A small Middle Eastern state with a cedar on its flag and its capital, Beirut, has chosen Arabic as its official language. Lebanon is home to about four million people, and the Lebanese are the vast majority.
Some statistics and facts
- Almost 4% of Lebanese are Armenians, 95% are Lebanese, and the rest of the population is Turks and Syrians, Druze and Greeks, French and Egyptians.
- In the Lebanese Republic, about 40% of citizens are Christian, and this is more than in any other country in the region.
- Lebanon gained independence from France in 1943, but the traditions of the French language remain very strong today. The language of the former protectorate is de facto considered a national workers' language. It is he who is widespread along with English and is studied in local schools as a second language after his native one.
- The number of French speakers is 16 thousand people, and only 3 thousand Lebanese consider English as their native language.
- In addition to the language of the Arab majority, Greek, Kurdish and Turkish are spoken in Lebanon.
- Interestingly, Lebanese Christians prefer French, while Muslims are more likely to learn English.
- About a quarter of a million inhabitants ideally speak Armenian in the republic.
Arabic in Lebanon
The Phoenician language, which in ancient times spread over the territory of modern Lebanon, by the 4th century BC. was supplanted by the Aramaic, and then, during the conquests of Alexander the Great - by the Greek. When the Arabs came to the region in the 7th century, they began to impose their own traditions, religion and, of course, language. This is how Arabic appeared in Lebanon.
The Lebanese dialect of Arabic serves as a means of communication in everyday life and in the service for almost 4 million speakers in the republic. It belongs to the Syro-Palestinian subgroup of the eastern dialects. The Christian Arabs living in the Lebanese Republic do their utmost to promote the spread of the local variety of Arabic.
Tourist notes
One of the most civilized countries in the region, the Lebanese Republic has even received the unofficial name "Middle Eastern Switzerland". A tourist with a minimum knowledge of English will be able to relax here with maximum comfort. In cities and near archaeological sites, there is always the opportunity to enlist the support of professional English-speaking guides, and all the necessary information in the travel information centers is translated into English and French.
