Pumpernickel (1766)

[GSCole]

Relative to the French/German origin of pumpernickel, wasn't French
widely used in the higher levels of German society, at one time.  I was
told that Christopher Martin Wieland was responsible for redefining the
tendency toward adopting French as the court language of Germany.

The source of the above note is a conversation with a professor of
German, several years ago, when I was inquiring about Wieland's
influence on German literature.

Comments/criticisms welcome.  If the note is not correct, I have no need
to repeat the story.

George Cole
Shippensburg University