Franco-German borderlands in Switzerland: axiological aspect

Abstract

The phenomenon of the border in the modern world is one of the most discussed and relevant, especially in the context of the pandemic, as a result of which the borders have become more tangible and often insurmountable. The purpose of this article is 1) to consider the ideas of the Swiss concerning the borderland between the two language areas, about the French variety; 2) outlining the tendencies associated with the value orientations of the language community of the region under study. The research materials are the epilinguistic discourse of cultural figures, scientists, media people, as well as authors of comments on media articles (digital periodicals in French: Le Matin, Le Temps, 24 heures, Tribune de Genève, SwissInfo) and publications in social networks, in particular, creolized text. The concept of röstigraben and its functioning was considered in Moscow State University Bulletin. Series 19. Linguistics and Intercultural Communication, No. 3-2021, however, the topic needs to be covered by the axiological aspect — the reactions of the Swiss francophones to this phenomenon. The attitude of the French-speaking Swiss to the borderlands, or “röstigraben”, and its aspects are considered in diachrony. By analogy with “röstigraben”, there are derivatives “poletagraben”, which separates the Italian- speaking area, “coronagraben”, which appeared in connection with disease statistics, and other innovations. The article is written in compliance with sociolinguistic approach.

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