European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - August 18, 1990, Darmstadt, Hesse                                \ English please English leads global language contest by Patrick Mcdowell associated press he French Are finally throwing in the Serviette or Towel in the global Battle for linguistic supremacy. French officials and teachers say English is unquestionably the no. 1 International Tongue and there s Little Point in going Tete a Tete with it any longer. The germans agree. If a Battle lies ahead it May be Between French and German for second place. We can t make a linguistic Maginot line said Bernard Cerqui Lini a leading French authority on language. That s what we be been trying to do especially against English. It s a lost  Cerqui Lini who is fluent in English Heads the general delegation of the French language assigned by prime minister Michel Ricard to promote the study of French abroad. He and his colleagues Hope to make French the most popular language throughout Europe after English. Our strategy is to promote All european languages to make Europe multilingual Cerqui Lini said. The riches of Europe Are in its languages. If Europe becomes unilingual the language will be English.  that View Marks a strategic Retreat in the Long Effort to restore French to International leadership. In the 17th and 18th centuries French was unchallenged As the language of diplomacy and the conversation of educated people. The Industrial revolution led by Britain made English the language of International Commerce. By the time Queen Victoria s Empire had spread English around the world an oxbridge accent had As much cachet As aristocratic French. Diplomacy remained a francophone stronghold through the Early part of this Century. The Versailles treaty after world War i was written in French and understood in that language by former president Wilson. After world War ii the global role of the United states built an unrivalled position for English. France s efforts to hold the line have included Aid to French speaking countries francophone song festivals and even futile attempts to Weed out fran Glais English words used in common speech. Promoters of French see Opportunity in Eastern Europe. Nations with historic links to France Are the prime targets particularly Romania Poland and. Czechoslovakia. Ricard s Cabinet said recently that promotion of French in Eastern Europe should be a major component of foreign  French television viewers were buoyed by seeing residents of Bucharest speaking perfect French to reporters during the december revolution in Romania. French and romanian Are based on latin and French is the Only Western language Many romanians know. We be had great Luck so far said Catherine Michaud of the Hachette foundation which sent 100,000 French language books to romanian libraries. There Are plenty of people who already know French and want to keep learning it. The world s Best known French school the Alliance Francaise plans to add branches this year in the soviet Union Bulgaria Czechoslovakia and Hungary. It already has schools in Romania Poland Hungary and Yugoslavia. French television is beamed to Poland and Czechoslovakia and bilingual radio stations Are starting up i think that a cultivated Man in the Europe of tomorrow will need at least two languages besides his own said Francois hinge director of foreign services for Alliance Francaise. One will be English the other probably French or maybe German. In Brussels with the dec or Geneva in banking French is definitely going to be an  a unified economically Strong Germany May seem in a better position to establish its language in Eastern Europe. Susanne Hoehn of the Goethe Institute in Munich West Germany an organization similar to the Alliance Francaise said it is opening branches in Moscow Prague Czechoslovakia and Warsaw Poland she said the changes in Eastern Europe had produced an extremely Strong increase in interest for  according to the goeth o Institute s figures she said 9.5 million people Are studying German in the Region and they need textbooks teachers All kinds of teaching  germans in general seem less concerned with promoting their language. It once was the Lingua Franca of science but now there s a tendency in Medicine in the sciences and engineering to publish very much in English said Werner Bies an English specialist at the free University in West Berlin. He said the French try much harder to promote their own language. The general delegation of the French language plans to sponsor teacher exchanges with a unified Germany to encourage better French instruction in the Eastern sector. German school officials believe English will continue to be the foreign language of Choice even among former East germans who were required to learn russian. Cerqui Lini believes the reason is partly psychological. For people who be been forced to learn russian for a Long time to learn Western languages like English and French is like already having a bit of Liberty he said. Saturday August 18, 1990 the stars and stripes Page 13