...but instead UML is defined in English which is a self-referential... you get the idea ;-)
nope, you can design and write UML diagrams in any language, and it is restricted to well understood, software engineering priciples...
I can read a UML class diagram written in french, with french function calls, and look at the source code and understand what is going on without any trouble. and before anybody asks, no, I don't speak french ;)...
Sz