Quatrilingual country

The Points of the Compass article on the city of Zurich ``City Balances Old Ways, Tough New Realities,'' Aug. 18, refers to the divisions between French- and German-speaking Switzerland. The author does not mention that Switzerland also includes the Italian-speaking canton of Ticino and the Romansch-speaking canton of Grisons.

The diversity of languages and cultures within Switzerland perhaps has lessons for the rest of Europe. The movement toward political and economic unity (as symbolized by the Maastricht treaty) should not undermine the sheer richness and vitality of cultural life within the nations of Western Europe. Alistair Budd, Rolle, Switzerland

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