The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1919-01-14
A Bi-Lingual Conference.

Speculation ia rife regarding the Ian
,guage which viii be used at the peace
conference. with probabilities in favor Of
the view that the discussions are to be
carried on in both French and English
That forecast seems confirmed by the
news we are getting Of the preliminary
interchanges of welcome and greeting
which have followed the arrival Of Pres
ident Wilson in France. Correspondents
are reporting the addresses made with
out always naming the language EN-
ployed, but the internal evidence that
both English and French have thus far
been relied on is strong, for the reason,
if for no other, that you cannot pre-
serve a mans distinctive style or the
idioms of a people if you have to re-
fashion them for presentation in for"
eign tongue.
Many French words almost Identical
in spelling and derivation with English
words do not carry precisely the same
meaning; there are ways Of expressing
the same idea which differ for the two
countries, and always a subtle some
thing" in the choice of phrase and meta
phor which enables you to realize that
this is French and that English. As re-
CARDS Mr.. Wilson's printed addresses, it
is plain that they have not gone through
the metamorphosis of translation from
an original French text, else the SEN
tence, ''You have been exceedingly gen
erous in what you have been gracious
enough to say about me- would have
been put in somewhat other fashion, and
we should have had a slightly different
way Of voiciug the sentiment about the
intimate community of thought and
ideals which characterizes your people
and the great nation which l have the
honor for the time to represent"
So had President Poincare, George
Clemenceau and the other welcomers Of
President Wilson used our speech the
fact would have revealed itself unmis-
takably. The word Infinitely which
so well represents French ENTHUSIASM,
would have occurred less often, and the
phrase "sineliner de want, "bow before"
would have found some perhaps less ex-
pressive equivalent. In asserting that
1--WE must build together such a peace
as will forbid the deliberate and hypo-
critical renewing of an organism aim
ing at conquest" President Poincare EN-
ployed metaphor unusual in our Ian
guage, just as did President Mithouard
of the Paris municipal council in his
description of Mr.. Wilson as one whose
conscience fashioned his policy and
whose diplomacy was made Of loyalty"
And the French power of arousing vivid
mental images got a fine illustration
when Project Autrand declared that "in
redoubling the blows of his arrogant
sword upon the rock of your patience
the barbarian called forth the devouring
flame in which he has been irrdeem-
ably consumed"
All these indications show that the
advance guards of the conference using
English or French as it suits them best,
that choice of either one or the other
is no bar to mutual intercourse, and
that the arrangement thus tacitly
reached will survive into the great as.
sembly which is to Join the terms Of
peace. As result of the comradeship
of battle there has been an intensive
study Of French in Great Britain and
the United States, Of English in France,
Belgium and Italy, such as was never
attempted before the war. 1t is there
fore more than likely that where fluent