Farmhouse in the Gardena Valley
Picture by Tourismusverband Gröden

 

Geography

The geographical circumstances of the two regions have a lot of similarities: both territories are pronouncedly alpine and have a low population density.On the one hand, small villages, high mountains, steep meadows and extensive woods really mark the landscape, but, on the other hand, they are also stereotypically represented on the advertising brochures of the many tourist destinations. The real picture of the two regions would need to be extended with the great range of achievements, but also with the problematic developments of the modern society.
The current situation of linguistic geography is the result of a 2000-year-old development: the early stages of today’s Romansh and Ladin developed from the language of the native tribes and from Neo-Latin. In the course of the centuries also Italian and German influenced the development of the two languages. Within the two linguistic groups political reasons, the topographic dissection and in the Grisons also denominational matters lead up to the formation of respectively five idioms. Each of these also developed a written language which is still today used. Only in recent times, there have been more or less successful attempts to unify the written idioms in one common standard language (Ladin Dolomitan and Rumantsch Grischun).
Another common feature of the two regions is the institution of political and cultural centres outside the Ladin and Romansh-speaking territory. In the Dolomites the affiliation to different administrations makes the cooperation within the linguistic group more difficult: while the Rhaetoromans in Switzerland are politically affiliated to the Canton Grisons, the Dolomite Ladins around the Sella Massif are divided in two regions and three provinces. The following table provides an overview:

 

Dolomite Ladins

 

Valley

Population

Administration

Idiom

Fassa

9.348

Trentino-Alto Adige Region, Trento Province

Fascian

Gardena

10.126

Trentino-Alto Adige Region, Bolzano Province

Gherdëina

Badia

10.311

Trentino-Alto Adige Region, Bolzano Province

Badiot

Ampezzo

6.175

Veneto Region, Belluno Province

Ampezzan

Livinallongo

1.844

Veneto Region, Belluno Province

Fodom

 

Rhaetoromans in the Grisons

 

Valley

Major municipalities

Idiom

Romansh speakers living in the original catchment area of the idiom (2000)

Surselva

Ilanz / Disentis

Sursilvan

17.913

Val Schons

Zillis

Sutsilvan

1.116

Albula/Sursette

Tiefencastel / Savognin

Surmiran

3.042

Upper Engadin

St. Moritz

Puter

5.521

Lower Engadin

Scuol

Vallader

6.456