4/16/2020 In multilingual Lebanon, Arabic falls behind

Hi, kifak? Ca Va?" -- or "Hi, how are you doing? Okay?" -- is a typical multi-linguistic Lebanese greeting so"
popular it now appears on bumper stickers and tee-shirts sold around the world

English and French often replace the local dialect in conversation, especially among the urban youth, and one
organization has launched a campaign to preserve Arabic in Lebanon

Arabic is still very much alive as a language, but young people are moving farther and farther away from it,""
said Suzanne Talhouk, who heads the organization "Fael Ummer" (Imperative) which is running the
campaign

Some of our youngsters are incapable of writing correctly in Arabic, and many university students we"
interviewed were not even able to recite the alphabet," Talhouk told AFP

Urban youths are often unable to hold a conversation in one language, causing amusement but also irking
" those around them with such home-grown expressions as the popular farewell: "Yalla, bye

At my school it's more cool to speak French Arabic is looked down upon," said high school student"
Nathalie
‫اواﻓﻖ‬ ‫اﻋﺮف أﻛﺜﺮ‬... Cookie ‫ﻫﺬا اﻟﻤﻮﻗﻊ ﻳﺴﺘﺨﺪم ﻣﻠﻒ ﺗﻌﺮﻳﻒ اﻻرﺗﺒﺎط‬

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4/16/2020 In multilingual Lebanon, Arabic falls behind

At my school it's more cool to speak French. Arabic is looked down upon “
“
Nathalie -

Celebrating Arabic
On Thursday the Tunis-based Arab Organization for Education, Culture and Science decided to set aside
March 1 of each year to celebrate the Arabic language

A statement from the organization said the move was an attempt to "preserve the heritage of the Arab nation
" in the face of globalization

The message was heard loud and clear in Lebanon, which was once the Francophone hub of the Arab world

The country of four million was under French Mandate from 1920 until its independence in 1943, and it is
still widely considered the most "Western" country in the conservative Middle East

In Lebanon most schools teach Arabic, French and English to their students from a young age, and the
education authorities allow students with dual nationality to waive Arabic classes and government
examinations
‫اواﻓﻖ‬ ‫اﻋﺮف أﻛﺜﺮ‬... Cookie ‫ﻫﺬا اﻟﻤﻮﻗﻊ ﻳﺴﺘﺨﺪم ﻣﻠﻒ ﺗﻌﺮﻳﻒ اﻻرﺗﺒﺎط‬

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4/16/2020 In multilingual Lebanon, Arabic falls behind

Having a second language is an asset, provided students do not forget their native language," said Talhouk"

Experts are divided on who should shoulder the responsibility, with some blaming schools which they say
have placed Arabic at the bottom of the educational pyramid

Schools often treat Arabic as a secondary subject," says Henri Awaiss, who heads the department of"
translation at Saint Joseph University in Beirut

Also, students are bored because of the way classes are taught," Awaiss told AFP "We have to open the door"
to more creative teaching methods," he said

Having a second language is an asset, provided students do not forget “

their native language

“
Suzanne Talhouk -

Starts at home
But some teachers say the problem starts at home

Many parents tend to speak to their children in English or French," said Hiba, who teaches Arabic at a"
‫اﻋﺮف أﻛﺜﺮ‬... Cookie ‫ﻫﺬا اﻟﻤﻮﻗﻊ ﻳﺴﺘﺨﺪم ﻣﻠﻒ ﺗﻌﺮﻳﻒ اﻻرﺗﺒﺎط‬
‫اواﻓﻖ‬

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4/16/2020 In multilingual Lebanon, Arabic falls behind

primary school

The problem is that I find myself teaching six-year-olds who do not speak their own language and who are"
utterly shocked by formal Arabic," which differs from spoken Arabic, she added

According to Talhouk "some parents even request teachers address their children in French or English if they
" do not understand Arabic

It's sad One shouldn't be ashamed of their language," she said"

And with the Internet age in full swing, "writing in Arabic is no longer fashionable among the young,"
Talhouk said

" 'Arabic today is a sort of 'Facebook Arabic"

The Lebanese have even devised a web-friendly script for their dialect, using Latin font Numbers such as 2,
3, and 7 are used to represent Arabic phonetic sounds that do not exist in English or French

The United Nations cultural body UNESCO designated Beirut World Book Capital of the year (April 22D9-
‫اواﻓﻖ‬ ‫اﻋﺮف أﻛﺜﺮ‬... Cookie ‫ﻫﺬا اﻟﻤﻮﻗﻊ ﻳﺴﺘﺨﺪم ﻣﻠﻒ ﺗﻌﺮﻳﻒ اﻻرﺗﺒﺎط‬
April 2010) But reading, generally not a popular activity in Lebanon, is even less popular in Arabic
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4/16/2020 In multilingual Lebanon, Arabic falls behind

I don't read Arabic novels because they don't speak to the youth," said Bilal, a Lebanese university student"
studying television broadcasting

Leila Barakat, who manages the World Book Capital program, stressed the need for more modern Arabic
texts that address the new generation

We must support and encourage Arabic literature for young adults, which is today underdeveloped," Barakat"
told AFP

Talhouk insisted that Lebanon should invest in preserving the nation's cultural and literary heritage, as well as
develop Arabic technological and scientific terms

The problem is that I find myself teaching six-year-olds who do not speak “
their own language and who are utterly shocked by formal Arabic

“
Hiba -

‫اواﻓﻖ‬ ‫اﻋﺮف أﻛﺜﺮ‬... Cookie ‫ﻫﺬا اﻟﻤﻮﻗﻊ ﻳﺴﺘﺨﺪم ﻣﻠﻒ ﺗﻌﺮﻳﻒ اﻻرﺗﺒﺎط‬

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