Data from two widely different fields (the study of classical antiquity and the science of palynology) indicate that international political developments had a great influence on the issued numbers of scholarly publications and the distribution of these publications over various languages. When the national languages took over the position formerly occupied by Latin, the German language seemed to rank as the most prominent in international intercommunication. However, the two world wars in particular have undermined this position, and English has taken its place. Some data are presented which indicate this historical pathway.
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