Lebanon language
The Lebanese Republic (Lebanon) is a country belonging to Asia, whose capital is Beirut. It has a population of 6 million inhabitants (112º) and an extension of 10,452 km 2 (161º). Its human development index is high (80º) and its official currency is the Lebanese pound. But what language is spoken in Lebanon?
What language do they speak in Lebanon?
Lebanon has one official language, Modern Standard Arabic.
In addition, article 11 of its constitution dictates that ” A law determines the cases in which the French language must be used.”
In education, 70% of secondary schools teach French as a second language, compared to 30% who choose to teach the English language. But despite not enjoying such popularity, English is spoken by 28.5% of the population. The use of Arabic by educated youth is declining as they prefer to speak French (or, to a lesser extent, English). The use of English, meanwhile, is growing in business and in the media.
The most common immigrant languages are Armenian (294,000 speakers), Northern Kurdish (294,000), Egyptian Arabic (102,000), Chaldean Neo-Aramaic (30,000), Turoyo (29,300), Mesopotamian Arabic (20,900) and Spanish (19,600).
The Arabic language
Although Modern Standard Arabic is the official language, the language in everyday use by the majority of the population is the Lebanese Arabic dialect. The standard is spoken by 87% of the population (although it is only used by the media, newspapers and magazines) and the Lebanese dialect is spoken by 96% of its inhabitants.
Lebanese Arabic has several dialects:
The French language
French is the cultural language of the country, spoken by 37 % of Lebanese (although it is estimated that its daily use is 20% of the population). It is often used as a language of prestige in business, education and diplomacy. This language is inherited from the mandate of France that took place in Lebanon in the interwar period. Code switching (using both languages in the same sentence mixed together) is quite common.
Along with Arabic, the use of French can be seen on banknotes, on road signs, vehicle license plates, and in public buildings.
Share which languages are spoken in Lebanon.