Also, why only 0.7 million in Switzerland. Granted, Swiss German dialects are probably the hardest dialects for mainstream German speakers, but they are undeniably German and they use standard German - with the usual specialized vocabulary, of course - as written language. Also, most of the non-ethnic-Germans Germans and resident aliens seem to be bilingual, so they ought to be counted twice. I see that all of the time: Parents with Middle Eastern/Arabian features speaking Arabic or Persian or whatever and their kids zooming by, telling them something in flawless German and and getting replied to in German.
2 Likes