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Lebanese or '''Lebanese Arabic''' is the spoken language of modern-day , and possibly Phoenician , as well as more recently introduced Turkish and (to a lesser extent) French vocabulary. It is the daily vernacular of the Lebanese, and is widely used in speech in government affairs and administration, although Literary Arabic is the official written language of government and administration as mandated by the constitution. Lebanese Arabic, like other Levantine Arabic languages, differs from literary Arabic in vocabulary, syntax and phonology. For example:
In addition, like all modern Arabic dialects, its grammar has been substantially simplified, losing case and mood marking. Like all modern Arabic dialects, Lebanese has verbal agreement in number as well as person with subjects, whether previously mentioned or not, whereas literary Arabic requires the singular for those not previously mentioned and in the modern language systematically treats plural inanimate nouns as feminine singular. For example, the expression "the mites have eaten me" is rendered "akalatni al-barağītu" ("the-mites it-ate-me") in literary Arabic, and "aklūnē l-Breğīt" ("the-mites they-ate-me") in Lebanese. The issue of the Lebanese language is a contentious point in Lebanon as many among the local Maronite communities consider it a separate and distinct language, while others prefer to view it as dialect of Arabic. In addition, the identification of Lebanese as a language is pushed for by the radical right-wing group Guardians Of The Cedars . This again reflects the confessionally divided nature of the Lebanese self-image. "Lebanese" is rarely written as it is a colloquial language. Printed works in Lebanese Arabic (folk poetry and song lyrics, for example) typically use Arabic letters, while Latin letters are commonly used in online chat, as with other Arab dialects. Attempts to replace the Arabic Alphabet (alphabet set) with a customised Latin alphabet for use in transcribing Lebanese were introduced in previous years by a few Lebanese intellectuals, proposed by the poet Saïd Akl. Some works, including translations of ''Romeo and Juliet'' and ''Plato's Dialogues'', have been published in Lebanese using a Latin-based writing system; however, this again played on confessional sensibilities and the substitution project has not caught on or gained any widespread acceptance. EXTERNAL LINKS BOOKS
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