From the archive, 21 May 1971: French worry about fate of Molière's language

President Pompidou ought to worry less about his language. He fears that English may become the Common Market's common tongue and that French will wither away to a diplomatic whisper. The President is over-apprehensive. Each language needs the other. The French still have not thought of a word of their own for beefsteak. The English still talk of garages and crepe de Chine. And in a polyglot world Europe needs both languages as surely as a bicycle needs two wheels. A West European who knows no French will be lost for words in Northern Africa, Eastern Europe, and a large part of South-east Asia. A European who knows no English will be incommunicado (if the President will forgive us for borrowing a word from Spain) in North America, Southern Africa, Australia, and - as it happens - New Zealand.

French and English are both great languages. They are internationally useful. They are the storehouses of two great literatures. And a lot of people know them both. President Pompidou need not concern himself. If Britain joins the Common Market the British are not going to conspire with the Italians in a language he does not understand.

On the other hand the President will himself be misunderstood if he confuses English with American. In his interview with 'Le Soir' on Wednesday he said that English was 'above all and in the eyes of the world the language of America; and Europe will not be Europe unless it distinguishes itself - I am not saying cuts itself off but distinguishes itself - from America.'

This is a surprising proposition. For one thing the English that is spoken in England is very easily distinguishable from the English that is spoken in Yazoo City, Miss. Nor is it reasonable to expect the English to accept blame for a language they exported to America which has now been strangely transformed. What does President Pompidou feel about the French they speak in Quebec?

President Pompidou can be assured that the centre of the real French-English language problem is right here in Europe. For example the French magazine 'Elle' - which is very French indeed - still finds French inadequate when it comes to describing clothes. Les hotpants, for instance, cry out to be translated into French. So do le blazer, le smoking, le sweater, le vrai Burberry, les knickers, les sneakers, and les blue jeans not to mention un trench en mole-skin de coton. Perhaps the Académie Française could help.

The British, meanwhile, could think hard about boutiques, discotheques, the Cinque Ports, and Dieu et mon droit (which last is in any case tactless because it commemorates Richard I's victory over France in 1198). There is linguistic work to be done on both sides of the Channel or Manche. If President Pompidou reads 'Elle' he will see where the real problem lies.