<P> The third-most widely spoken language, Turkish, is largely confined to Turkey, which is also one of the region's largest and most populous countries, but it is present in areas in neighboring countries . It is a member of the Turkic languages, which have their origins in Central Asia . Another Turkic language, Azerbaijani, is spoken by Azerbaijanis in Iran . </P> <P> Hebrew is one of the two official languages of Israel, the other being Arabic . Hebrew is spoken and used by over 80% of Israel's population, the other 20% using Arabic . </P> <P> English is commonly taught and used as a second language, especially among the middle and upper classes, in countries such as Egypt, Jordan, Iran, Kurdistan, Iraq, Qatar, Bahrain, United Arab Emirates and Kuwait . It is also a main language in some Emirates of the United Arab Emirates . </P> <P> French is taught and used in many government facilities and media in Lebanon, and is taught in some primary and secondary schools of Egypt and Syria . Maltese, a Semitic language mainly spoken in Europe, is also used by the Franco - Maltese diaspora in Egypt . </P>

The middle east is home to these language groups