Steve Schwartz wrote: >Robert Peters: > >>The old German word "welsch" means "foreign" in general and "French" >>in particular. So the quoted phrases are definitely and clearly both >>anti-foreign and anti-French. > >Doesn't it have particular reference to Mediterranean peoples as well? >Aren't, for example, Italians "waelsch?" The word can refer to all Mediterreanean peoples, it's true. But used by German reactionary writers (and, I apologize, Wagner is a musical genius AND a reactionary writer) it always means "French" in the first place. Because France was always seen as the "Erzfeind", the arch enemy. Thank God these days are over. Robert writing from a Germany not at war with anyone now for 56 years