5-475: A serac ( / s ɛ ˈ r æ k ˌ ˈ s ɛ r æ k / ) (from Swiss French sérac ) is a block or column of glacial ice , often formed by intersecting crevasses on a glacier . Commonly house-sized or larger, they are dangerous to mountaineers , since they may topple with little warning. Even when stabilized by persistent cold weather, they can be an impediment to glacier travel. Seracs are found within an icefall , often in large numbers, or on ice faces on
10-546: 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. The French spoken in Switzerland
15-502: 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 . While substantial phonological differences exist, as the French of Switzerland preserves many distinctions lost elsewhere, the phonetic qualities are often quite close, such as with the existence of long vowels or the distinction between /ɛ̃/ and /œ̃/. This contrasts with
20-406: 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
25-599: The lower edge of a hanging glacier. Notable examples of the overhanging glacier edge type are well-known obstacles on some of the world's highest mountains, including K2 at " The Bottleneck " and Kanchenjunga on the border of India and Nepal. Significant seracs in the Alps are found on the northeast face of Piz Roseg , the north face of the Dent d'Hérens , and the north face of Lyskamm . Swiss French Swiss French ( French : français de Suisse or suisse romand )
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