* German (spoken by about 63% of the population)
* French (spoken by about 23% of the population)
* Italian (spoken by about 8% of the population)
* Romansh (spoken by about 0.5% of the population)
Here's why French is spoken in parts of Switzerland:
* Historical reasons:
* The area that is now French-speaking Switzerland was historically part of the Kingdom of Burgundy, and then later, the Duchy of Savoy. Both of these areas had French as the dominant language.
* The area was later incorporated into the Swiss Confederacy.
* Geographical reasons:
* The French-speaking region of Switzerland (called Romandie) borders France, and the two regions have close cultural and historical ties.
* Linguistic reasons:
* French is a Romance language, and the people who lived in the region now called French-speaking Switzerland spoke languages that were closely related to French.
It's important to note that the French spoken in Switzerland is not exactly the same as the French spoken in France. It has its own unique regional dialects and vocabulary.