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The Language of Diplomacy |
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Niceties of the Diplomatic
Protocol |
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A lot of the French terms of a technical status refer to the
niceties of the diplomatic protocol, e.g., vin d’honneur, a
type of diplomatic reception; placement, the placing round a
table of guests at a formal meal, or of officials at a meeting,
according to certain rules and conventions (the word is no longer
confined only to diplomacy); tenue de soirée (“full evening
dress”), indication on the invitation of the official character of a
reception. |
In the same class are the traditional French abbreviations used by
diplomats on visiting cards. The strict protocol requires them to be
handwritten; and their function is to indicate the occasion on which
a card is sent. The most common of these inscriptions are:
The persistent use of the French terms in diplomatic protocol
can be explained partly by the tradition, and partly by the
belief, that French regulations may be safely taken by other
nations as a model in matters of etiquette.
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