Borges: I have done most of my reading in English. I find English a far finer language than Spanish. William F Buckley: Why? Borges: Well, many reasons. Firstly, English is both a Germanic and a Latin language. Those two registers-for any idea you take, you have two words. Those words will not mean exactly the same. For example if I say "regal" that is not exactly the same thing as saying "kingly." Or if I say "fraternal" that is not the same as words are different. It would make all the difference— speaking for example-the Holy Spirit, it would make all the difference in the world in a poem if I wrote about the Holy Spirit or I wrote the Holy Ghost, since "ghost" is a fine, dark Saxon word, but "spirit" is a light Latin word. Then there is another reason. The reason is that I think that, of all languages, English is the most physical of all languages. WFB: The most what? Borges: Physical. You can, for example, say "He loomed over." You can't very well say that in Spanish. WFB: "Asomó?"* Borges: Well, no, no, they're not exactly the same. And then you have, in English, you can do almost anything with verbs and prepositions. For example, to "laugh off," to "dream away. " Those things can't be said in Spanish. To "live down" something, to "live up to" something-you can't say those things in Spanish. They can't be said. Or really in any Romance language.