----------------- HES POSTING ----------------- 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 ------------ FOOTER TO HES POSTING ------------ For information, send the message "info HES" to [log in to unmask]