Everything about Lebanese Arabic totally explained
Lebanese or
Lebanese Arabic is the colloquial form of
Arabic spoken in
Lebanon.
Classification
Lebanese Arabic is one of the
Levantine varieties of
Arabic. Some local
Maronites consider Lebanese Arabic a separate language, as do the radical right-wing
Guardians of the Cedars group. However, if Lebanese Arabic is considered a language in its own right, then other dialects such as
Egyptian Arabic,
Palestinian Arabic and
Iraqi Arabic, and especially
Moroccan Arabic must also be considered separate languages. In fact,
all Arabic dialects differ quite significantly from
Standard Arabic and many are mutually unintelligible.
Changes from Classical Arabic
Lebanese Arabic shares many featural similarities with other modern dialects of Arabic. Syntax has become simpler, losing both mood and case markings. Also, verbal agreement regarding number and gender is required for all subjects, whether already mentioned or not. Also, plural inanimate nouns are treated as feminine. Classical Arabic on the other hand requires the singular for newly introduced subjects. For example, the expression "the mites have eaten me" is rendered
akalatni al-barağītu ("it-ate-me the-mites") in literary Arabic, and
aklūnē l-breğīt ("the-mites they-ate-me") in Lebanese. French also had a great influence on Lebanese Arabic, as the educated class tend to mix
French during conversation as with most former French colonies.
Lebanese Arabic vocabulary and phonology (as in other modern-day dialects) differ from Classical Arabic.
Examples:
- In Arabic, "look inside" is translated as /ʊnðˤʊr fɪdːaːχɪl/, or in the feminine, /ʊnðˤʊri fɪdːaːχɪl/. However In Lebanese Arabic, as in Syrian and Palestinian, it becomes /ʃuːf ʒʊwːɛ/, or in the female command form, /ʃuːfi ʒʊwːɛ/.
- The following example demonstrates two differences between Standard Arabic and Spoken Lebanese: Coffee (قهوة), pronounced /qahwa/ in Standard Arabic, is pronounced /ʔahwe/ in Lebanese Arabic. The letter Qaaf isn't pronounced, and the letter taa marbuta becomes a softer /e/ sound.
- As a general rule of thumb, the Qaaf is dropped from the words in which it appears, and is replaced instead with the hamza or glottal stop: for example /daqiːqa/ (minute) becomes /daʔiːʔa/.
- The Exception for this general rule is the Druze of Lebanon who like the Druze of Syria and Israel have retained the letter Qaaf in the centre of direct neighbours who have substituted the Qaaf for the Aaf (example: "Heart" is /qalb/ in Arabic, becomes /ʔaleb/ in Syrian, Lebanese, and Palestinian.
- Unlike most other Arabic dialects, Lebanese has retained the classical diphthongs /aɪ/ and /aʊ/, which were monophthongised into /e/ and /o/ elsewhere. This has changed over time, and today the /e/ has replaced the /ai/, /a/ and /i/ in everyday conversation, and the /o/ has replaced the /au/ and /u/. In singing, the /au/ and /ai/ are maintained for artistic values.
The divergence of vocabulary has been driven by small borrowings from other languages, such as
Aramaic,
Greek,
French, and
Turkish.
Spelling reform
Lebanese Arabic is rarely written, except in novels where a dialect is implied or in some types of poetry that don't use classical Arabic at all. Formal publications in Lebanon, such as newspapers, are typically written in standard classical Arabic. Like Chinese, Arabic uses a single literary language (
Fuṣ′ḥá) for writing. While Arabic script is usually employed, informal usage such as
online chat may mix-and-match Latin letter
transliterations. Saïd Akl proposed the use of the Latin alphabet but this didn't gain wide acceptance. Whereas some works, such as
Romeo and Juliet and
Plato's Dialogues have been transliterated using such systems, they've not gained widespread acceptance.
Further Information
Get more info on 'Lebanese Arabic'.
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