Letter: Lingua franca

YOUR report on linguistic confusion in Brussels (28 February) highlights a problem which in the short term can only get worse. In the long term, however, the solution could be to adopt a common European second language, which could be taught to all European schoolchildren from an early age.

As you point out, national rivalry will preclude the adoption of any modern language. The logical candidate is Latin, which was in fact used for this very purpose in the Middle Ages. Modern technological terms would pose no problem, since most of these are derived from Latin or Greek. The use of Latin would also put an end to the creeping Anglicisation of other languages which is a source of resentment to our European neighbours, particularly the French.

ROGER WORDSWORTH

Kirkham, Lancashire