Plum ( rakija ) or apple ( jabukovača ) alcohol beverages are produced in the north.

But linguist Dimachki sees all this code switching in a different light.

Photograph taken 03 03 2015 by LensDimashqi on Tumblr.

Dimachki is considered Francophone meaning, her dominant second language is French. But that s not the only reason she used merci.

Many people here codeswitch to varying degrees, says linguist Loubna Dimachki.

But in Beirut, They're all Lebanese, talking with Lebanese, so why all this code switching? Dimachki asks.

They loaded all the gold (about 100 troy pounds or 122,000 pesos worth) and then picked through the silks, damasks, musks (used in perfume manufacture), spices, wines, and ship's supplies for what they could carry.