{"id":767741,"date":"2025-12-21T03:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-12-21T03:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.beirut.com\/?p=767741"},"modified":"2025-12-18T12:40:47","modified_gmt":"2025-12-18T12:40:47","slug":"this-lebanese-poet-is-the-real-reason-we-text-in-arabic-using-latin-letters","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beirut.com\/en\/767741\/this-lebanese-poet-is-the-real-reason-we-text-in-arabic-using-latin-letters\/","title":{"rendered":"This Lebanese Poet Is the Real Reason We Text in Arabic Using Latin Letters"},"content":{"rendered":"    <button class=\"sideconvo-button button-compact\">         <svg         xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\"         width=\"64\"         height=\"64\"         viewBox=\"0 0 64 64\"         fill=\"none\">         <g clip-path=\"url(#clip0_5407_120)\">             <mask                 id=\"mask0_5407_120\"                 style=\"mask-type:luminance\"                 maskUnits=\"userSpaceOnUse\"                 x=\"0\"                 y=\"0\"                 width=\"64\"                 height=\"64\">                 <path d=\"M64 0H0V64H64V0Z\" fill=\"white\"><\/path>             <\/mask>             <g mask=\"url(#mask0_5407_120)\">                 <path                     d=\"M38.4702 26.64L38.5252 26.775C40.3652 31.435 44.0902 35.165 48.7502 37L48.8852 37.055L48.7502 37.11C44.0902 38.95 40.3602 42.675 38.5252 47.335L38.4702 47.47L38.4152 47.335C36.5752 42.675 32.8502 38.945 28.1902 37.11L28.0552 37.055L28.1902 37C32.8502 35.16 36.5802 31.435 38.4152 26.775L38.4702 26.64ZM38.4702 14.815C38.0702 14.815 37.6702 15.035 37.5002 15.475L33.7702 24.935C32.4352 28.325 29.7502 31.01 26.3602 32.345L16.9002 36.075C16.0202 36.425 16.0202 37.67 16.9002 38.02L26.3602 41.75C29.7502 43.085 32.4352 45.77 33.7702 49.16L37.5002 58.62C37.6752 59.06 38.0752 59.28 38.4702 59.28C38.8652 59.28 39.2702 59.06 39.4402 58.62L43.1702 49.16C44.5052 45.77 47.1902 43.085 50.5802 41.75L60.0402 38.02C60.9202 37.67 60.9202 36.425 60.0402 36.075L50.5802 32.345C47.1902 31.01 44.5052 28.325 43.1702 24.935L39.4402 15.475C39.2652 15.035 38.8652 14.815 38.4702 14.815ZM14.4702 29.125L11.9802 24.57C11.9452 24.505 11.8902 24.45 11.8202 24.41L7.26516 21.92C6.62516 21.57 6.62516 20.655 7.26516 20.305L11.8202 17.815C11.8852 17.78 11.9402 17.725 11.9752 17.66L14.4652 13.105C14.8152 12.465 15.7302 12.465 16.0802 13.105L18.5702 17.66C18.6052 17.725 18.6602 17.78 18.7302 17.82L23.2852 20.31C23.9252 20.66 23.9252 21.575 23.2852 21.925L18.7302 24.415C18.6652 24.45 18.6102 24.505 18.5752 24.57L16.0852 29.125C15.7352 29.765 14.8202 29.765 14.4702 29.125Z\"                     fill=\"#fff\"><\/path>                 <path                     d=\"M38.4702 26.64L38.5252 26.775C40.3652 31.435 44.0902 35.165 48.7502 37L48.8852 37.055L48.7502 37.11C44.0902 38.95 40.3602 42.675 38.5252 47.335L38.4702 47.47L38.4152 47.335C36.5752 42.675 32.8502 38.945 28.1902 37.11L28.0552 37.055L28.1902 37C32.8502 35.16 36.5802 31.435 38.4152 26.775L38.4702 26.64Z\"                     fill=\"#fff\"><\/path>                 <path                     d=\"M32 10.7351C33.6569 10.7351 35 9.39196 35 7.73511C35 6.07825 33.6569 4.73511 32 4.73511C30.3431 4.73511 29 6.07825 29 7.73511C29 9.39196 30.3431 10.7351 32 10.7351Z\"                     fill=\"#fff\"><\/path>             <\/g>         <\/g>         <defs>             <clipPath id=\"clip0_5407_120\">                 <rect width=\"64\" height=\"64\" fill=\"white\"><\/rect>             <\/clipPath>         <\/defs>     <\/svg>        <span class=\"sideconvo_button\"  data-sideconvo-message=\"Can you recommend Lebanese authors?\" data-sideconvo-mode=\"CHAT\" data-sideconvo-customCTATitle=\"More remarkable Lebanese authors \ud83d\udcda\" data-sideconvo-customCTAPlacement=\"TITLE_TAG\">             More remarkable Lebanese authors \ud83d\udcda        <\/span>         <div class=\"hoverEffect\">             <div><\/div>         <\/div>     <\/button>     <style>      <\/style>    <p>We&#8217;ve all questioned our chat keyboard at some point because why is Lebanon the only Arab country to text Arabic with Latin letters instead of just using al abjadiyah like everyone else?<\/p>    <p><\/p>    <p>And yes, this is a case of Phoenicianism that aimed to differentiate Lebanese cultural identity from the Arab world. And we all have Lebanese poet, writer, and philosopher <a href=\"https:\/\/www.beirut.com\/en\/directory\/said-akl\/?utm_source=chatgpt.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Said Akl<\/a> to thank. <\/p>    <p><\/p>    <figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"635\" height=\"810\" src=\"https:\/\/www.beirut.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Said_Akl.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-767754\" style=\"aspect-ratio:0.7839554205677853;width:370px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.beirut.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Said_Akl.jpg 635w, https:\/\/www.beirut.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Said_Akl-470x600.jpg 470w, https:\/\/www.beirut.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Said_Akl-196x250.jpg 196w, https:\/\/www.beirut.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Said_Akl-600x765.jpg 600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 635px) 100vw, 635px\" \/><\/figure>    <div style=\"height:40px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>    <h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-vivid-purple-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-78db53cbdcb87f7d4d81a78ed0a67f67\" id=\"h-who-is-said-akl\">Who is Said Akl?<\/h2>    <p>Said Akl (1911\u20132014) was one of Lebanon\u2019s most influential literary figures. A poet, playwright, philosopher, and cultural icon who was known for his sharp wit and bold ideas, Akl spent decades shaping Lebanon\u2019s modern literary scene, writing poetry, plays, and song lyrics that are still celebrated today.<\/p>    <p><\/p>    <p>Some of his most iconic pieces turned into pan-Arab anthems, including <em>Zahrat Al-Mada&#8217;en<\/em> and <em>Ruddani ila biladi<\/em>, sung by Fairuz and composed by the Rahbani brothers.<\/p>    <p><\/p>    <div class=\"youtube\" data-embed=\"G7HppG3P7Es&#038;list=RDG7HppG3P7Es&#038;start_radio=1\">   <div class=\"play-button\"><\/div>  <\/div>    <div style=\"height:40px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>    <h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-vivid-purple-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-b0014fd62f4098e9ddc43b91d03a02e8\" id=\"h-the-story-behind-arabizi\">The Story Behind &#8220;Arabizi&#8221;<\/h2>    <p>Akl was a passionate advocate for Lebanese identity, nationalism, and the idea that Lebanon\u2019s spoken language deserved recognition as something distinct from Standard Arabic. He wanted to develop a unique Lebanese literary voice that reflected Lebanon&#8217;s Phoenician roots. Who was going to tell him that dialects are a thing in ALL countries that speak a common language?<\/p>    <p><\/p>    <figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" src=\"https:\/\/www.beirut.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/SaidAkl-1024x576.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-767766\" style=\"width:919px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.beirut.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/SaidAkl-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.beirut.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/SaidAkl-600x338.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.beirut.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/SaidAkl-250x141.jpg 250w, https:\/\/www.beirut.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/SaidAkl-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.beirut.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/SaidAkl-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.beirut.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/SaidAkl.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>    <p><em><sup>Photo retrieved from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.newarab.com\/analysis\/phoenician-poet-said-akl-dies-aged-102\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">The New Arab<\/a>.<\/sup><\/em><\/p>    <p><\/p>    <p>Instead of seeing Lebanese Arabic as one of many global dialects, Akl treated it like a separate language that needed its own alphabet. The use of a Latin-based alphabet was referred to as &#8220;Arabizi&#8221;, or more commonly today, <em>loghat Said Akl<\/em> (which translates to Said Akl&#8217;s language).<\/p>    <p><\/p>    <figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"968\" height=\"866\" src=\"https:\/\/www.beirut.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/arabizi.CoaGZ1CX_2jzQVd.webp\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-767757\" style=\"width:554px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.beirut.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/arabizi.CoaGZ1CX_2jzQVd.webp 968w, https:\/\/www.beirut.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/arabizi.CoaGZ1CX_2jzQVd-600x537.webp 600w, https:\/\/www.beirut.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/arabizi.CoaGZ1CX_2jzQVd-250x224.webp 250w, https:\/\/www.beirut.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/arabizi.CoaGZ1CX_2jzQVd-768x687.webp 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 968px) 100vw, 968px\" \/><\/figure>    <p><\/p>    <p>Though controversial back then, the Latin-based chat alphabet has fully taken hold. Today, Lebanese people rarely use Standard Arabic when texting, and younger generations are often surprised to learn that most other Arab countries still stick to the traditional script.<\/p>    <p><\/p>    <p>While it hasn\u2019t erased Arabic literacy, it has shifted the way many Lebanese interact with the language. Frequent use of Latin letters can make Standard Arabic spelling and grammar feel trickier, and younger generations often find writing in formal Arabic less intuitive.<\/p>    <div style=\"height:40px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>    <h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-vivid-purple-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-0bdeb3c88d5e178f2e0e6fd834799d6c\" id=\"h-how-was-it-implemented\">How Was It Implemented?<\/h2>    <p>Said Akl never officially implemented his Latin-based Lebanese alphabet. It was never adopted by schools or the government. What made it stick was his position as a prominent literary and cultural figure. Through his poetry, essays, and public advocacy, he showed that Lebanese Arabic could be written in a distinct script tied to national identity.<\/p>    <p><\/p>    <p>He promoted it in several ways:<\/p>    <p><\/p>    <p><strong>Publishing:<\/strong> He used the Latin-based alphabet in his poems, essays, and articles. He demonstrated that Lebanese Arabic could be written in a distinct script.<\/p>    <p><\/p>    <figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"464\" height=\"215\" src=\"https:\/\/www.beirut.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Yara-said-akl.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-767763\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.beirut.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Yara-said-akl.jpg 464w, https:\/\/www.beirut.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Yara-said-akl-250x116.jpg 250w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 464px) 100vw, 464px\" \/><\/figure>    <p><\/p>    <p><strong>Cultural advocacy:<\/strong> Through lectures, debates, and public appearances, he linked the alphabet to Lebanese identity and national pride.<\/p>    <p><\/p>    <p><strong>Media exposure:<\/strong> His ideas appeared in newspapers and literary circles, inspiring writers and intellectuals to experiment with the new script.<\/p>    <p><\/p>    <figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"325\" height=\"305\" src=\"https:\/\/www.beirut.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Lebnaan_Newspaper_issue_686.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-767760\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.beirut.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Lebnaan_Newspaper_issue_686.jpg 325w, https:\/\/www.beirut.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Lebnaan_Newspaper_issue_686-250x235.jpg 250w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 325px) 100vw, 325px\" \/><\/figure>    <p><\/p>    <p><strong>Social influence:<\/strong> Ordinary Lebanese gradually picked up the habit of writing in Latin letters, especially in informal contexts, laying the groundwork for today\u2019s \u201cchat alphabet.\u201d<\/p>    <p><\/p>    <p>His ideas trickled into intellectual circles, media, and everyday life, encouraging writers and ordinary Lebanese to experiment with Latin letters. Over time, this cultural influence helped shape the playful \u201cchat alphabet\u201d many Lebanese use online today.<\/p>    <p><\/p>    <p>In short, it wasn\u2019t policy or legislation. Akl might just be the very first successful Lebanese &#8220;influencer&#8221; who didn&#8217;t get cancelled for wanting to Latinize our text.<\/p>    <div style=\"height:40px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>    <h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-vivid-purple-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-5ef3a55dd9c80bb85ea51a9dcc535870\" id=\"h-phoenicianism-today\">Phoenicianism Today<\/h2>    <p>However, this doesn&#8217;t mean we&#8217;ve heard the last of Akl&#8217;s Phoenicianism. Every few years, some <a href=\"https:\/\/beirut.com\/en\/64201\/lebanese-keyboards-and-other-figments-of-the-phoenician-imagination\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">initiative<\/a> pops up and suggests a (ridiculous) readjustment of the already-Latinized chat alphabet. <\/p>    <p><\/p>    <p>It\u2019s true that genetic studies show traces of Phoenician ancestry in some people today. But a distant connection doesn\u2019t make someone a Phoenician any more than having Mesopotamian ancestors would make someone Mesopotamian. While the region is linked to its Phoenician past, that doesn\u2019t make us any less Arab. Meaning, you CAN be Arab with Phoenician ancestry at the same time&#8230;ma tenharo.<\/p>    <div style=\"height:40px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>    <p>How do you feel about Lebanese people being the only Arabs to text in Arabic using the Latin alphabet?<\/p>    <div style=\"height:40px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>      <div style=\"height:40px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>         <div style=\"width: 100%;\" class=\"mobile products-container-two-product swiper products-embed-container\">   <div class=\"swiper-wrapper\">        <a class=\"swiper-slide\" href=\"https:\/\/www.beirut.com\/en\/product\/the-beirut-hoodie-arabic\/\" aria-label=\"The \u0628\u064a\u0631\u0648\u062a Hoodie\" style=\"min-width: 66% !important;height:auto !important;\">      <div style=\"min-width: 90% !important;\" class=\"single-product-two-product\">       <div class=\"product-image-two-product lazy-load\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.beirut.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/IMG_7206-450x600.jpg\">       <\/div>       <div class=\"product-content-two-product\">        <h2 style=\"height: 45px;\">The \u0628\u064a\u0631\u0648\u062a Hoodie<\/h2>        <p>Fleece hoodie with a zipper, embroidered with the Arabic Beirut.com logo on the left. <\/p>        <div class=\"price-container-two-product\">         Starting At <span class=\"woocommerce-Price-amount amount\"><bdi><span class=\"woocommerce-Price-currencySymbol\">&#36;<\/span>29<\/bdi><\/span>       <\/div>       <\/div>      <\/div>     <\/a>         <a class=\"swiper-slide\" href=\"https:\/\/www.beirut.com\/en\/product\/the-beirut-hoodie\/\" aria-label=\"The Beirut Hoodie - English\" style=\"min-width: 66% !important;height:auto !important;\">      <div style=\"min-width: 90% !important;\" class=\"single-product-two-product\">       <div class=\"product-image-two-product lazy-load\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.beirut.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/IMG_7217-450x600.jpg\">       <\/div>       <div class=\"product-content-two-product\">        <h2 style=\"height: 45px;\">The Beirut Hoodie &#8211; English<\/h2>        <p>Fleece hoodie with a zipper, embroidered with the English Beirut.com logo on the left. <\/p>        <div class=\"price-container-two-product\">         Starting At <span class=\"woocommerce-Price-amount amount\"><bdi><span class=\"woocommerce-Price-currencySymbol\">&#36;<\/span>29<\/bdi><\/span>       <\/div>       <\/div>      <\/div>     <\/a>       <\/div>   <div class=\"swiper-pagination\"><\/div>   <div class=\"swiper-button-prev\"><\/div>   <div class=\"swiper-button-next\"><\/div>  <\/div>   <div style=\"width: 100%;\" class=\"desktop products-container-two-product products-embed-container\">      <a style=\"min-width: calc(25% - 1.5rem); width:calc(25% - 1.5rem);\" href=\"https:\/\/www.beirut.com\/en\/product\/the-beirut-hoodie-arabic\/\" aria-label=\"The \u0628\u064a\u0631\u0648\u062a Hoodie\">     <div style=\"min-width: 100% !important;\" class=\"single-product-two-product\">      <div class=\"product-image-two-product lazy-load\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.beirut.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/IMG_7206-450x600.jpg\">      <\/div>      <div class=\"product-content-two-product\">       <h2>The \u0628\u064a\u0631\u0648\u062a Hoodie<\/h2>       <p>Fleece hoodie with a zipper, embroidered with the Arabic Beirut.com logo on the left. <\/p>       <div class=\"price-container-two-product\">        Starting At <span class=\"woocommerce-Price-amount amount\"><bdi><span class=\"woocommerce-Price-currencySymbol\">&#36;<\/span>29<\/bdi><\/span>      <\/div>      <\/div>     <\/div>    <\/a>       <a style=\"min-width: calc(25% - 1.5rem); width:calc(25% - 1.5rem);\" href=\"https:\/\/www.beirut.com\/en\/product\/the-beirut-hoodie\/\" aria-label=\"The Beirut Hoodie - English\">     <div style=\"min-width: 100% !important;\" class=\"single-product-two-product\">      <div class=\"product-image-two-product lazy-load\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.beirut.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/IMG_7217-450x600.jpg\">      <\/div>      <div class=\"product-content-two-product\">       <h2>The Beirut Hoodie &#8211; English<\/h2>       <p>Fleece hoodie with a zipper, embroidered with the English Beirut.com logo on the left. <\/p>       <div class=\"price-container-two-product\">        Starting At <span class=\"woocommerce-Price-amount amount\"><bdi><span class=\"woocommerce-Price-currencySymbol\">&#36;<\/span>29<\/bdi><\/span>      <\/div>      <\/div>     <\/div>    <\/a>       <\/div>   ","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>We&#8217;ve all questioned our chat keyboard at some point because why is Lebanon the only Arab country to text Arabic with Latin letters instead of just using al abjadiyah like everyone else? And yes, this is a case of Phoenicianism that aimed to differentiate Lebanese cultural identity from the Arab world. And we all have [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":113,"featured_media":767766,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_preview_accessed":0,"footnotes":""},"tags":[2212],"media-embed-type":[],"class_list":["post-767741","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-blog","tag-didyouknow"],"authorship":[56],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v27.3 (Yoast SEO v27.3) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>This Lebanese Poet Is the Real Reason We Text in Arabic Using Latin Letters &#187; Beirut.com<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Why is Lebanon the only Arab country to text Arabic with Latin letters instead of just using al abjadiyah like everyone else?\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.beirut.com\/en\/767741\/this-lebanese-poet-is-the-real-reason-we-text-in-arabic-using-latin-letters\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"This Lebanese Poet Is the Real Reason We Text in Arabic Using Latin Letters\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Why is Lebanon the only Arab country to text Arabic with Latin letters instead of just using al abjadiyah like everyone else?\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.beirut.com\/en\/767741\/this-lebanese-poet-is-the-real-reason-we-text-in-arabic-using-latin-letters\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Beirut.com\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/beirutcityguide\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-12-21T03:00:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.beirut.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/SaidAkl.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1920\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1080\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Taleen El Gharib\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@beirutcityguide\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@beirutcityguide\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Taleen El Gharib\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.beirut.com\\\/en\\\/767741\\\/this-lebanese-poet-is-the-real-reason-we-text-in-arabic-using-latin-letters\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.beirut.com\\\/en\\\/767741\\\/this-lebanese-poet-is-the-real-reason-we-text-in-arabic-using-latin-letters\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Taleen El Gharib\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.beirut.com\\\/ar\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/998828f4428be1a686c6c9e94be1708e\"},\"headline\":\"This Lebanese Poet Is the Real Reason We Text in Arabic Using Latin Letters\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-12-21T03:00:00+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.beirut.com\\\/en\\\/767741\\\/this-lebanese-poet-is-the-real-reason-we-text-in-arabic-using-latin-letters\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":694,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.beirut.com\\\/ar\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.beirut.com\\\/en\\\/767741\\\/this-lebanese-poet-is-the-real-reason-we-text-in-arabic-using-latin-letters\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.beirut.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/12\\\/SaidAkl.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"Did You Know?\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Blog\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.beirut.com\\\/en\\\/767741\\\/this-lebanese-poet-is-the-real-reason-we-text-in-arabic-using-latin-letters\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.beirut.com\\\/en\\\/767741\\\/this-lebanese-poet-is-the-real-reason-we-text-in-arabic-using-latin-letters\\\/\",\"name\":\"This Lebanese Poet Is the Real Reason We Text in Arabic Using Latin Letters &#187; 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