HANOI, VIETNAM, NOV. 13 (UPI) _ FRENCH MAY BE THE LANGUAGE OF LOVE BUT ENGLISH, AND NOT MATHEMATICS, IS SEEMINGLY THE LANGUAGE OF COMMERCE.

REPRESENTATIVES OF 49 FRENCH-SPEAKING COUNTRIES GATHER IN HANOI FRIDAY FOR THE SEVENTH FRANCOPHONE SUMMIT, WHERE THEIR PROBLEM WITH ENGLISH AS THE DOMINENT DIALECT OF BUSINESS TOPS THE AGENDA.

THE ORGANIZATION, KNOWN AS ``LA FRANCOPHONIE,'' COMPRISING FRANCE AND ITS FORMER COLONIES, HAS VOWED TO OPPOSE THE ``TYRANNY OF UNIFORMITY'' IT CLAIMS THE UNITED STATES HAS IMPOSED ON LANGUAGE AND TRADE.

AND THE ORGANISATION WILL ELECT BOUTROS BOUTROS GHALI AS ITS NEW LEADER _ A JAB AT THE CLINTON ADMINISTRATION, WHICH EASED HIM OUT OF THE JOB AS UNITED NATIONS SECRETARY GENERAL.

ABOUT 105 MILLION PEOPLE WORLDWIDE ARE FLUENT FRENCH SPEAKERS, WITH ANOTHER 50 MILLION ABLE TO SPEAK THE LANGUAGE OCCASIONALLY.

BUT LA FRANCOPHONIE IS FLUSTERED THAT MORE THAN HALF A BILLION PEOPLE WORLDWIDE SPEAK ENGLISH, PARTLY BECAUSE OF THE GLOBAL ECONOMY AND THE INTERNET.

FRANCOPHONIE MEMBERS INCLUDE VIETNAM _ WHERE FEWER THAN 1 PERCENT OF THE PEOPLE SPEAK FRENCH _ MOLDOVA, ROMANIA, BULGARIA AND EGYPT.

BOUTROS GHALI SAYS FRANCOPHONIE IS SET TO BECOME A GALLIC RIVAL TO THE BRITISH COMMONWEALTH AND THE UNITED STATES AS A SUPERPOWER, AND FRENCH MINISTER FOR FRANCOPHONIE CHARLES JOSSELIN SAYS THE ORGANIZATION IS FIGHTING TO ``ENSURE THE SURVIVAL OF ALL WE HOLD DEAR: OUR CULTURES, OUR HISTORY, OUR WAY OF IMAGINING AND CONSTRUCTING THE WORLD.''

UPI 13-11--97