Lost and Found in Translation

Strangely, the language spoken at the court of Frederic the Great was French. The same was true for other courts in Europe, though the preference was not limited to courts. Whatever the reasons, conversing in French was en vogue during the Enlightenment. Limited not to a time but to an institution, Italian has been the language of opera across the ages. Yet its Renaissance role as language of finance was usurped by English, and while this, too, may be a passing phenomenon, it is unlikely to pass anytime soon.

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