What is the status of the French language in Lebanon?
French has been taught in Lebanon since the early 19th century with the arrival of religious missions from France that founded schools all over Mount Lebanon. During the period of the French mandate, which began in 1920 and ended in 43, the teaching of French became general. The Lebanese spoke French among themselves and gave their children French names. The Constitution of 1923, based on the French Constitution, stipulated that French and Arabic were the two official languages of the country. The new Constitution written in 1943 claims that the official language is Arabic and that the status of French would be examined later, which never happened, but nevertheless the French language is doing quite well. 72% of the students today learn French as their second language. To paraphrase a paper of Oct. 29, 2002: The success of the ?cole Sup?rieure des Affaires (ESA) proves that French can also be a business language. French also remains the first foreign language in school. Plus, Lebanon h
