ABSTRACT
Switzerland is a country with a multilingual tradition with different linguistic communities. Its multilingual character is evident through the fact that four official languages are spoken, albeit with different levels of prestige and quantity of speakers: German, French, Italian and Romansh. In Switzerland, the equivalent of the term "heritage language" varies between the linguistic and geographical regions. In Switzerland, Spanish is also spoken by first- and second-generation immigrants. Spanish is currently the second most popular foreign language in the Swiss education system after English. In Switzerland, there are two types of Spanish Language and Culture of Origin (LCO) courses that can generally be referred to as "Spanish" or "Spanish/Latin American". Changes in the population and immigration policies have also produced a change in the LCO courses. The main goal of the LCO courses remains the promotion of the language of origin—including literacy skills—and knowledge of the culture of origin.
