French language in Lebanon

Town sign in Standard Arabic and French at the entrance of Rechmaya, Lebanon.

French language in Lebanon is the second language of the country,[1] also a law determines the cases in which the French language is to be used within government,[2] and is often used as a prestige language for business, diplomacy and education.

History

The use of the French language is a legacy of the time of the French Crusades[3] and France's historic ties to the region, including its League of Nations mandate over Lebanon following World War I; as of 2004, some 20% of the population used French on a daily basis.[4]

Role and Purpose

Formerly under French mandate, independent Republic of Lebanon designates Arabic as the sole official language, while a special law regulates cases when French can be publicly used.

Article 11 of Lebanon's Constitution states that

"Arabic is the official national language. A law determines the cases in which the French language is to be used".[2]

The French language is used on Lebanese pound bank notes, road signs, vehicle registration plates, and on public buildings, alongside Arabic.

The majority of Lebanese people speak Lebanese Arabic, which is grouped in a larger category called Levantine Arabic, while Modern Standard Arabic is mostly used in magazines, newspapers, and formal broadcast media. Code-switching between Arabic and French is very common.[5][6][7]

Almost 40% of Lebanese are considered francophone, and another 15% "partial francophone," and 70% of Lebanon's secondary schools use French as a second language of instruction.[8][9] By comparison, English is used as a secondary language in 30% of Lebanon's secondary schools.[9] The use of Arabic by Lebanon's educated youth is declining, as they usually prefer to speak in French and, to a lesser extent, English.[5][10]

Attitudes toward French

Lebanese licence plate with the French language inscription "Liban".
French language inscription "Banque du Liban" on the headquarter of the Bank of Lebanon.

French and English are secondary languages of Lebanon, with about 45% of the population being Francophone as a second language and 30% Anglophone.[11] The use of English is growing in the business and media environment. Out of about 900,000 students, about 500,000 are enrolled in Francophone schools, public or private, in which the teaching of mathematics and scientific subjects is provided in French.[12] Actual usage of French varies depending on the region and social status. One third of high school students educated in French go on to pursue higher education in English-speaking institutions. English is the language of business and communication, with French being an element of social distinction, chosen for its emotional value.[13]

Lebanese French

Lebanese French (French: français libanais) is a dialect of French spoken in Lebanon. It is commonly spoken in Lebanon, as French language is taught in schools as a second language following Arabic.

See also

References

  1. ↑ Aleya Rouchdy (2002). Language Contact and Language Conflict in Arabic: Variations on a Sociolinguistic Theme. Psychology Press. p. 71. ISBN 978-0-7007-1379-0.
  2. 1 2 Prof. Dr. Axel Tschentscher, LL.M. "Article 11 of the Lebanese Constitution". Servat.unibe.ch. Retrieved 17 January 2013.
  3. ↑ Battye, Adrian; Hintze, Marie-Anne; Rowlett, Head of School of Languages Paul; Rowlett, Paul (1 September 2003). "The French Language Today: A Linguistic Introduction". Routledge – via Google Books.
  4. ↑ "Lebanon". Encyclopædia Britannica. 2011.
  5. 1 2 Hesham Shawish (24 June 2010). "Campaign to save the Arabic language in Lebanon". BBC News Online.
  6. ↑ Dalia Mortada (October 5, 2015). "Is Beirut the codeswitching capital of the world?". Public Radio International.
  7. ↑ Suzanne Talhouk (October 27, 2015). "Don't kill your language". TED.
  8. ↑ Nadeau, Jean-Benoit; Barlow, Julie (28 May 2010). "The Story of French". Knopf Canada – via Google Books.
  9. 1 2 Jean-Benoît Nadeau, Julie Barlow (2008). The Story of French. Macmillan. p. 311. ISBN 978-0-312-34184-8. Retrieved 14 December 2010.
  10. ↑ "Arabic – a dying language?". France 24. Retrieved 25 June 2010.
  11. ↑ OIF 2014, p. 217.
  12. ↑ OIF 2014, p. 218.
  13. ↑ OIF 2014, p. 358.

Works cited

  • Aithnard, Aminata (2014). La langue française dans le monde 2014 (PDF) (in French). Nathan. ISBN 978-2-09-882654-0. Retrieved 5 April 2015.
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