An article in the Toronto Star notes what most of us already know: In Lebanon, French is taking the backseat to English as the “language of status”. But are the Lebanese ready to let go of the Language of Hugo?
French is the first language I ever studied. As a Lebanese living abroad, my parents made sure I studied in a Lycée. In fact, until I went to college, French was the language of my entire education. Yet, like many other Lebanese bloggers, I choose today to write in English and I can only think of one brave francophone Blogger who chose to ignore Shakespear’s assault.
Things have to be seen in perspective. In Lebanon, the concept of “foreign language” is not the same as in the rest of the world. As the article notes, many billboard, TV and Radio ads are made only in English in a country where the official language is Arabic. I often found it difficult to explain to foreign reporters why I wrote in English instead of Arabic, and why I don’t think that my blog is only for “elites”.
But is French really heading down? is Rambo really replacing Rimbauld as Mr. Christian Merville, an editorial writer at L’Orient Le Jour puts it?
Not if I have anything to do about it.
When I have kids, I know that I’m going to put them in a Lycée despite all what is being said about French losing its worldwide influence. I guess I’m not quite ready to let my kids miss out on Tintin and conjugaison.
I try to rationalize this seemingly sentimental behavior by saying that it’s always easier to learn English after Learning French than the other way around. Besides, have you ever heard Carrie Bradshaw try to speak French? That’s not what I want my kids to sound like!
35 comments for “Zut! Lebanon Is Dropping French For English”
What are the greatest universities in the Arab world?
Why should they not be places where the English and French clamour to send their children ?
Posted by Andrew The American | October 8, 2007, 1:33 pm
Steph, your story tells me your family’s and your own language choice is a personal matter. Most Lebanese privilege French out of fascination and infatuation with the culture, not for any functional purposes. One cannot say as much with regards to the rest of the francophone world, where the French language was mainly the result of the French colonial enterprise.
The ascendency of English today is part of a global trend; English the language of “success”, not a cultural choice per se. I don’t think the issue here is one of “dropping” one language for the other, or privileging one over the other. Lebanon is by its very definition a polyglot mishmash of cultures etc.., and French has been for centuries–possibly since the Crusades if you are to believe Selim Abou’s “Le Bilinguisme Arabe-Français au Liban”—Lebanon’s prestige language… So, if quantitatively French has ceased being the “dominant” language, qualitatively, I think, it remains untouched.
Posted by Snake the Jake | October 8, 2007, 2:00 pm
Mustapha,
In my own personal belief, a language determines the mode of our thinking, not the other way around. This is in direct contrast to what French philosophers, from Descartes onwards have believed until the recent years of Jacques Derrida. In Heidegger’s words “Language is the house of Being”.
Having said this, I reflect upon our Lebanese language, and the rest of the languages we accumulate throughout our lives. French gives you a certain outlook onto life, whereas Lebanese, English, Arabic, Korean, give you another.
In my opinion, you want your children to learn French, because you want them to share a language with you, and for you to pass on a part of yourself, of your thinking, to them. It is a very personal approach, and actually has nothing to do with language per se.
You should check out my website for an understanding of the Lebanese language, and its relation to the oldest language on these shores. I think that the root of our problems in Lebanon lies in language, in our use of our Lebanese language, and in our lack of its understanding.
Posted by Maroun Kassab | October 8, 2007, 2:27 pm
There is also Ibrahim Tyan blogging in French
http://lettresduliban.blogspot.com
and Marie-Josée Rizkallah
http://blog.libnanews.com/mariejosee/
and Aaradon
http://libanisme.typepad.fr/
Khawta is blogging in Arabic
http://khawwta.blogspot.com/
Soon, I will create my own blog in Arabic, French and English :)
Posted by kheireddine | October 8, 2007, 3:38 pm
I must remind that most of the newspapers in Lebanon are in Arabic. I remember that when I was in Lebanon, I was the only one at work out of 25 employees at work to read L’Orient-Le-Jour. In paradox, now that I live in Canada, I read more Arabic newspapers & listen to Arabic songs and music than I used to do when I was in Lebanon.
Posted by kheireddine | October 8, 2007, 3:57 pm
Beep, beep.
Paging Dr. Harfouche, paging Dr. Harfouche.
Posted by JoseyWales | October 8, 2007, 4:03 pm
Josey, where did he disappear? He said he was going to Lebanon but that was more than two month ago!
Posted by kheireddine | October 8, 2007, 4:13 pm
Maroun Kassab,
Did you formualte your whole commnent on a completely the french/english issue post by mustapha, just to impress on the rest of us that you view Lebanese as a non-arabic language? Pity every unpolitically biased linguistic expert on Earth disagrees with you. Wake up and join the rest of us in the Middle East. YOu speak arabic wether you like it or not, and like all other forms of arabic, it is heavily influenced by the preceding languages in the area, hence the northern african version of arabic has alot of berber, our version of arabic has a lot of aramaic, the egyptian version of arabic is heavily influenced by coptic. If you think you still speak “aramaic” I suggest you watch “passion of christ” and see if you understand anything.
Posted by Arabic speaking Lebanese | October 8, 2007, 5:19 pm
I was walking down the street the other day, and there was a little kid walking behind me and counting to himself. He went: “un, deux, trois, arab9a, khamse, sitte, sept, huit, tis9a…” It was cute.
Less anecdotally, I’ve always found the centuries-old French belief that there is a connection between French culture and the French language interesting. The argument is: if you can talk like us, you’ll think like us. I expect that it’s probably shared by more than a few liberal-minded people worldwide, and that is the reason the French language will be slow to fade away entirely.
Posted by David Kenner | October 8, 2007, 5:59 pm
Arabic speaker, please feel free to call your language whatever the hell you wish. If Maroun calls it Lebanese, then that’s his prerogative, isn’t it!?
And don’t you be deploying your silly “linguistic” threats and arguments about so-called linguists calling “Lebanese” this, and that, and the other thing. Those same linguists also call French a “dialect of Latin”! Silly pompous linguistic verbiage changes nothing to the fact that the “French dialect of Latin” remains French through and through to those who speak it. I have yet to meet a silly frenchman running around parading himself as a “latin speaking Frenchman”.
Now, if labeling Lebanese “Arabic” does something to your Arab national erection, then power to ya, brother, call it whatever you want, but don’t call me late for dinner.
btw, WHAT on God’s earth are “unpolitically biased linguistic expert[s]“? WTF, man?
Noam Chomsky is an “unpolitically biased linguistic expert”? Hell, I don’t know if there are any more POLITICAL linguists than the Chum! You have to have done a couple of rounds of crystal meth and dropped quite a bit of acid to think linguists are apolitical! Either that, or you don’t know wtf you’re talking about.
For the rest, and if indeed you KNOW wtf you are talking about, tell me what is APOLITICAL about Developmental linguistics, Diachronic or Historical linguistics, Evolutionary linguistics, psycholinguistics, or Sociolinguistics, which in fact goes to the core of the canard you’re advancing about being an “Arabic speaking Lebanese.”
Arabic speaking dude, in case it escapes you, all aspects of society, including cultural norms, ethnicity, cultural references and expectations, religion, gender, and various contexts in which language is used, ALL affect and transform language. So, if Maroun claims that he speaks Lebanese, NOT Arabic, then I bet you EVERY “unpolitically biased linguistic expert on Earth” will feel compelled to agree with him. Of course, ideologically “innocent” rabid arab nationalists like you, hiding behind shoddy “linguistic expertise”, won’t! But the whole world already knows that about your possessive thuggish and negationist culture.
Whether you like it or not, Arabic speaking little man, linguistics overlaps considerably with politics and ideology. Wasn’t it George Bernard Shaw who said “a language is a ‘dialect’ with an army and a navy behind it”? Wasn’t it Sati3 Husri who said “Anyone related to anyone who speaks arabic is an arab, whether he likes it or not”???
Hell, you and your Arabs have all the armies and the navies you want to suppress Middle Eastern cultures and civilizations who do not conform to your blinkered world view. And now, you seem to have recruited shoddy linguistics to help “intellectualize” your silly arguments and your spent ideology.
Mabrouk khalo!
Posted by Snake the Jake | October 8, 2007, 9:38 pm
I concur with your opinion, ‘Arabic speaking Lebanese’
Posted by kheireddine | October 8, 2007, 10:54 pm
I suggest you watch “passion of christ” and see if you understand anything.
I watched it a while ago and I understood a couple words.
Then again, when I listen to someone speaking Arabic who’s not from Lebanon/Syria/Palestine, I only understand a couple words.
But maybe my personal experiences should take a back seat to your unpolitical experts.
Posted by whywesteppin | October 8, 2007, 11:04 pm
If the french language `aficionados´ congratulate themselves of mastering the complex French grammar with all its hanging C `cedille´, the `circonflexe´, the `trémat´, the aigu and the grave.
Today´s french intellectuals are introducing l`anglicism´in their vocabulary. You notice it even when french news anchors are reading the headlines. Moreover, internet,cell phones,Ipods etc; have created a new Jargon exclusively english. The tech world is predominantly affecting all other languages. I always asked myself if the US was french speaking would it have succeded in creating a fast moving technological infrastructure or would it have been slower. Imagine now if the US was arab speaking, technology would have taken another 100 years to appear, only for the simple reason (and also the reason why arabs are still struggeling)that the language we speak greatly differs from the language we write.
Posted by Dory | October 8, 2007, 11:27 pm
I agree with you, Dory. English is a more practical language than French and Arabic. However, it is not the languange of the heart; I don’t want to see the whole the world speaking English as a first language. French has its flavor, as well as Arabic whith its numerous spoken varieties.
Posted by kheireddine | October 8, 2007, 11:35 pm
Why not have a balance between the two? I mean the ‘three’ languages. You can start by blogging in the languages you speak, if you can’t change what’s happening in your country about French and English.
Posted by Lalla Mira | October 8, 2007, 11:58 pm
I would like to point out that a lot of Lebanese don’t master French and/or English enough and need to switch back to Arabic to finish their sentence. I can assure you that most of the North African immigrant in Quebec speak a better French than most of the Lebanese.
By the way, nice blog Lala Mira ;)
Posted by kheireddine | October 9, 2007, 12:34 am
If God, by its purest form of bilinguilism (hebrew and arabic) succeeded in enslaving the whole populace’ and submit to its power and glory, why the hell do we human have to be any different?
Posted by dory | October 9, 2007, 12:37 am
Kheiruddine, you’re “concurring” with shoddy views and usubstantiated claims, and you are hoping against hope! You are to be commended on your convictions, and I respect you if only for that; your convictions… faulty as your premise and that of the Arabic speaking Lebanese is.
This sentimentalism and idealized image of the noble savage, the idea that this noble, Arab, savage and his language are essentially good, essentially untainted, and essentially perfect and complete, is not only unrealistic and fault, it is also condescending and patronizing of others, non-Arabs in the “universe” of Arabs, who do not belong in your blanket reductionist labels. Indeed Kheiruddine, your noble Arabs and their language have indeed been he’s an ignoble, irrational, brutal, paranoid, repressive, bull-headed and bullying, bereft of objectivity and unable of critical thinking, unwilling to recognize the legitimacy of others and allow for the interests of others. War, massacres, conquest, repression, inhumanity, and yes GENOCIDE, ALL HAVE BEEN COMMITTED by Arabs and in the name of Arabs and the Arabic language. It is time you fine folk recognized that.
Posted by Snake the Jake | October 9, 2007, 12:50 am
What are you talking about, Snake the Jake & who talked to you? I don’t care about your comments that is why I did not respond to your ranting.
Posted by kheireddine | October 9, 2007, 1:47 am
As a foreigner to Lebanon, it has always seemed that the French is more preferred (though not always properly spoken) by Christians while the Muslims would lean towards English. A simple illustration would be the welcoming signs in little villages: “Bienvenu a/Merci pour votre visite” versus “Welcome to/Thank you for your visit”. Choice of language in these cases would seem to be along political/religious lines.
However, well educated Muslims, for whatever reason, also tend to prefer French. See Sandra Mackay’s book “Lebanon: A House Divided” where she notes that Muslims in higher social classes send their kids to French schools and speak French possibly better than the French themselves.
What is a pity IMHO is when the love of foreign languages would hurt the knowledge of Arabic. Many times, I’ve been to social events where people wouldn’t know the Arabic word but would know the English/French word without a problem. “Shoe lace” was one of the words no one knew in Arabic during such an occasion. And they were all well-educated, mid to higher social class Lebanese.
It wouldn’t be my position to tell the Lebanese living in Lebanon that they should know their own language, but I can’t help but feeling sad for those who don’t. So, Mustapha, I can only hope you not only teach your children French, but Arabic as well.
Posted by Riemer Brouwer | October 9, 2007, 5:49 am
You have to have done a couple of rounds of crystal meth and dropped quite a bit of acid to think linguists are apolitical! lol tis realy funny. It sound like you have done more than couple rounds your self snake the jake :)
Posted by zane | October 9, 2007, 6:16 am
Riemer Brouwer, Muslim upper classes send their children to ”French” schools because them, their parents and grand parents went to those schools. French education is not the monopoly of a certain community and I agree with you that we should not forget our mother tongue: Arabic.
Posted by kheireddine | October 9, 2007, 6:32 am
Riemer:
Shoelaces in Arabic:
In the North we say: “Shuwwayytaat”
In the rest of Lebanon: “Shreet Sibbaat”
I hope that was useful ;)
Posted by beirutspring | October 9, 2007, 7:35 am
mustapha,
Tintin is published in English and Arabic too, so don’t worry about your children missing out :)
Posted by Lalebanessa | October 9, 2007, 7:49 am
Hola!
What do you think about Tokio Hotel? >:)
Posted by CandyShopGirl | October 9, 2007, 8:14 am
Hello Moustafa
sorry for the delay in commenting back ;)
i was a little bit out from blogging lately.
It is true that french is having a huge retreat in term of audience. However, I believe that this decrease is compensated by the quality of the readers and of the few blogs Kheireddine gave as links.
This decrease is not only concerning the blogs but as well the governemental’s websites. We look to Egypt that is belonging as well to the francophonie organisation. They have governemental versions web sites in french. This is not the case in lebanon and when it is the case like for the tourism ministry, it is really a shame with all the mistake they do when they write.
In the beginning of my blog, I was both using english and french. However, I choosed to continue in french only as I was feeling with my english university education to loose my french. I was trying then to make an english version of frencheagle, but i cancelled it as I did not find the time and moreover, the pleasure to write. french has a sort of poetry we do not find in another langage.
Now I ll write something on my blog, it is time to go on after on week of interruption:)
Best regards and see you on the blogsphere :)
Posted by frenchy | October 9, 2007, 9:32 am
How Sad!!
I refuse to acknowledge that speaking english in Lebanon is a sign of status. Au Contraire! Beyrouth’s social elite have always spoken in French, and regardless of the American media, I doubt very much how the Lebanese perceive english.
As a blogger myself, I do write in English, and ashamed of it.
Mustapha I fully agree with you!! I refuse to let my Children have a broken english accent when they speak french.
Frenchy, you set the example for Lebanese bloggers. Please do not stop, we loose sort of half of ourselves and “part” of Lebanon’s identity.
Posted by Jester | October 9, 2007, 1:01 pm
As usual, an innocuous post, dealing with the ostensibly innocent issue of language choice in Lebanon, generates a jaundiced debate around Lebanon’s identity.
I am shocked (but perhaps shouldn’t be surprised) by my old buddy Kheir’s adamant refusal of some balance of perspective. But I am also heartened by the depth and discernment of some of the commentators defending Lebanon’s distinctness.
Mustapha, perhaps you’ll care to know that after a short visit to Lebanon this past summer, I had decided to zone out on Lebanon and on blogging. Your always provocative commentary and sourcing have perhaps tempered that decision; at least for the time being…
Posted by Louis-Noel Harfouche | October 10, 2007, 1:15 am
Welcome back, LNH, I missed you, I really did. We might disagree and we might not change our minds, however it is good to talk as everything we are discussing today was somewhat taboo in the past…as long as we are civil to each other.
cheers
Posted by kheireddine | October 10, 2007, 5:49 am
“English is a more practical language than French and Arabic. However, it is not the languange of the heart;”
English is certainly practical, but it is also the language of the heart. If the English can be proud of anything, it is their poetry and literature.
But French is a beautiful language and it would be best if possible to know both. Perhaps it is not as practical as English, but the French too can be proud of their poetry and literature. And they had better painters.
I don’t know any Arabic but I wish I did.
Posted by Don Cox | October 10, 2007, 6:05 pm
Hello jester.
It is not that i ll stop, i ll go on.
But sometimes we are feeling to be useless to repeat the same things.
Posted by frenchy | October 11, 2007, 11:08 am
[...] I do love French, but I think that’s one lame argument to promote a dying language [...]
Posted by Is The French Language More Peaceful Than English? | The Beirut Spring, a Lebanese Blog | April 17, 2008, 1:08 pm
I am from Haiti. My wife is Lebanese. In Haiti our mother tongue is creole. The language we learned in school is French. In today’s world the language of business is English. In Haiti 5% of our population are french speaking arabs (Mostly lebanese and Syrians). I just think it would better for my country to switch to English too. USA is only 1 hour by plane for 150 dollars rountrip. lol
Posted by Richard De Jacmel | August 8, 2008, 12:43 pm
Hello Everyone
Just want to ask where they are giving french courses or teaching french in beirut other then the CCF?
plz let reply
Posted by Sarah | September 27, 2008, 3:13 pm
You think that French’s status is going downhill?
It is not that it is going down hill. It just that France has no more colonies or slaves in Lebanon,Syria,Vietnam,Carribbean.
The countries of Lebanon and Syria were whipped into shape by the French and made inferior through colonialmism. Even after the outright abuse and disrespect the Lebanese have received historically , I still find it baffling that the Lebanese are so eager to keep French alive. I mean when was the last time you saw France even encouraging people to learn languages like Arabic? The French were in Lebanon for a mere 25 years, not long enough to implement a complete culture change. One shouldn’t put so much value on the people who were once their masters.
Posted by Anonymous | February 17, 2009, 8:51 am
http://beirutspring.com/blog/2007/10/08/zut-lebanon-is-dropping-french-for-english