ABSTRACT
In its transition to independence, the United States needed international recognition to obtain legitimacy and to engage with other nations on the world stage. This chapter examines the ambivalent role of language during the US entry into European diplomacy. Many American envoys (and their secretaries) lacked proficiency in French, and this frequently undermined American diplomatic goals in Europe. Yet by privileging English—especially in negotiations on American soil—the United States asserted a linguistic advantage, compelling interlocutors to converse in a less common language. This challenge to established diplomatic norms could itself be considered a legitimising act. Focusing on the linguistic dimension of early American diplomacy thus reveals a broader reframing of the European diplomatic order and, by extension, the meaning of the American Revolution.
