BEIRUT: With its outdoor cafe culture, chic fashion sense, sophisticated night scene and ornate European architecture, Beirut still reflects the footprint left by the centuries of French influence that peaked during the 1920 to 1943 mandate era.

Formally the language of Racine and Voltaire remains second only to Arabic.

Most hotel employees who deal with the public speak French, and if you are seated in a nice restaurant in Downtown Beirut, the waitress is sure to take your order in French.

But digging just a little deeper reveals that – like elsewhere – French here is reeling from the onslaught of English – an onslaught made even more relentless over the past few decades by the dominance of American culture that flows over the borderless Internet.

While the Lebanese Culture Ministry’s website is in Arabic and French, the presidency’s is in Arabic and English, and so are most other official websites. Lebanon’s tourism websites offer information on the latest places to dine and the country’s must-see destinations in English, and social media websites, such as Facebook and Twitter, are anglophone in updating the Lebanese youth about the hottest nightlife spots in Beirut.

Examples of Beirut as the new Tower of Babel are as close as Gemmayzeh and Hamra, two of the capital’s most happening nightlife spots. There, a mix of English, French and Arabic floats from the tables at the bars, as 20-somethings – locals and foreigners – discuss a film they’ve seen, a party they’ve gone to, or just let off steam after a hard workday.

Outside, billboards selling fashion, technology and holidays abroad advertise predominantly in English, and even the late night movie on the local Beirut station has English subtitles. Some of the most popular eating spots are the Roadster Diner, Breakfast to Breakfast and Sammy’s HotDog.

“You can’t survive in Lebanon without English,” says Fadi Faddoul, a 25-year-old auditor. “You can survive without French, but not without English.”

Statistics repeat the narrative heard on the streets and bars of Beirut; French is rapidly losing ground to English.

Education Ministry figures show that in the 1999-2000 school year, 62.5 percent of all Lebanese schools offered French as a second language.

This number decreased to 55.8 percent in 2005-06.

During this period, the number of schools offering English increased from 19.7 percent to 21.6 percent. Schools offering both English and French also increased, from 17.8 percent to 22.6 percent.

Francophones are clearly on the defensive. Organizations such as the Institute Francais du Liban are working hard to maintain French as Lebanon’s main second language and to promote its use through a wide range of events and training projects.

For Elias Asmar, a 22-year-old student at the American University of Science and Technology, it’s a matter of adapting to the 21st century.

“Why do you need the French language?” asks Asmar. “Nothing is in French, everything is in English.”

But not only French is under threat; signs abound of an even greater squeeze on Arabic.

Older Lebanese complain that Arabic has been contaminated by English expressions, resulting at worst in a pidgin language that bears little resemblance to what they spoke as youths.

Most local banks inform clients about their interest rates, loan deals and student offers through advertising in bold English writing, with small Arabic print offered below.

Out of the 12 highest ranked universities in Lebanon, seven teach in English, three in French, and only two in Arabic.

Furthermore, while English or French are taught alongside Arabic during the early years of school, after primary education, English or French becomes the mandatory medium of instruction for math and science in all schools, with English predominating.

An organization called “Fe3el Amer” (Arabic for “imperative”) was formed in 2010, with the intention of promoting the use of the Arabic language throughout the country. The organization hopes to renew interest in Lebanon’s mother tongue through hosting cultural events oriented around Arabic, such as an annual language festival.

Such work on the part of Fe3el Amer is clearly needed, judging by the sentiments of young Arabs in the Lebanese capital.

“Generally in Beirut, you hear more English everywhere you go,” says Maddy Stokes, a 22-year-old American. “Only in Ashrafieh, Beirut’s Christian neighborhood, French is still dominant over English.”