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      Robert Leonard's remarks remind me that 
although I am not all that knowledgeable in too 
many languages, those that I have read some 
economics in strike me partly in that some words 
appear to be very similar across many languages 
while others vary considerably.  I suspect that a 
study of this might prove to be very interesting, 
the origins of words that vary much across the 
languages, although I am not about to undertake 
such a study. 
      Regarding Julien Vincent's remarks, this is 
a useful reminder that perhaps the most persistent 
rival has been French.  In 1994 France passed a 
law, still on the books officially I believe, that all 
"scientific conferences" must be in French.  At 
the time I was about to give a lecture in Paris and 
asked if I should give it in French rather than the 
planned English.  I was told that "it is the duty of 
all good French citizens to break the law."  It was 
also explained that a clear convention had already 
evolved.  If the title is in French the lecture is in 
French, while if the title is in English the lecture is 
in English (or American, or...  ).  Generally that 
seems to hold there (and perhaps its equivalent 
holds in many other countries also). 
      Shortly thereafter Jean Tirole, a Frenchman 
spending half his time at MIT and half his time at 
Toulouse in France, was scheduled to give a lecture 
at the Fourgeaud theory seminar (in Paris).  The 
title of the lecture was in French.  A large crowd 
attended, and he delivered it in English.  Not long 
after he began, Edmond Malinvaud vociferously 
objected, demanding that he speak in French. 
Tirole made rather dismissive remarks in return about 
being kind to Anglophones in the audience and 
continued in English.  However the question and 
answer session was in French.  OTOH, the lecture 
ultimately appeared in English in Econometrica. 
      About a year later I saw Malinvaud deliver a 
plenary lecture at the International Economics 
Association meetings in Tunis.  This is a supposedly 
bilingual group whose headquarters is in Paris. 
He delivered his lecture in French (simultaneous 
translation available).  However, as near as I can 
tell that is the last time anyone has delivered a lecture 
in French at that particular association's meetings. 
Peut-etre tant pis. 
 
Barkley Rosser 
 
 
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