Once the language of choice in Lebanon, French is rapidly being overtaken by English in a tiny country considered to be a bastion of Francophonie in the Arab world.
"French has taken a back seat to English in terms of communication, spoken or written, even though Lebanon remains Francophone culturally speaking," said Georges Dorlian, a professor of French literature at Balamand University in northern Lebanon.
He said that while traditionally Lebanese grew up learning Arabic, French and English, the language of Shakespeare has an increasing appeal to new generations.
"For several years now, Anglophone universities have become more attractive and even students from French schools look toward institutions such as the American University of Beirut or Lebanese American University," Dorlian said.
"For these students and their parents, English represents the future and easier access to the workplace," he said.
While most schools in Lebanon still teach French as a second language, the number of students learning it has fallen by nearly 10 percent over the past decade, according to the education ministry.
"French schools mistakenly marginalised English in the past and the results were catastrophic," Dorlian said.
"Today, there are a lot of new English-language schools and many schools that follow the French programme are opening English departments."
Denis Gaillard, the head of the cultural section at the French embassy in Beirut, admitted that it was becoming more of a challenge to promote the language of Moliere in a region where English is omnipresent.
"Fewer and fewer Lebanese are solely Francophone today," Gaillard said. "English is paramount in the media, advertising, music and cinema industries as well as on the Internet whereas French is regressing in those areas."
The situation is such that two Francophone Lebanese television stations were forced to pull the plug some 10 years ago because of dwindling audiences.
Although there are no official statistics, it is estimated that in Lebanon, which was under French mandate until 1943, around 38 percent of the four million inhabitants speak French a little or fairly well while about a fifth are trilingual.
But despite the French language taking a battering, many Lebanese believe it will maintain its presence in the Mediterranean country.
"The demand for French remains strong," said Olivier Garro, head of the Beirut-based Agence Universitaire de la Francophonie (AUF). "In the Gulf region, speaking French has become an advantage.
"Someone who speaks three languages is sure to be chosen for a job over someone that doesn't," he added.
Anna Abu Jaoude, 19, said she was taking courses at the French Cultural Center in Beirut to gain an edge in the labour market.
"There is no question that English is easier to learn and offers more opportunities, but French is a plus," she said.
Dorlian insisted that no one should sound the death knell of the French language in Lebanon, which on Friday hosts the head of the Francophonie organisation that clubs together French-speaking countries.
March 20 is also the International Day of Francophonie.
"French will not disappear because it is part of our culture," he said. "We still publish quite a bit of literature in French and our judicial system is largely inspired by the French system."
Blair blasts Britons over Iraq war