There is a story about an Englishman, a Frenchman and a German who are debating the merits of their respective languages. The German starts by claiming: ‘German is off course ze best language. It is ze language off logik and philosophy, and can communicate viz great clarity and precision even ze most complex ideas.’ ‘Boeff,’ shrugs the Frenchman, ‘but French, French, it ees ze language of lurve! In French, we can convey all ze subtletees of romance weez elegance and flair.’ The Englishman ponders the matter for a while, and then says: ‘Yes, chaps, that’s all very well. But just think about…