Campaign to save the Arabic language in Lebanon
SOURCE: BBC (6-16-10)
...Campaign to save the Arabic language in Lebanon.
Most Lebanese speak French - a legacy of France's colonial rule - and the younger generation gravitates towards English.
A growing number of parents send their children to French lycees or British and American curriculum schools, hoping this will one day help them find work and secure a better future.
Even with Arabic, there is a big difference between the classical, written form of the language and the colloquial spoken Lebanese dialect.
The classical language is almost never used in conversation - it's only heard on the news, in official speeches, and some television programmes.
As a result, many young Lebanese struggle with basic Arabic reading and writing skills, and it is not uncommon for students as old as 16 or 17 to speak only broken Arabic....
Most Lebanese speak French - a legacy of France's colonial rule - and the younger generation gravitates towards English.
A growing number of parents send their children to French lycees or British and American curriculum schools, hoping this will one day help them find work and secure a better future.
Even with Arabic, there is a big difference between the classical, written form of the language and the colloquial spoken Lebanese dialect.
The classical language is almost never used in conversation - it's only heard on the news, in official speeches, and some television programmes.
As a result, many young Lebanese struggle with basic Arabic reading and writing skills, and it is not uncommon for students as old as 16 or 17 to speak only broken Arabic....
Source:
BBC
Source URL:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/world/middle_east/10316914.stm
Date:
6-16-10
