Editing Romansh language (section)

== History ==

=== Origins and development until modern times ===
Romansh originates from the [[Languages of the Roman Empire|spoken Latin]] brought to the region by Roman soldiers, merchants, and officials following the [[Switzerland in the Roman era|conquest of the modern-day Grisons area by the Romans]] in 15 BCE. Before that, the inhabitants spoke [[Celtic languages|Celtic]] and [[Raetic language|Raetic]] languages, with Raetic apparently being spoken mainly in the [[Lower Engadine|Lower Engadine valley]]. Traces of these languages survive mainly in [[Toponymy|toponyms]], including village names such as [[Tschlin]], [[Scuol]], [[Savognin]], [[Glion]], [[Breil/Brigels]], [[Brienz/Brinzauls]], [[Prättigau|Purtenza]], and [[Trun, Switzerland|Trun]]. Additionally, a small number of pre-Latin words have survived in Romansh, mainly concerning animals, plants, and geological features unique to the [[Alps]], such as ''camutsch'' "[[chamois]]" and ''grava'' "[[scree]]".

[[File:Rätoromanisches Sprachgebiet im Frühmittelalter.PNG|thumb|Romansh during the [[Early Middle Ages]]<br />
{{Legend|#FF8000|lost to German and Lombard, 700–1100}}
{{Legend|#FFFF80|Romansh-speaking area, {{circa|1100}}}}]]

It is unknown how rapidly the Celtic and Raetic inhabitants were [[Romanization (cultural)|Romanized]] following the conquest of Raetia. Some linguists assume that the area was rapidly Romanized following the Roman conquest, whereas others think that this process did not end until the 4th or 5th century, when more thoroughly Romanized Celts from farther north fled south to avoid [[Germanic invasions|invasions by Germanic tribes]].{{sfn|Liver|1999|p=74}} The process was certainly complete and the pre-Roman languages extinct by the 5th–6th century, when Raetia became part of the [[Ostrogothic Kingdom]]. Around 537 AD, the Ostrogoths handed over the province of [[Raetia Prima]] to the [[Frankish Empire]], which continued to have local rulers administering the so-called Duchy of [[Chur]]. However, after the death of the last [[Victorids|Victorid]] ruler, Bishop [[Tello, Bishop of Chur|Tello]], around 765 AD, [[Charlemagne]] assigned a Germanic duke to administer the region. Additionally, the [[Diocese of Chur]] was transferred by the (pre-[[Great Schism of 1054|Schism]]) Roman Catholic Church from the [[Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Milan|Archdiocese of Milan]] to the [[Roman Catholic Diocese of Mainz|Diocese of Mainz]] in 843 AD. The combined effect was a cultural reorientation towards the German-speaking north, especially as the ruling élite now comprised almost entirely speakers of German.{{sfn|Coray|2008|p=78}}

At the time, Romansh was spoken over a much wider area, stretching north into the present-day cantons of [[Canton of Glarus|Glarus]] and [[Canton of St. Gallen|St. Gallen]], to the [[Walensee]] in the northwest, and [[Rüthi]] and the [[Alpine Rhine Valley]] in the northeast. In the east, parts of modern-day [[Vorarlberg]] were Romansh-speaking, as were parts of [[County of Tyrol|Tyrol]]. The northern areas, called Lower Raetia, became German-speaking by the 12th century;{{sfn|Liver|1999|p=76}} and by the 15th century, the Rhine Valley of St. Gallen and the areas around the Walensee were entirely German-speaking.{{sfn|Coray|2008|p=78}} This language shift was a long, drawn-out process, with larger, central towns adopting German first, while the more peripheral areas around them remained Romansh-speaking longer. The shift to German was caused in particular by the influence of the local German-speaking élites and by German-speaking immigrants from the north, with the lower and rural classes retaining Romansh longer.<ref>Kraas (1992) pp. 132–34</ref>

In addition, beginning around 1270, the German-speaking [[Walser]] began settling in sparsely populated or uninhabited areas within the Romansh-speaking heartland. The Walser sometimes expanded into Romansh-speaking areas from their original settlements, which then often became German-speaking, such as [[Davos]], [[Schanfigg]], the [[Prättigau]], [[Schams]], and [[Valendas]], which became German-speaking by the 14th century.{{sfn|Liver|1999|p=77}} In rare cases, these Walser settlements were eventually assimilated by their Romansh-speaking neighbors; for instance, [[Oberhalbstein]], [[Medel (Lucmagn)|Medel]], and [[Tujetsch]] in the Surselva region.<ref>Krass (1992) p. 138</ref>

[[File:La mort da Benedetg Fontana.jpg|thumb|upright=0.45|"La mort da Benedetg Fontana", a Romansh passage in a Latin chronicle by Durich Chiampel]]

The Germanization of [[Chur]] had particularly long-term consequences. Even though the city had long before ceased to be a cultural center of Romansh, the spoken language of the capital of the Diocese of Chur continued to be Romansh until the 15th century.{{sfn|Liver|1999|p=76}} After a fire in 1465 which virtually destroyed the city, many German-speaking artisans who had been called in to help repair the damage settled there, causing German to become the majority language. In a chronicle written in 1571–72, Durich Chiampell mentions that Romansh was still spoken in Chur roughly a hundred years before, but had since then rapidly given way to German and was now not much appreciated by the inhabitants of the city.{{sfn|Coray|2008|p=78}} Many linguists regard the loss of Chur to German as a crucial event. According to Sylvia Osswald, for example, it occurred precisely at a time when the introduction of the printing press could have led to the adoption of the Romansh dialect of the capital as a common written language for all Romansh speakers.<ref>Osswald 1988 in Kraas 1992. p. 133</ref> Other linguists such as Jachen Curdin Arquint remain skeptical of this view, however, and assume that the various Romansh-speaking regions would still have developed their own separate written standards.<ref>in Schläpfer & Bickel 2000, p. 243</ref>

Instead, several regional written varieties of Romansh began appearing during the 16th century. [[Gian Travers]] wrote the first surviving work in Romansh, the ''Chianzun dalla guerra dagl Chiaste da Müs'', in the Putèr dialect. This epic poem, written in 1527, describes the [[Musso war|first Musso war]], in which Travers himself had taken part.{{sfn|Liver|1999|p=95}} Travers also translated numerous biblical plays into Romansh, though only the titles survive for many of them. Another early writer, [[Giachem Bifrun]], who also wrote in Putèr, penned the first printed book in Romansh, a catechism published in 1552. In 1560 he published a translation of the [[New Testament]]: ''L'g Nuof Sainc Testamaint da nos Signer Jesu Christ''.

Two years later, in 1562, another writer from the Engadine, [[Durich Chiampel]], published the ''Cudesch da Psalms'', a collection of church songs in the Vallader dialect. These early works are generally well written and show that the authors had a large amount of Romansh vocabulary at their disposal, contrary to what one might expect of the first pieces of writing in a language. Because of this, the linguist Ricarda Liver assumes that these written works built on an earlier, pre-literature tradition of using Romansh in administrative and legal situations, of which no evidence survives.{{sfn|Liver|1999|p=101}} In their prefaces, the authors themselves often mention the novelty of writing Romansh, and discuss an apparently common prejudice that Romansh was a language that could not be written.{{sfn|Liver|1999|p=105}}

[[File:Igl ver sulaz.JPG|thumb|upright=0.45|Front page of ''Ilg Vêr Sulaz da pievel giuvan'']]

The first writing in the Sursilvan and Sutsilvan dialects appears in the 17th century. As in the Engadine, these early works usually focused on religious themes, in particular the struggles between Protestants and Counter-Reformers. [[Daniel Bonifaci]] produced the first surviving work in this category, the catechism ''Curt mussameint dels principals punctgs della Christianevla Religiun'', published in 1601 in the Sutsilvan dialect. A second edition, published in 1615, is closer to Sursilvan, however, and writings in Sutsilvan do not appear again until the 20th century. In 1611, {{lang|rm|Igl Vêr Sulaz da pievel giuvan}} ("The true joys of young people"), a series of religious instructions for Protestant youths, was published by [[Steffan Gabriel]]. Four years later, in 1615, a Catholic catechism, ''Curt Mussament'', was published in response, written by [[Gion Antoni Calvenzano]]. The first translation of the New Testament into Sursilvan was published in 1648 by the son of Steffan Gabriel, [[Luci Gabriel]].

The first complete translation of the Bible, the ''Bibla da Cuera'', was published between 1717 and 1719. The Sursilvan dialect thus had two separate written varieties, one used by the Protestants with its cultural center around [[Ilanz]], and a Catholic variety with the [[Disentis Abbey]] as its center. The Engadine dialect was also written in two varieties: Putèr in the Upper Valley and Vallader in the Lower Valley.{{sfn|Kundert|2007|p=11}} The Sutsilvan areas either used the Protestant variety of Sursilvan, or simply used German as their main written language. The Surmiran region began developing its own variety in the early 18th century, with a catechism being published in 1703, though either the Catholic variety of Sursilvan or Putèr was more commonly used there until the 20th century.<ref>Jachen Curdin Arquint in Schläpfer & Bickel 2000, pp. 258–259</ref>

In the 16th century, the language border between Romansh and German largely stabilized, and it remained almost unchanged until the late 19th century.{{sfn|Furer|2005|p=23}} During this period, only isolated areas became German-speaking, mainly a few villages around [[Thusis]] and the village of [[Samnaun]]. In the case of Samnaun, the inhabitants adopted the Bavarian dialect of neighboring Tyrol, making Samnaun the only municipality of Switzerland where a Bavarian dialect is spoken. The [[Vinschgau]] in South Tyrol was still Romansh-speaking in the 17th century, after which it became entirely German-speaking because of the [[Counter-Reformation]] denunciation of Romansh as a "Protestant language".<ref name="ReferenceA" />

=== Romansh during the 19th and 20th centuries ===
With the [[Act of Mediation]], the Grisons became a canton of Switzerland in 1803. The constitution of the canton dates from 1892. When the Grisons became part of Switzerland in 1803, it had a population of roughly 73,000, of whom around 36,600 were Romansh speakers—many of them monolingual—living mostly within the Romansh-speaking valleys.{{sfn|Furer|2005|p=9}} The language border with German, which had mostly been stable since the 16th century, now began moving again as more and more villages shifted to German. One cause was the admission of Grisons as a Swiss canton, which brought Romansh-speakers into more frequent contact with German-speakers. Another factor was the increased power of the central government of the Grisons, which had always used German as its administrative language.{{sfn|Furer|2005|p=23}} In addition, many Romansh-speakers migrated to the larger cities, which were German-speaking, while speakers of German settled in Romansh villages. Moreover, economic changes meant that the Romansh-speaking villages, which had mostly been self-sufficient, engaged in more frequent commerce with German-speaking regions. Also, improvements in the infrastructure made travel and contact with other regions much easier than it had been.{{sfn|Kundert|2007|pp=109–110}}

Finally, the rise of tourism made knowledge of German an economic necessity in many areas, while the agricultural sector, which had been a traditional domain of Romansh, became less important. All this meant that knowledge of German became more and more of a necessity for Romansh speakers and that German became more and more a part of daily life. For the most part, German was seen not as a threat but rather as an important asset for communicating outside one's home region.{{sfn|Coray|2008|p=95}} The common people frequently demanded better access to learning German.{{sfn|Furer|2005|p=23}} When public schools began to appear, many municipalities decided to adopt German as the medium of instruction, as in the case of Ilanz, where German became the language of schooling in 1833, when the town was still largely Romansh-speaking.{{sfn|Coray|2008|p=97}}

Some people even welcomed the disappearance of Romansh, in particular among progressives. In their eyes, Romansh was an obstacle to the economic and intellectual development of the Romansh people.{{sfn|Coray|2008|p=96}} For instance, the priest Heinrich Bansi from [[Ardez]] wrote in 1797: "The biggest obstacle to the moral and economical improvement of these regions is the language of the people, Ladin [...] The German language could certainly be introduced with ease into the Engadine, as soon as one could convince the people of the immense advantages of it".<ref>{{harvp|Coray|2008|p=95}}; {{lang|de|"Am meisten steht der sittlichen und ökonomischen Verbesserung dieser Gegenden die Sprache des Volkes, das Ladin entgegen...Die deutsche Sprache lässt sich gewiss leicht ins Engadin einführen, sobald man das Volk nur einmal von den daraus entspringenden grossen Vortheilen überzeugt hätte."}}</ref> Others, however, saw Romansh as an economic asset, since it gave the Romansh an advantage when learning other Romance languages. In 1807, for example, the priest Mattli Conrad wrote an article listing the advantages and disadvantages of Romansh: {{Quote|The Romansh language is an immense advantage in learning so much more rapidly the languages derived from Latin of France, Italy, Spain etc, as can be seen with the Romansh youth, which travels to these countries and learns their language with ease. [...] We live in between an Italian and a German people. How practical is it, when one can learn the languages of both without effort?<ref>{{harvp|Kundert|2007|p=134}}; Original: {{lang|de|"Ist die Romansche Sprache ungemein vortheilhaft, um deste geschwinder die von der Lateinischen abstammenden Sprachen Frankreichs, Italiens, Spaniens etc. zu erlernen, wie wir an der Romanschen Jugend sehen, welche in jene Länder reiset, und ihre Sprachen sehr schnell erlernt. ... Leben wir zwischen einem Italiänischen und Deutschen Volk, wie bequem ist es nun, wenn man mit geringer Mühe die Sprachen beyder erwerben kann?"}}</ref>|Mattli Conrad – 1807}}
In response, the editor of the newspaper added that:

<blockquote>According to the testimony of experienced and vigilant language teachers, while the one who is born Romansh can easily learn to understand these languages and make himself understood in them, he has great difficulties in learning them properly, since precisely because of the similarity, he mixes them so easily with his own bastardized language. [...] in any case, the conveniences named should hold no weight against all the disadvantages that come from such an isolated and uneducated language.<ref>{{harvp|Kundert|2007|p=134}}; Original: {{lang|de|"Nach dem Zeugniß erfahrner und aufmerksamer Sprachlehrer wird es dem Romanisch Geborenen zwar leicht, jene Sprachen zu verstehen, und sich darin verständlich zu machen, aber äußerst schwer, sie richtig zu erlernen, weil er, eben wegen der Ähnlichkeit, seine Bastard-Sprache so leicht hinein mengt.[...]überhaupt aber möchten die erwähnten Erleichterungen von keinem Gewicht seyn, gegen die Nachtheile, die aus einer isolirten und ganz ungebildeten Sprache erwachsen."}}</ref></blockquote>

According to Mathias Kundert, this quote is a good example of the attitude of many German-speakers towards Romansh at the time. According to Mathias Kundert, while there was never a plan to Germanize the Romansh areas of Grisons, many German-speaking groups wished that the entire canton would become German-speaking. They were careful, however, to avoid any drastic measures to that extent, in order not to antagonize the influential Romansh minority.{{sfn|Kundert|2007|p=134}}

The decline of Romansh over the 20th century can be seen through the results of the Swiss censuses. The decline in percentages is only partially due to the Germanization of Romansh areas, since the Romansh-speaking valleys always had a lower overall population growth than other parts of the canton.{{sfn|Furer|2005|p=21}}
{|class="wikitable"
|+ Number of Romansh speakers in the Grisons 1803–1980{{sfn|Coray|2008|p=86}}
! year
! Romansh <br/> (absolute number)
! Romansh %
! German %
! Italian %
|-
|1803
|36,700
|{{c.|50%}}
|{{c.|36%}}
|{{c.|14%}}
|-
|1850
|42,439
|47.2%
|39.5%
|13.3%
|-
|1880
|37,794
|39.8%
|46.0%
|13.7%
|-
|1900
|36,472
|34.9%
|46.7%
|16.8%
|-
|1920
|39,127
|32.7%
|51.2%
|14.8%
|-
|1941
|40,187
|31.3%
|54.9%
|12.8%
|-
|1960
|38,414
|26.1%
|56.7%
|16.1%
|-
|1980
|36,017
|21.9%
|59.9%
|13.5%
|}
Starting in the mid-19th century, however, a revival movement began, often called the "Rhaeto-Romansh renaissance". This movement involved an increased cultural activity, as well as the foundation of several organizations dedicated to protecting the Romansh language. In 1863, the first of several attempts was made to found an association for all Romansh regions, which eventually led to the foundation of the {{lang|it|Società Retorumantscha}} in 1885.{{sfn|Liver|1999|p=82}} In 1919, the [[Lia Rumantscha]] was founded to serve as an umbrella organization for the various regional language societies. Additionally, the role of Romansh in schooling was strengthened, with the first Romansh school books being published in the 1830s and 1840s. Initially, these were merely translations of the German editions, but by the end of the 19th century teaching materials were introduced which took the local Romansh culture into consideration. Additionally, Romansh was introduced as a subject in teacher's college in 1860 and was recognized as an official language by the canton in 1880.{{sfn|Liver|1999|p=82}}

[[File:Pallioppi Ortografia et Ortoepia.jpg|thumb|upright=0.68|left|Cover page of {{lang|rm|Ortografia et ortoëpia del idiom romauntsch d'Engiadin'ota}}]]

Around the same time, grammar and spelling guidelines began to be developed for the regional written dialects. One of the earliest was the {{lang|rm|Ortografia et ortoëpia del idiom romauntsch d'Engiadin'ota}} by [[Zaccaria Pallioppi]], published in 1857. For Sursilvan, a first attempt to standardize the written language was the {{lang|it|Ortografia gienerala, speculativa ramontscha}} by Baseli Carigiet, published in 1858, followed by a Sursilvan-German dictionary in 1882, and the ''Normas ortografias'' by Giachen Caspar Muoth in 1888. Neither of these guidelines managed to gather much support. At the same time, the Canton published school books in its own variety. Sursilvan was then definitely standardized through the works of [[Gion Cahannes]], who published ''Grammatica Romontscha per Surselva e Sutselva'' in 1924, followed by ''Entruidament devart nossa ortografia'' in 1927. The Surmiran dialect had its own norms established in 1903, when the Canton agreed to finance the school book ''Codesch da lectura per las scolas primaras de Surmeir'', though a definite guideline, the ''Normas ortograficas per igl rumantsch da Surmeir'', was not published until 1939. In the meantime, the norms of Pallioppi had come under criticism in the Engadine due to the strong influence of Italian in them. This led to an orthographic reform which was concluded by 1928, when the {{lang|it|Pitschna introducziun a la nouva ortografia ladina ufficiala}} by Cristoffel Bardola was published. A separate written variety for Sutsilvan was developed in 1944 by [[Giuseppe Gangale]].

[[File:Rückgang des Bündnerromanischen Neuzeit.PNG|thumb|Loss of the Romansh-speaking majority in modern times according to the Swiss censuses<br />
{{Legend|#91FF7D|before 1860}}
{{Legend|#FFFF80|1870–1900}}
{{Legend|#FFFF00|1910–1941}}
{{Legend|#FF8000|1950–1960}}
{{Legend|#FF0080|1970}}
{{Legend|#FF0000|1980–2000}}
{{Legend|#0000FF|Romansh majority in 2000}}]]

Around 1880, the entire Romansh-speaking area still formed a continuous geographical unit. But by the end of the century, the so-called "Central-Grisons language bridge" began to disappear.<ref>Kraas (1992). p. 151</ref> From [[Thusis]], which had become German-speaking in the 16th/17th century, the [[Heinzenberg GR|Heinzenberg]] and [[Domleschg valley]]s were gradually Germanized over the next decades. Around the turn of the century, the inner Heinzenberg and [[Cazis]] became German-speaking, followed by [[Rothenbrunnen]], [[Rodels]], [[Almens]], and [[Pratval]], splitting the Romansh area into two geographically non-connected parts. In the 1920s and 1930s the rest of the villages in the valley became mainly German-speaking, sealing the split.{{sfn|Kundert|2007|p=79}}

In order to halt the decline of Romansh, the Lia Rumantscha began establishing Romansh day care schools, called {{lang|rm|Scoletas}}, beginning in the 1940s with the aim of reintroducing Romansh to children. Although the {{lang|rm|Scoletas}} had some success – of the ten villages where Scoletas were established, the children began speaking Romansh amongst themselves in four, with the children in four others acquiring at least some knowledge of Romansh – the program ultimately failed to preserve the language in the valley.

A key factor was the disinterest of the parents, whose main motivation for sending their children to the Scoletas appears to have been that they were looked after for a few hours and given a meal every day, rather than an interest in preserving Romansh.{{sfn|Kundert|2007|p=99}} The other factor was that after entering primary school, the children received a few hours a week of Romansh instruction at best. As a result, the last Scoletas were closed in the 1960s with the exception of [[Präz]], where the Scoleta remained open until 1979.{{sfn|Kundert|2007|p=103}}

In other areas, such as the Engadine and the Surselva, where the pressure of German was equally strong, Romansh was maintained much better and remained a commonly spoken language. According to the linguist Mathias Kundert, one important factor was the different social prestige of Romansh. In the Heinzenberg and Domleschg valleys, the elite had been German-speaking for centuries, so that German was associated with power and education, even though most people did not speak it, whereas Romansh was associated with peasant life. In the Engadine and the Surselva by contrast, the elite was itself Romansh-speaking, so that Romansh there was "not only the language spoken to children and cows, but also that of the village notable, the priest, and the teacher."{{sfn|Kundert|2007|p=123}} Additionally, Romansh schools had been common for several years before German had become a necessity, so that Romansh was firmly established as a medium of education.
Likewise, in the Upper Engadine, where factors such as increased mobility and immigration by German speakers were even stronger, Romansh was more firmly established as a language of education and administration, so that the language was maintained to a much greater extent. In the Central Grisons, by contrast, German had been a central part of schooling since the beginning, and virtually all schools switched entirely to German as the language of instruction by 1900, with children in many schools being punished for speaking Romansh well into the 1930s.{{sfn|Kundert|2007|p=141}}

=== Rumantsch Grischun ===
Early attempts to create a unified written language for Romansh include the ''Romonsch fusionau'' of Gion Antoni Bühler in 1867{{sfn|Coray|2008|pp=110–117}} and the ''Interrumantsch'' by Leza Uffer in 1958. Neither was able to gain much support, and their creators were largely the only ones actively using them.{{sfn|Coray|2008|p=130}} In the meantime, the Romansh movement sought to promote the different regional varieties while promoting a gradual convergence of the five varieties, called the "''avischinaziun''".{{sfn|Coray|2008|p=125}} In 1982, however, the then secretary of the Lia Rumantscha, a sociolinguist named {{ill|Bernard Cathomas|de}}, launched a project for designing a pan-regional variety.<ref>Cathonas 2023, pp.13-44.</ref> The linguist [[Heinrich Schmid]] presented to the Lia Rumantscha the same year the rules and directives for this standard language under the name Rumantsch Grischun (Rumantsch Grischun: ''rumantsch grischun'').{{sfn|Cathomas|2012|pp=37–42}} Schmid's approach consisted of creating a language as equally acceptable as possible to speakers of the different dialects, by choosing those forms which were found in a majority of the three strongest varieties: Sursilvan, Vallader, and Surmiran (Puter has more speakers than Surmiran but is spoken by a lower percentage of the population in its area). The elaboration of the new standard was endorsed by the Swiss National Fund and carried out by a team of young Romansh linguists under the guidance of Georges Darms and Anna-Alice Dazzi-Gross.{{sfn|Cathomas|2012|pp=43–45}}

The Lia Rumantscha then began introducing Rumantsch Grischun to the public, announcing that it would be chiefly introduced into domains where only German was being used, such as official forms and documents, billboards, and commercials.{{sfn|Coray|2008|pp=139–140}} In 1984, the assembly of delegates of the head organization Lia Rumantscha decided to use the new standard language when addressing all Romansh-speaking areas of the Grisons.{{sfn|Cathomas|2012|p=46}} From the very start, Rumansh Grischun has been implemented only on the basis of a decision of the particular institutions. In 1986, the federal administration began to use Rumantsch Grischun for single texts. The same year, however, several influential figures began to criticize the introduction of Rumantsch Grischun. Donat Cadruvi, at the time the president of the cantonal government, claimed that the Lia Rumantscha was trying to force the issue. Romansh writer Theo Candinas also called for a public debate on the issue, calling Rumantsch Grischun a "plague" and "death blow" to Romansh and its introduction a "Romansh Kristallnacht",{{sfn|Coray|2008|p=148}} thus launching a highly emotional and bitter debate which would continue for several years.{{sfn|Coray|2008|p=148}} The following year, Candinas published another article titled ''Rubadurs Garmadis'' in which he compared the proponents of Rumantsch Grischun to Nazi thugs raiding a Romansh village and desecrating, destroying, and burning the Romansh cultural heritage.{{sfn|Coray|2008|p=149}}

The proponents responded by labeling the opponents as a small group of archconservative and narrow-minded Sursilvans and [[Christian Democratic People's Party of Switzerland|CVP]] politicians among other things.{{sfn|Coray|2008|p=153}} The debate was characterized by a heavy use of metaphors, with opponents describing Rumantsch Grischun as a "test-tube baby" or "castrated language". They argued that it was an artificial and infertile creation which lacked a heart and soul, in contrast to the traditional dialects. On the other side, proponents called on the [[Romansh people]] to nurture the "new-born" to allow it to grow, with Romansh writer Ursicin Derungs calling Rumantsch Grischun a "''lungatg virginal''" "virgin language" that now had to be seduced and turned into a blossoming woman.{{sfn|Coray|2008|pp=387–394}}

The opposition to Rumantsch Grischun also became clear in the Swiss census of 1990, in which certain municipalities refused to distribute questionnaires in Rumantsch Grischun, requesting the German version instead.{{sfn|Coray|2008|p=154}} Following a survey on the opinion of the Romansh population on the issue, the government of the Grisons decided in 1996 that Rumantsch Grischun would be used when addressing all Romansh speakers, but the regional varieties could continue to be used when addressing a single region or municipality. In schools, Rumantsch Grischun was not to replace the regional dialects but only be taught passively.

The compromise was largely accepted by both sides. A further recommendation in 1999, known as the "Haltinger concept", also proposed that the regional varieties should remain the basis of the Romansh schools, with Rumantsch Grischun being introduced in middle school and secondary school.{{sfn|Coray|2008|p=183}}

The government of the Grisons then took steps to strengthen the role of Rumantsch Grischun as an official language. Since the cantonal constitution explicitly named Sursilvan and Engadinese as the languages of ballots, a referendum was launched to amend the relevant article.{{sfn|Coray|2008|p=173}} In the referendum, which took place on June 10, 2001, 65% voted in favor of naming Rumantsch Grischun the only official Romansh variety of the Canton. Opponents of Rumantsch Grischun such as Renata Coray and Matthias Grünert argue, however, that if only those municipalities with at least 30% Romansh speakers were considered, the referendum would have been rejected by 51%, with an even larger margin if only those with at least 50% Romansh speakers were considered. They thus interpret the results as the Romansh minority having been overruled by the German-speaking majority of the canton.<ref>Grünert et al. (2008). p. 368</ref>

A major change in policy came in 2003, when the cantonal government proposed a number of spending cuts, including a proposal according to which new Romansh teaching materials would not be published except in Rumantsch Grischun from 2006 onwards, the logical result of which would be to abolish the regional varieties as languages of instruction. The cantonal parliament passed the measure in August 2003, even advancing the deadline to 2005. The decision was met by strong opposition, in particular in the Engadine, where teachers collected over 4,300 signatures opposing the measure,{{sfn|Coray|2008|p=195}} followed by a second petition signed by around 180 Romansh writers and cultural figures,{{sfn|Coray|2008|p=204}} including many who were supportive of Rumantsch Grischun but opposed its introduction as a language of instruction.

Opponents argued that Romansh culture and identity was transmitted through the regional varieties and not through Rumantsch Grischun and that Rumantsch Grischun would serve to weaken rather than strengthen Romansh, possibly leading to a switch to German-language schools and a swift Germanization of Romansh areas.{{sfn|Coray|2008|pp=195–196, 203}}

The cantonal government refused to debate the issue again, instead deciding on a three-step plan in December 2004 to introduce Rumantsch Grischun as the language of schooling, allowing the municipalities to choose when they would make the switch.<ref>Cathomas 2023, pp. 140-158.</ref> The decision not to publish any new teaching materials in the regional varieties was not overturned at this point, however, raising the question of what would happen in those municipalities that refused to introduce Rumantsch Grischun at all, since the language of schooling is decided by the municipalities themselves in the Grisons.{{sfn|Coray|2008|p=210}}

The teachers of the Engadine in particular were outraged over the decision, but those in the Surmeir were mostly satisfied. Few opinions were heard from the Surselva, which was interpreted either as support or resignation, depending on the viewpoint of the observer.{{sfn|Coray|2008|pp=210–215}}

In 2007&ndash;2008, 23 so called "pioneer-municipalities" ([[Lantsch/Lenz]], [[Brienz/Brinzauls]], [[Tiefencastel]], [[Alvaschein]], [[Mon, Switzerland|Mon]], [[Stierva]], [[Salouf]], [[Cunter]], [[Riom-Parsonz]], [[Savognin]], [[Tinizong-Rona]], [[Mulegns]], [[Sur, Switzerland|Sur]], [[Marmorera]], [[Falera]], [[Laax]], [[Trin]], [[Müstair]], [[Santa Maria Val Müstair]], [[Valchava]], [[Fuldera]], [[Tschierv]] and [[Lü, Switzerland|Lü]]) introduced Rumantsch Grischun as the language of instruction in 1st grade, followed by an additional 11 ([[Ilanz]], [[Schnaus]], [[Flond]], [[Schluein]], [[Pitasch]], [[Riein]], [[Sevgein]], [[Castrisch]], [[Surcuolm]], [[Luven]] and [[Duvin]]) the following year and another 6 ([[Sagogn]], [[Rueun]], [[Siat]], [[Pigniu]], [[Waltensburg/Vuorz]] and [[Andiast]]) in 2009–2010.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Landesbericht Graubünden 2009 |trans-title=State report Graubünden 2009 |url=http://www.gr.ch/DE/publikationen/berichte/Documents/Landesbericht_2009.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924024213/http://www.gr.ch/DE/publikationen/berichte/Documents/Landesbericht_2009.pdf |archive-date=2015-09-24 |access-date=2014-02-27}}</ref> However, other municipalities, including the entire Engadine valley and most of the Surselva, continued to use their regional variety. The cantonal government aimed to introduce Rumantsch Grischun as the sole language of instruction in Romansh schools by 2020.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2010-08-24 |title=Rumantsch Grischun bis 2020 an allen romanischen Schulen &#124; Schweizer Radio DRS |url=http://www.drs.ch/www/de/drs/streitpunkt-rumantsch-grischun/260253.208496.rumantsch-grischun-bis-2020-an-allen-romanischen-schulen.html |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120731170618/http://www.drs.ch/www/de/drs/streitpunkt-rumantsch-grischun/260253.208496.rumantsch-grischun-bis-2020-an-allen-romanischen-schulen.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=July 31, 2012 |access-date=2013-06-08 |publisher=Drs.ch }}</ref>

[[File:Rätoromanische Schulsprachen.png|thumb|Map of the situation in September 2013<br />
{{Legend|#00A400|Municipalities that had introduced Rumantsch Grischun as the language of instruction}}
{{Legend|#FF0000|Municipalities that used a regional variety as the language of instruction}}
{{Legend|#804000|Municipalities that had introduced Rumantsch Grischun but since decided to revert to a regional variety}}]]

In early 2011, a group of opponents in the Surselva and the Engadine founded the association [[Pro Idioms]], demanding the overturning of the government decision of 2003 and launching numerous local initiatives to return to the regional varieties as the language of instruction. In April 2011, [[Riein]] became the first municipality to vote to return to teaching in Sursilvan,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Riein: Sursilvan soll zurück an die Schule &#124; Schweizer Radio DRS |url=http://www.drs.ch/www/de/drs/streitpunkt-rumantsch-grischun/260253.280276.riein-sursilvan-soll-zurueck-an-die-schule.html |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120724151831/http://www.drs.ch/www/de/drs/streitpunkt-rumantsch-grischun/260253.280276.riein-sursilvan-soll-zurueck-an-die-schule.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=July 24, 2012 |access-date=2013-06-08 |publisher=Drs.ch }}</ref> followed by an additional 4 in December, and a further 10 in early 2012, including [[Val Müstair]] (returning to Vallader), which had been the first to introduce Rumantsch Grischun. As of September 2013, all those municipalities in the Surselva which had switched to Rumantsch Grischun had decided to return to teaching in Sursilvan, with the exception of [[Pitasch]], which, followed later.

Supporters of Rumantsch Grischun then announced that they would take the issue to the Federal Supreme Court of Switzerland<ref>{{Cite web |date=2010-11-30 |title=News – Schweizer Radio und Fernsehen |url=http://www.tagesschau.sf.tv/Hintergrund/Abstimmungen/Abstimmung-vom-11.-Maerz-2012/Muenstertal-GR |access-date=2013-06-08 |publisher=Tagesschau.sf.tv |language=de |archive-date=2012-03-14 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120314065152/http://www.tagesschau.sf.tv/Hintergrund/Abstimmungen/Abstimmung-vom-11.-Maerz-2012/Muenstertal-GR |url-status=dead }}</ref> and announced their intention to launch a cantonal referendum to enshrine Rumantsch Grischun as the language of instruction.<ref>{{Cite news |date=14 June 2012 |title=Pro Idioms blickt auf Erfolgsjahr zurück |url=http://www.bote.ch/politik/pro-idioms-blickt-auf-erfolgsjahr-zurueck |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130514193136/http://www.bote.ch/politik/pro-idioms-blickt-auf-erfolgsjahr-zurueck |archive-date=14 May 2013 |access-date=8 June 2013 |work=[[Bote der Urschweiz]] |language=de}}</ref>

The Lia Rumantscha opposes these moves and now supports a model of coexistence in which Rumantsch Grischun will supplement but not replace the regional varieties in school. It cites the need for keeping linguistic peace among Romansh speakers, as it says that the decades-long debate over the issue has torn friends and even families apart.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2011-11-16 |title=Mögliche Wende im Streit um Rumantsch &#124; Schweizer Radio DRS |url=http://www.drs.ch/www/de/drs/streitpunkt-rumantsch-grischun/260253.305619.moegliche-wende-im-streit-um-rumantsch.html |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120904010214/http://www.drs.ch/www/de/drs/streitpunkt-rumantsch-grischun/260253.305619.moegliche-wende-im-streit-um-rumantsch.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=September 4, 2012 |access-date=2013-06-08 |publisher=Drs.ch }}</ref> The canton's 2003 decision not to finance school books in the regional varieties was overturned in December 2011.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2012-10-08 |title=Rückschlag für Rumantsch Grischun an den Volksschulen &#124; Mein Regionalportal |url=http://www.suedostschweiz.ch/politik/ruckschlag-fur-rumantsch-grischun-den-volksschulen |access-date=2013-06-08 |publisher=Suedostschweiz.ch}}</ref>

Rumantsch Grischun is still a project in progress.{{sfn|Cathomas|2012|pp=47–58}} At the start of 2014, it was in use as a school language in the central part of the Grisons and in the bilingual classes in the region of Chur. It was taught in upper-secondary schools, in the university of teacher education in Chur and at the universities of Zürich and [[Fribourg]], along with the Romansh idioms. It remains an official and administrative language in the Swiss Confederation and the Canton of the Grisons as well as in public and private institutions for all kinds of texts intended for the whole Romansh-speaking territory.

Until 2021, Surmiran was the only regional variety that was not taught in schools, as all the Surmiran-writing municipalities had switched to Rumantsch Grischun. However, referendums in [[Surses]], [[Lantsch/Lenz]] and [[Albula/Alvra]] in 2020 led to the return to Surmiran as the language of instruction in the entire Surmiran-writing area, beginning with those pupils who started school in 2021. The only primary schools that will continue teaching in Rumantsch Grischun are the bilingual Romansh/German schools in the cantonal capital of Chur, which is located in a German-speaking area, and in [[Trin]] and [[Domat/Ems]], where the local dialects are Sutsilvan but Sursilvan has traditionally been used as the written language.

Rumantsch Grischun is read in the news of [[Radiotelevisiun Svizra Rumantscha]] and written in the daily newspaper ''La Quotidiana'', along with the Romansh idioms. Thanks to many new texts in a wide variety of political and social functions, the Romansh vocabulary has been decisively broadened.

The "Pledari Grond"<ref>{{Cite web |title=PLEDARI GROND |url=http://www.pledarigrond.ch/rumantschgrischun/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060804160546/http://pledarigrond.ch/ |archive-date=August 4, 2006 |website=www.pledarigrond.ch |url-status=dead}}</ref> German–Rumantsch Grischun dictionary, with more than 215&nbsp;000 entries, is the most comprehensive collection of Romansh words, which can also be used in the [[#idioms|idioms]] with the necessary phonetic shifts. The signatories of "Pro Rumantsch"<ref>{{Cite web |title=pagina da partenza - pro rumantsch |url=http://www.prorumantsch.ch/partenza.html |website=www.prorumantsch.ch}}</ref> stress that Romansh needs both the idioms and Rumantsch Grischun if it is to improve its chances in today's communication society. There also exist individual dictionaries for each of the different idioms: [[Sursilvan dialect|Sursilvan]],<ref>{{Cite web|title=Niev vocabulari Sursilvan ONLINE|url=https://www.vocabularisursilvan.ch/|access-date=2020-12-11|website=www.vocabularisursilvan.ch}}</ref> [[Vallader dialect|Vallader]],<ref>{{Cite web|title=UdG Dicziunari Vallader ⇔ Deutsch|url=http://www.udg.ch/dicziunari/vallader/impressum|access-date=2020-12-11|website=www.udg.ch}}</ref> [[Putèr dialect|Puter]],<ref>{{Cite web|title=UdG Dicziunari Puter ⇔ Deutsch|url=http://www.udg.ch/dicziunari/puter/impressum|access-date=2020-12-11|website=www.udg.ch}}</ref> [[Surmiran dialect|Surmiran]],<ref>{{Cite web|title=PLEDARI GROND|url=http://www.pledarigrond.ch/surmiran/|access-date=2020-12-11|website=www.pledarigrond.ch}}</ref> and [[Sutsilvan dialect|Sutsilvan]].<ref>{{Cite web|title=PLEDARI GROND|url=http://www.pledarigrond.ch/sutsilvan/|access-date=2020-12-11|website=www.pledarigrond.ch}}</ref> As well, the "Pledari Grond" dictionary links to several texts on the grammar of Vallader,<ref>{{Cite web|title=Grammatica Vallader|url=http://www.udg.ch/dicziunari/files/grammatica_vallader.pdf|access-date=2020-12-11|archive-date=2020-01-13|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200113205944/http://www.udg.ch/dicziunari/files/grammatica_vallader.pdf|url-status=dead}}</ref> Puter,<ref>{{Cite web|title=Grammatica Puter|url=http://www.udg.ch/dicziunari/files/grammatica_puter.pdf|access-date=2020-12-11|archive-date=2020-01-13|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200113192915/http://www.udg.ch/dicziunari/files/grammatica_puter.pdf|url-status=dead}}</ref> and Rumantsch Grischun.<ref>{{Cite web|title=RUMANTSCH GRISCHUN PER RUMANTSCHS: GRAMMATICA I|url=http://www.pledarigrond.ch/rumantschgrischun/assets/binary/grammatica.pdf}}</ref>