Editing Demographics of Syria (section)

==Languages==
{{main|Languages of Syria}}
[[Arabic language|Arabic]] is the official, and most widely spoken, language. Arabic speakers make up 85% of the population. Several modern [[Varieties of Arabic|Arabic dialects]] are used in everyday life, most notably [[Levantine Arabic|Levantine]] in the west and [[Mesopotamian Arabic|Mesopotamian]] in the northeast. A report published by the [[UNHCR]] points out that "while the majority of Syrians are considered Arabs, this is a term based on spoken language (Arabic), not ethnicity."<ref name=UNHCR>{{citation|last1=Hassan|first1=G|last2=Kirmayer|first2=L.J.|last3=Mekki-Berrada|first3=A.|last4=Quosh|first4=C.|last5=el Chammay|first5=R|last6=Deville-Stoetzel|first6=J.B|last7=Youssef|first7=A|last8=Jefee-Bahloul|first8=H|last9=Barkeel-Oteo|first9=A|last10=Coutts|first10=A|last11=Song|first11=S|last12=Ventevogel|first12=P|year=2015|title=Culture, Context and the Mental Health and Psychosocial Wellbeing of Syrians|url=https://www.alberta.ca/documents/syrians-culture-mental-health.pdf|publisher=[[United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees]]|page=10|quote=Given the lack of accurate census data, it is only possible to estimate the ethnic and religious composition of the current Syrian population. While the majority of Syrians are considered Arabs, this is a term based on spoken language (Arabic), not ethnicity. Around nine to ten percent of Syria’s population is Kurdish (close to two million people), followed by Turkmen,...|access-date=2018-07-20|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160326083805/http://www.alberta.ca/documents/syrians-culture-mental-health.pdf|archive-date=2016-03-26|url-status=dead}}</ref>

According to ''The Encyclopedia of Arabic Language and Linguistics'', in addition to Arabic, the following languages are spoken in the country, in order of the number of speakers: [[Kurdish language|Kurdish]],<ref name=Behnstedt>{{citation |last=Behnstedt|first=Peter|year=2008|chapter=Syria|title=Encyclopedia of Arabic Language and Linguistics|editor1-last=Versteegh|editor1-first=Kees|editor2-last=Eid|editor2-first=Mushira|editor3-last=Elgibali|editor3-first=Alaa|editor4-last=Woidich|editor4-first=Manfred|editor5-last=Zaborski|editor5-first=Andrzej|volume=4|page=402|publisher=[[Brill Publishers]]|isbn=978-90-04-14476-7}}</ref> [[Turkish language|Turkish]],<ref name=Behnstedt/> [[Neo-Aramaic]] (four dialects),<ref name=Behnstedt/> [[Circassian language|Circassian]],<ref name=Behnstedt/> [[Chechen language|Chechen]],<ref name=Behnstedt/> [[Armenian language|Armenian]],<ref name=Behnstedt/> and finally [[Greek language|Greek]].<ref name=Behnstedt/> None of these languages have official status.<ref name=Behnstedt/>

Many educated Syrians also speak [[English language|English]] and [[French language|French]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.blogs.jbs.cam.ac.uk/socialinnovation/2015/11/16/syrian-refugees-and-the-need-for-english-language-training/|title=Syrian refugees and the need for English language training|website=www.blogs.jbs.cam.ac.uk|access-date=2016-04-26|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160424210333/http://www.blogs.jbs.cam.ac.uk/socialinnovation/2015/11/16/syrian-refugees-and-the-need-for-english-language-training/|archive-date=2016-04-24|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name=Etheredge>{{citation |last=Etheredge|first=Laura|year=2012|title=Middle East Region in Transition: Syria, Lebanon, and Jordan|page=9|publisher=[[Britannica|Britannica Educational Publishing]]|isbn=978-1615303298}}</ref>