Romansh people language for the first time as one of Switzerland's four national languages, though only for use within the canton, not at the federal level. The Romansh people appeared to be mostly satisfied with this status until the 1980s when debate arose over Switzerland's relationship with the greater European continent and the concept of the European Union began to form. The Romansh people advocated heavily for Switzerland's membership in the Union, but the referendum to join it was narrowly defeated in 1992 by the German majority and Switzerland remained a nation apart with the Romansh people a nation apart within it
Romansh language be seen as an advantage in being open to cultural elements from both sides. This position is also shared by several contemporary authors in particular from the Surselva, such as Arno Camenisch, who makes heavy use of Germanisms in his works. Romansh had a rich oral tradition before the appearance of Romansh writing, but apart from songs such as the "Canzun da Sontga Margriata", virtually none of it survives. Prior to the 16th century, Romansh writings are known from only a few fragments. The oldest known written records of Romansh dating from the period before 1500 are: The first substantial