It is the aim of this paper to descrihe and discuss important aspects
oi multilingualism in Lebanon and its impact on education. In the first part a
review of existing research establishes a profile of urban multilingualism, which
is then supported by additional data, including elements of public discourse and
qualitative case studies. Communication in Lebanon is characterised by a
dominant spoken language, Lebanese Arabic, and great diversity in the private
and public uses of written Standard Arabic, English and French. The multilingual
diversity is also reflected in the education system, where Standard Arabic, French,
English, and German serve as languages of instruction. Quantitative data indicate
a shift from the preference of French towards English as a language of instruction.
With the help of a revised concept of diglossia, these findings are put into
perspective. There are a number of educational implications, of which the two
most prominent are explored in the second part of the paper. First, an analysis of
'voices from the language classroom', documented in 18 essays collected in
summer 1999, shows how Lebanese multilingualism affects student attitudes
towards reading and writing and their perception of their native language( s) and
culture. This leads to a return to the topic of diglossia and its consequences. I
discuss the issue of what I have come to call 'perceived semilingualism' and argue
that this may be a consequence of diglossia. Finally, l examine the impact of
the Lebanese version of biliteracy and diglossia on writing in education. The
paper concludes with a thesis on the main challenge multilingualism entails
for education in Lebanon.