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WEEKLY NEWSLETTER
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Lebanon
Index
Armenian is an Indo-European language, distantly related to
English, although a large part of its vocabulary is derived from
Arabic and Turkish. When the Armenians were converted to
Christianity in the fifth century, they acquired an alphabet based
on Greek and developed a classical literature, which differed
considerably from modern Armenian. Modern Armenian literature
flourishes today in Soviet Armenia and to a lesser degree in
Lebanon, where a printing and publishing industry is active.
Armenians are strongly attached to their language, which is
important as a means of maintaining their identity.
Assyrian, a Semitic language, is a modern spoken form of
ancient Syriac, a dialect of Aramaic. The Assyrians increasingly
use Arabic as their spoken language, but Syriac continues to be
used for religious purposes.
French and English are the most widely used Western languages.
Although French is not an official language, almost all government
publications appear in French as well as in Arabic. Since World War
II United States influence, and consequently the importance of
English, has increased. Some Lebanese authors choose to write in
French or English, and fluency in these languages generally marks
the educated man and woman. The Lebanese dialect, particularly in
Beirut, has acquired some French words. Arabic literary style,
especially in poetry, has also been influenced by the style of
Western languages.
Data as of December 1987
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