This Conclusion revisits the book’s central paradox: Switzerland maintains linguistic peace by structuring difference into its institutions. While this model has prevented overt conflict and affirmed symbolic equality, it limits more fluid and inclusive forms of multilingualism responsive to contemporary mobility and diversity. The chapter synthesizes insights from theory, policy, and empirical data, showing how territoriality, educational practice, and policy mechanisms reproduce linguistic stratification even within a formally diverse system. It outlines implications for language policy, arguing for a shift from territorial to individual equality, stronger federal coordination, and expanded recognition of heritage and minority languages. It proposes educational reforms such as multilingual pedagogies, inclusive assessment practices, and equitable support for teacher agency. The chapter also highlights future research directions, including multilevel ethnographies and comparative work across multilingual states. It concludes by reframing the guiding question of the book: not whether Switzerland is multilingual or monolingual, but how multilingualism is lived, governed, and contested, and how it might be reimagined as a foundation for linguistic citizenship and social justice.

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Conclusion: Multilingualism Between Ideals and Realities

  • Anna Becker

摘要

This Conclusion revisits the book’s central paradox: Switzerland maintains linguistic peace by structuring difference into its institutions. While this model has prevented overt conflict and affirmed symbolic equality, it limits more fluid and inclusive forms of multilingualism responsive to contemporary mobility and diversity. The chapter synthesizes insights from theory, policy, and empirical data, showing how territoriality, educational practice, and policy mechanisms reproduce linguistic stratification even within a formally diverse system. It outlines implications for language policy, arguing for a shift from territorial to individual equality, stronger federal coordination, and expanded recognition of heritage and minority languages. It proposes educational reforms such as multilingual pedagogies, inclusive assessment practices, and equitable support for teacher agency. The chapter also highlights future research directions, including multilevel ethnographies and comparative work across multilingual states. It concludes by reframing the guiding question of the book: not whether Switzerland is multilingual or monolingual, but how multilingualism is lived, governed, and contested, and how it might be reimagined as a foundation for linguistic citizenship and social justice.