Europe. German is used in a wide variety of spheres throughout the country, especially in business, tourism, and public signage, as well as in education, churches (most notably the German-speaking Evangelical Lutheran Church in Namibia (GELK) ), other cultural spheres such as music, and media (such as German language radio programs by the Namibian Broadcasting Corporation ). The Allgemeine Zeitung
7424-422: The Standard German language in its written form, and the Duden Handbook was declared its standard definition. Punctuation and compound spelling (joined or isolated compounds) were not standardized in the process. The Deutsche Bühnensprache ( lit. ' German stage language ' ) by Theodor Siebs had established conventions for German pronunciation in theatres , three years earlier; however, this
7552-469: The Ticino basin, a tributary of the Po . Along with Valais and the Grisons , it is one of the three cantons whose territory extends into the Po basin (lands to the south of the Alps ). However, unlike the other Po basin cantons (and all other cantons), all settlements of Ticino are on the south side of the Alps, therefore separated from the Swiss Plateau (and most of the country) by the great Alpine barrier. The canton also comprehends some small areas in
7680-400: The Upper German dialects spoken in the southern German-speaking countries , such as Swiss German ( Alemannic dialects ) and the various Germanic dialects spoken in the French region of Grand Est , such as Alsatian (mainly Alemannic, but also Central–and Upper Franconian dialects) and Lorraine Franconian (Central Franconian). After these High German dialects, standard German
7808-426: The battle of Marignano in 1515 by Francis I of France . The Valle Leventina revolted unsuccessfully against Uri in 1755. In February 1798 an attempt of annexation by the Cisalpine Republic was repelled by a volunteer militia in Lugano. Between 1798 and 1803, during the Helvetic Republic , two cantons were created ( Bellinzona and Lugano ) but in 1803 the two were unified to form the canton of Ticino that joined
SECTION 60
#17327759553067936-427: The canton of Uri until 1798, the year the Helvetic Republic was founded, when it became part of the new canton of Bellinzona along with the Swiss condominiums of Bellinzona, Riviera and Blenio. The condominiums of Locarno, Lugano, Mendrisio and Vallemaggia became part of the new canton of Lugano in 1798. These two cantons formed into one canton, Ticino, in 1803 when it joined the (restored) Swiss Confederation as
8064-490: The canton of the Grisons . The current Constitution of the Republic and Canton of Ticino, originating from a draft approved on 18 August 1801 during the Helvetic Republic, was approved on 14 December 1997. In its preamble , it states that it was created by the Ticinese people ( popolo ) "in order to guaranty peaceful life together with respect for the dignity of man, fundamental liberties and social justice (...) faithful to its historic task to interpret Italian culture within
8192-421: The fashion industry due to its closeness to Milan . Hugo Boss , Gucci , VF Corporation and other popular brands are located there. Because the international fashion business has become a significant employer for Swiss and Italians alike, the region has also been termed the "Fashion Valley". Three of the world's largest gold refineries are based in Ticino, including the Pamp refinery in Castel San Pietro ,
8320-408: The pagan Germanic tradition. Of particular interest to scholars, however, has been the Hildebrandslied , a secular epic poem telling the tale of an estranged father and son unknowingly meeting each other in battle. Linguistically, this text is highly interesting due to the mixed use of Old Saxon and Old High German dialects in its composition. The written works of this period stem mainly from
8448-411: The 10th century when it was replaced by a church in Buochs . Initially the land was owned by a number of noble families and abbeys . But by the late 13th century the major powers in Nidwalden had shrunk to three: the Habsburgs , Murbach Abbey and Engelberg Abbey . In 1291 Rudolph of Habsburg bought Obwalden from Murbach Abbey. In response the people of Nidwalden ( Obwalden joined shortly before
8576-614: The Empire. Its use indicated that the speaker was a merchant or someone from an urban area, regardless of nationality. Prague (German: Prag ) and Budapest ( Buda , German: Ofen ), to name two examples, were gradually Germanized in the years after their incorporation into the Habsburg domain; others, like Pressburg ( Pozsony , now Bratislava), were originally settled during the Habsburg period and were primarily German at that time. Prague, Budapest, Bratislava, and cities like Zagreb (German: Agram ) or Ljubljana (German: Laibach ), contained significant German minorities. In
8704-414: The Frisian languages— North Frisian (spoken in Nordfriesland ), Saterland Frisian (spoken in Saterland ), and West Frisian (spoken in Friesland )—as well as the Anglic languages of English and Scots. These Anglo-Frisian dialects did not take part in the High German consonant shift, and the Anglic languages also adopted much vocabulary from both Old Norse and the Norman language . The history of
8832-417: The German language begins with the High German consonant shift during the Migration Period , which separated Old High German dialects from Old Saxon . This sound shift involved a drastic change in the pronunciation of both voiced and voiceless stop consonants ( b , d , g , and p , t , k , respectively). The primary effects of the shift were the following below. While there is written evidence of
8960-399: The German states; the invention of the printing press c. 1440 and the publication of Luther's vernacular translation of the Bible in 1534, however, had an immense effect on standardizing German as a supra-dialectal written language. The ENHG period saw the rise of several important cross-regional forms of chancery German, one being gemeine tiutsch , used in the court of
9088-623: The Germanic dialects that were affected by the High German consonant shift (south of Benrath) from those that were not (north of Uerdingen). The various regional dialects spoken south of these lines are grouped as High German dialects, while those spoken to the north comprise the Low German and Low Franconian dialects. As members of the West Germanic language family, High German, Low German, and Low Franconian have been proposed to be further distinguished historically as Irminonic , Ingvaeonic , and Istvaeonic , respectively. This classification indicates their historical descent from dialects spoken by
9216-473: The Gotthard Massif), Pizzo Campo Tencia (highest fully within the canton), Monte Generoso (highest south of Lake Lugano) and Monte Tamaro (most prominent of the canton). For an exhaustive list, see list of mountains of Ticino . The area of the canton is 2,812 square kilometres (1,086 sq mi), of which about three-quarters are considered productive to trees or crops. Forests cover about
9344-519: The Government are Claudio Zali, Raffaele De Rosa, Manuele Bertoli, Norman Gobbi and Christian Vitta. Each year, the Council of State nominates its president. The current president of the Council of State is Norman Gobbi. The most recent elections were held in April 2019; the next elections will be on 2 April 2023. The cantonal capital is Bellinzona . The Palazzo delle Orsoline on Piazza Governo
9472-499: The Helvetic Confederation" . The Grand Council ( Gran Consiglio ) is the legislative authority of the canton, exercising sovereignty over any matter not explicitly delegated by the constitution to another authority. The Gran Consiglio has 90 members called deputati (deputies), elected in a single constituency using the proportional representation system. Deputies serve four-year terms, and annually nominate
9600-655: The Irminones (also known as the Elbe group), Ingvaeones (or North Sea Germanic group), and Istvaeones (or Weser–Rhine group). Standard German is based on a combination of Thuringian - Upper Saxon and Upper Franconian dialects, which are Central German and Upper German dialects belonging to the High German dialect group. German is therefore closely related to the other languages based on High German dialects, such as Luxembourgish (based on Central Franconian dialects ) and Yiddish . Also closely related to Standard German are
9728-518: The MHG period. Significantly, these texts include a number of impressive secular works, such as the Nibelungenlied , an epic poem telling the story of the dragon -slayer Siegfried ( c. thirteenth century ), and the Iwein , an Arthurian verse poem by Hartmann von Aue ( c. 1203 ), lyric poems , and courtly romances such as Parzival and Tristan . Also noteworthy
9856-601: The Riviera in 1500. Some of the land and Bellinzona itself were previously annexed by Uri in 1419 but lost again in 1422. The third conquest was fought by troops from the entire Confederation (at that time constituted by 12 cantons). In 1512 Locarno , the Maggia Valley , Lugano and Mendrisio were annexed. Subsequently, the upper valley of the river Ticino , from the St. Gotthard to the town of Biasca ( Leventina Valley )
9984-704: The Sottoceneri ( Lugano Prealps ), where they are almost absent. The treeline is located at around 2,000 metres in the Sopraceneri and 1,600 metres in the Sottoceneri. The Basòdino , Ticino's second-highest mountain, is covered by the largest glacier of the canton . In winter, skiing is popular in the highest locations, notably in Airolo and Bosco/Gurin . In the lower regions, especially around Lake Maggiore and Lake Lugano, vineyards, olive trees and other fruits common to southern Europe are grown. Several types of cold hardy palm trees and other subtropical species may be grown here, and although none are native, their presence in
10112-785: The Swiss Confederation as a full member in the same year under the Act of Mediation . During the Napoleonic Wars , many Ticinesi (as was the case for other Swiss ) served in Swiss military units allied with the French . The canton minted its own currency , the Ticinese franco , between 1813 and 1850, when it began the use of the Swiss franc . As a particularly poor region, Ticino was a land of emigration. Notable examples include
10240-515: The Swiss nation including Nidwalden. The cantons were accustomed to self-government and many resented the limits on the freedom of worship in particular. When rebel forces threatened the Republic, Nidwalden was attacked by French troops on 9 September 1798. The canton's infrastructure was badly damaged and at least 400 people were killed. After the end of Napoleonic rule in 1814, most of the changes were reverted. Only in 1877 did Nidwalden introduce
10368-407: The canton allowing for the Grand Council of Ticino to promote and lead in deciding on mergers. This has resulted in changes to some of the circles, with many circles now consisting of just one or two municipalities. The most populous municipality – Lugano (having merged with numerous other municipalities) – is subdivided into quartieri (quarters) which are grouped into three (cantonal) circles. In
10496-530: The canton is nearly evenly split with 50.9% male and 49.1% female. In 2000, 75.6% of the population identified as Catholic while 11.9% belong to the Swiss Reformed Church . The population density in December 2005 was 144.3 persons per km. Most of the population (as of 2000) speaks German (92.5%) with a small minority speaking Italian (1.4%) or Serbo-Croatian (1.2%). The historical population
10624-567: The canton relies on important infrastructure for connection with the rest of the country. The first major north–south railway link across the Alps, the Gotthard Railway , opened in 1882. In 2016, the Gotthard Base Tunnel was inaugurated, which finally provided a fully flat route through the Alps. The GDP per capita of Ticino was 83,450 Swiss francs in 2020. Despite being below the Swiss average of 86,135 Swiss francs, it
10752-474: The canton was annexed from Italian cities in the 15th century by various Swiss forces in the last transalpine campaigns of the Old Swiss Confederacy . In the Helvetic Republic , established in 1798, it was divided between the two new cantons of Bellinzona and Lugano . The Act of Mediation in 1803 saw these two cantons combine to form the modern canton of Ticino. Because of its unusual position,
10880-463: The canton with about one quarter being considered unproductive (mountains or glaciers). The cantonal executive ( Regierungsrat ) is composed of seven members. The local parliament has 60 seats. Nidwalden sends only one deputy to the Swiss Council of States . WWF rating: 1.9 ("blocked") The World Wildlife Fund commissioned a study into the energy policies of all Swiss cantons . No canton
11008-495: The canton's main export market, receiving 23.1% of the total, compared to 15.8% for Italy and 9.9% for the United States. Many Italian companies relocate to Ticino, either temporarily or permanently, seeking lower taxes and an efficient bureaucracy : just as many Ticinese entrepreneurs doing business in Italy complain of red tape and widespread protectionism . The region has been attracting multinational companies particularly from
11136-521: The chocolatiers ( cioccolatieri ) of the Val Blenio , who migrated throughout Europe (see Swiss chocolate#History ). Until 1878 the three largest cities, Bellinzona, Lugano and Locarno, alternated as capital of the canton. In 1878, however, Bellinzona became the only and permanent capital. The 1870–1891 period saw a surge of political turbulence in Ticino, and the authorities needed the assistance of
11264-535: The development of non-local forms of language and exposed all speakers to forms of German from outside their own area. With Luther's rendering of the Bible in the vernacular, German asserted itself against the dominance of Latin as a legitimate language for courtly, literary, and now ecclesiastical subject-matter. His Bible was ubiquitous in the German states: nearly every household possessed a copy. Nevertheless, even with
11392-456: The dialect so as to make the work as natural and accessible to German speakers as possible. Copies of Luther's Bible featured a long list of glosses for each region, translating words which were unknown in the region into the regional dialect. Luther said the following concerning his translation method: One who would talk German does not ask the Latin how he shall do it; he must ask the mother in
11520-482: The document was signed, the two-halves forming Unterwalden ) joined Uri and Schwyz to form an alliance which is considered the foundation of the Old Swiss Confederacy . At the time there was no state, but towards the end of the 14th century early forms of government were established. This included institutionalized assemblies and courts. In the 14th and 15th century the people of Nidwalden joined
11648-519: The eastern provinces of Banat , Bukovina , and Transylvania (German: Banat, Buchenland, Siebenbürgen ), German was the predominant language not only in the larger towns—like Temeschburg ( Timișoara ), Hermannstadt ( Sibiu ), and Kronstadt ( Brașov )—but also in many smaller localities in the surrounding areas. In 1901, the Second Orthographic Conference ended with a (nearly) complete standardization of
11776-550: The ecosystem is increasing. Numerous gardens, especially near the lakes, such as the Brissago Islands and the Scherrer Park , are renowned for their exotic plants. The Diocese of Lugano is co-extensive to the canton. Ticino is one of the wine regions for Swiss wine . The defined region encompasses all of the canton plus the neighbouring Italian-speaking district of Moesa ( Misox and Calanca valleys) in
11904-475: The extreme south of the canton. The climate of Ticino is mostly influenced by the Mediterranean Sea, the Alps protecting it from north European weather. As a consequence, the plains experience warm and moist summers, and mild winters. This climate is noticeably warmer and wetter than the rest of Switzerland's . In German-speaking Switzerland, Ticino is nicknamed Sonnenstube (sun porch), owing to
12032-428: The federal government to restore order in several instances, in 1870, 1876, 1889 and 1890–1891. The current cantonal constitution dates from 1997. The previous constitution, heavily modified, was codified in 1830, nearly 20 years before the constitution of the Swiss Confederation . Ticino is the southernmost canton of Switzerland. With a few exceptions in the extreme north and south of the canton, it lies entirely in
12160-471: The gross cantonal product. Because of Ticino's shared language and culture, its financial industry has very close ties to Italy. In 2017, Ticino had an unemployment rate of 4%, higher than the Switzerland average which was estimated at 3.7%. Frontalieri , commuter workers living in Italy (mostly in the provinces of Varese and Como ) but working regularly in Ticino, form a large part (over 20%) of
12288-520: The highest mountains of the canton and the main Alpine watershed . The southern region, the Sottoceneri , is the region around Lake Lugano , and marks the beginning of the southern Alpine foothills. Between the two regions is Monte Ceneri , a moderately elevated mountain pass and important north–south axis. The Sopraceneri is constituted by the districts of Bellinzona , Blenio , Leventina , Locarno , Riviera and Vallemaggia , and makes up about 85% of
12416-435: The home, the children on the streets, the common man in the market-place and note carefully how they talk, then translate accordingly. They will then understand what is said to them because it is German. When Christ says ' ex abundantia cordis os loquitur ,' I would translate, if I followed the papists, aus dem Überflusz des Herzens redet der Mund . But tell me is this talking German? What German understands such stuff? No,
12544-481: The influence of Luther's Bible as an unofficial written standard, a widely accepted standard for written German did not appear until the middle of the eighteenth century. German was the language of commerce and government in the Habsburg Empire , which encompassed a large area of Central and Eastern Europe . Until the mid-nineteenth century, it was essentially the language of townspeople throughout most of
12672-523: The largest concentrations of German speakers are in the states of Rio Grande do Sul (where Riograndenser Hunsrückisch developed), Santa Catarina , and Espírito Santo . Ticino Ticino ( / t ɪ ˈ tʃ iː n oʊ / tih- CHEE -noh ), sometimes Tessin ( / t ɛ ˈ s iː n , t ɛ ˈ s æ̃ / ), officially the Republic and Canton of Ticino or less formally the Canton of Ticino ,
12800-437: The leading manufacturer of minted gold bars. Large companies based in the canton include: Bally , Hupac . The opening of the Gotthard Railway in 1882 led to the establishment of a sizeable tourist industry mostly catering to German speakers, although since the early 2000s the industry has suffered from the competition of more distant destinations. In 2011, 1,728,888 overnight stays were recorded. The mild climate throughout
12928-591: The level of the plains. The canton shares international borders with Italy as well, including a small Italian enclave . Named after the Ticino , its longest river, it is the only canton where Italian is the sole official language and represents the bulk of the Italian-speaking area of Switzerland along with the southern parts of the Grisons . In 2020, Ticino had a population of 350,986. The largest city
13056-480: The modern day, the circle serves only as a territorial unit with limited public functions, most notably the local judiciary. Religion in canton of Ticino (age 15+, 2012) Ticino has a population (as of 31 December 2020) of 350,986. As of 2013 , the population included 94,366 foreigners, or about 27.2% of the total population. The largest groups of foreign population were Italians (46.2%), followed by Croats (6.5%) and Portuguese (5.9%). The population density (in 2005)
13184-429: The more than 2,300 sunshine hours the canton receives every year, compared to 1,700 for Zurich. The canton can experience particularly heavy storms and rainfalls in summer. It is the region of Switzerland with the highest level of lightning discharge. Conversely, the canton can experience severe droughts in both summer and winter, making it the region most affected by forest fires in the country. The climate of Ticino
13312-402: The mother in the home and the plain man would say, Wesz das Herz voll ist, des gehet der Mund über . Luther's translation of the Bible into High German was also decisive for the German language and its evolution from Early New High German to modern Standard German. The publication of Luther's Bible was a decisive moment in the spread of literacy in early modern Germany , and promoted
13440-653: The ninth century, chief among them being the Muspilli , Merseburg charms , and Hildebrandslied , and other religious texts (the Georgslied , Ludwigslied , Evangelienbuch , and translated hymns and prayers). The Muspilli is a Christian poem written in a Bavarian dialect offering an account of the soul after the Last Judgment , and the Merseburg charms are transcriptions of spells and charms from
13568-838: The northwest through the Bedretto Valley and the Leventina Valley to enter Lake Maggiore near Locarno . Its main tributaries are the Brenno in the Blenio Valley and the Moesa in the Mesolcina Valley in the Grisons . The lands of most of the canton are shaped by the river, which in its mid portion forms a wide valley, commonly known as the Riviera . The western lands of the canton, however, are drained by
13696-500: The people of Obwalden to discuss important matters, but the two cantons were never really one. For example, Obwalden did not participate in the annexation of Bellinzona , Riviera and Blenio areas (today located in the canton of Ticino ). Under the Helvetic Republic imposed in 1798 by French Revolutionary troops, Switzerland became a united country. The ideas of the French Revolution were not popular in some parts of
13824-553: The population adhered to another religion (including Jews 0.1%). The official language, and the one used for most written communication, is Swiss Italian . Despite being very similar to standard Italian , Swiss Italian presents some differences to the Italian spoken in Italy due to the influence of French and German from which it assimilates words. Dialects of the Lombard language such as Ticinese are still spoken, especially in
13952-462: The pronunciation of the ending -ig as [ɪk] instead of [ɪç]. In Northern Germany, High German was a foreign language to most inhabitants, whose native dialects were subsets of Low German. It was usually encountered only in writing or formal speech; in fact, most of High German was a written language, not identical to any spoken dialect, throughout the German-speaking area until well into the 19th century. However, wider standardization of pronunciation
14080-494: The requirements of the Paris Agreement in each area. There are eleven municipalities: Beckenried , Buochs , Dallenwil , Emmetten , Ennetbürgen , Ennetmoos , Hergiswil , Oberdorf , Stans , Stansstad and Wolfenschiessen . The capital is Stans . The population of the canton (as of 31 December 2020) is 43,520. As of 2007, the population included 4,046 foreigners, or about 10% of the total population. By gender,
14208-634: The river appears on the Tabula Peutingeriana as Ticenum . Johann Kaspar Zeuss attributed Celtic origins to the name, tracing it to the Celtic tek , itself from an Indo-European root tak , meaning "melting, flowing". The official name of the canton is Republic and Canton of Ticino ( Italian : Repubblica e Cantone Ticino ), and the two-letter code is TI. It is one of the four cantons of Switzerland officially referred to as "republics", along with Geneva , Neuchâtel and Jura . During
14336-546: The states of North Dakota and South Dakota , German is the most common language spoken at home after English. As a legacy of significant German immigration to the country , German geographical names can be found throughout the Midwest region , such as New Ulm and Bismarck (North Dakota's state capital), plus many other regions. A number of German varieties have developed in the country and are still spoken today, such as Pennsylvania Dutch and Texas German . In Brazil,
14464-436: The territory and 43% of the population. The Sottoceneri is constituted by the districts of Lugano and Mendrisio , and makes up about 15% of the territory and 57% of the population. While Lugano , the largest city, is in the densely populated Sottoceneri, the two other main cities, Bellinzona and Locarno , are in the Sopraceneri. The Ticino, which gives its name to the canton, is the largest river of Ticino. It flows from
14592-500: The third most commonly learned second language in the United States in K-12 education. The language has been influential in the fields of philosophy, theology, science, and technology. It is the second most commonly used language in science and the third most widely used language on websites . The German-speaking countries are ranked fifth in terms of annual publication of new books, with one-tenth of all books (including e-books) in
14720-759: The topography of Ticino is extremely rugged, as it is the canton with the fourth largest elevation difference . It lies essentially within the Alps, in particular the Lepontine Alps , the Saint-Gotthard Massif and the Lugano Prealps . The longest and deepest valleys are those of the Ticino, Verzasca and Maggia. The two highest mountains are the Rheinwaldhorn and the Basòdino . Other notable mountains are Pizzo Rotondo (highest of
14848-540: The valleys, but they are not used for official purposes. Despite the dominance of Italian speakers, fluency in Standard or Swiss German is sometimes taken to be an important prerequisite for employment, regardless of sector or sphere of work. In 2016, Ticino was the European region with the second highest life expectancy at 85.0 years, and the highest male life expectancy at 82.7 years. The historical population
14976-568: The workforce, far larger than in the rest of Switzerland, where the rate is below 5%. Foreigners in general hold 44.3% of all the jobs, again a much higher rate than elsewhere in the Confederation (27%). Frontalieri are usually paid less than Swiss workers for their jobs, and tend to serve as low-cost labour. Italy is by far Ticino's most important foreign trading partner, but there's a huge trade deficit between imports (5 billion CHF ) and exports (1.9 billion). By 2013, Germany had become
15104-555: The world being published in German. German is most closely related to other West Germanic languages, namely Afrikaans , Dutch , English , the Frisian languages , and Scots . It also contains close similarities in vocabulary to some languages in the North Germanic group , such as Danish , Norwegian , and Swedish . Modern German gradually developed from Old High German , which in turn developed from Proto-Germanic during
15232-600: The written form of German. One of the central events in the development of ENHG was the publication of Luther's translation of the Bible into High German (the New Testament was published in 1522; the Old Testament was published in parts and completed in 1534). Luther based his translation primarily on the Meißner Deutsch of Saxony , spending much time among the population of Saxony researching
15360-759: The year makes the canton a popular destination for hikers. The high Alps of Ticino include numerous tourist facilities such as the Monte Generoso Railway , the Ritom Funicular and the Cardada Cableway. Among other tourist attractions are the Verzasca Dam , popular with bungee jumpers, and Swissminiatur in Melide , a miniature park featuring scale models of over 120 Swiss monuments. The Brissago Islands on Lake Maggiore are
15488-533: Was 5,091 francs (US$ 5,580), below the national average of 6,118 francs (US$ 6,703). However, due to lesser cost of living and lower taxation compared to most other cantons, the overall disposable mean income is high. The GDP per capita at 82,438 francs in 2014, was seventh highest in Switzerland. Ticino is counted among the most prosperous regions of Switzerland and of Europe. Lugano is Switzerland's third largest financial centre after Zurich and Geneva. The banking industry alone has 8,400 employees and generates 17% of
15616-429: Was a "neutral" language as there were virtually no English native speakers in Namibia at that time. German, Afrikaans, and several indigenous languages thus became "national languages" by law, identifying them as elements of the cultural heritage of the nation and ensuring that the state acknowledged and supported their presence in the country. Today, Namibia is considered to be the only German-speaking country outside of
15744-550: Was acquired by the Visconti , Dukes of Milan . In the fifteenth century, the Swiss Confederates conquered the valleys south of the Alps in three separate conquests. Between 1403 and 1422 some of these lands were already annexed by forces from the canton of Uri , but subsequently lost. Uri conquered the Leventina Valley in 1440. In a second conquest Uri, Schwyz and Nidwalden gained the town of Bellinzona and
15872-547: Was an artificial standard that did not correspond to any traditional spoken dialect. Rather, it was based on the pronunciation of German in Northern Germany, although it was subsequently regarded often as a general prescriptive norm, despite differing pronunciation traditions especially in the Upper-German-speaking regions that still characterise the dialect of the area today – especially
16000-492: Was established on the basis of public speaking in theatres and the media during the 20th century and documented in pronouncing dictionaries. Official revisions of some of the rules from 1901 were not issued until the controversial German orthography reform of 1996 was made the official standard by governments of all German-speaking countries. Media and written works are now almost all produced in Standard German which
16128-524: Was given the highest possible rating of 6, and Nidwalden came out with one of the lowest in the country, above only Zug and Schwyz . Six indicators were used for the assessment, namely cantonal goals, energy efficiency requirements, renewable energy regulations, financial subsidies, energy planning of the individual municipalities, and the Gebäudeenergieausweis . The highest rating can only be given to cantons which are on their way to meeting
16256-705: Was part of Uri. The remaining territory ( Baliaggi Ultramontani , Ennetbergische Vogteien , the Bailiwicks Beyond the Mountains) was administered by the Twelve Cantons. These districts were governed by bailiffs holding office for two years and purchasing it from the members of the League. The lands of the canton of Ticino are the last lands to be conquered by the Swiss Confederation . The Confederation gave up any further conquests after their defeat at
16384-548: Was still one of the wealthiest areas in Europe. Ticino also had the second highest life expectancy (85.2 years) in Europe in 2018. The Human Development Index of 0.961 in 2021 was one of the highest found anywhere in the world . The name Ticino was chosen for the newly established canton in 1803, after the river Ticino which flows through it from the Novena Pass to Lake Maggiore . Known as Ticinus in Roman times,
#305694