SINCE Valentine's Day is on Wednesday, I shall take a break from talking about world Englishes and Philippine English and write something related to the day of romantic love. Today, I wish to discuss the language of love letters. Since I am a linguist and writer by profession, writing love letters has a special place in my (love) life. I am always fascinated by well-written love letters, those expressing affections and emotions in the most vivid and artistic way. I remember, when I was a teenager, I had a book that compiles love letters written by historical figures. I was too young to know what love was then (not that I know it too well now), but I did enjoy flipping through its pages, amused at how people in the past wrote about their feelings. I do not have the book now, but such letters can easily be searched on the internet. And so, in talking about the language of love letters, I shall use extracts from love letters of historical figures, too.