Verständigung im öffentlichen Raum von Biel/Bienne

Résumé

The following analysis of 70 recordings made in the public area of the bilingual city of Biel/Bienne confirms that language accommodation is very common and, in a wide range of cases, does not affect the quality of the provided service. Yet, a closer examination of some recordings reveals clear traces of some typical language in contact phenomena. These may lead to loss of information, vagueness and sometimes it is simply not clear what is happening during the interaction itself. Yet, insofar as general language accommodation gives equal rights to both language groups, these minor flaws may be regarded as acceptable.