value of vowels and the pronunciation of other consonants. People who speak MSA also mix vernacular and Classical in pronunciation, words, and grammatical forms. Classical/vernacular mixing in formal writing can also be found (e.g., in some Egyptian newspaper editorials); others are written in Modern Standard/vernacular mixing, including entertainment news. Speakers The Egyptian writer and journalist, Cherif Choubachy wrote in a critical book, that more than half of the Arabic speaking world are not Arabs and that more than 50% of Arabs in the Arabic speaking world use Literary Arabic. According to Ethnologue there are no native speakers of Modern Standard Arabic, but a total of 273,989,700 second language speakers in the world. They add that: "In most Arab countries only the well-educated have adequate proficiency in Modern Standard Arabic." In Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia, French is the language of higher education in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM), while in the Gulf region it's English. Several reports mentioned that the use of Modern Standard Arabic was on the decline in the Arab world, especially in Gulf countries such as the United Arab Emirates where foreign workers make up more than 80% of the population and where English has become the lingua franca of commerce, media, and education. Content in Modern Standard Arabic is also under-represented online and in literature. According to the 2017 Arab Youth Survey done by polling firm PSB Insights, 54% of respondents (young urban Arabs aged 18 to 24) agreed with the statement: "On a daily basis, I use English more than Arabic." They were 68% in GCC countries. The New York Times reported that most Arab students of Northwestern University in Qatar and Georgetown University in Qatar did not have "professional proficiency" in Modern Standard Arabic. Grammar Common phrases See also Arabic language Varieties of Arabic Arabic literature Arab League Geographic distribution of Arabic Dictionary of Modern Written Arabic Arabic English Lexicon Diglossia Arabic phonology Help:IPA/Arabic Pluricentric language Notes References Further reading Holes, Clive (2004). Modern Arabic: Structures, Functions, and Varieties. Georgetown University Press. External links Modern Standard Arabic Online Classical Arabic Reader Learn Arabic WikiBook Yamli Editor - The Smart Arabic Keyboard (with automatic conversions and dictionary for better selections) Rule-based analysis and generation of Modern Standard Arabic Standard languages Arabic languages Diglossia Verb–subject–object languages