Arabic-L:LING:New Moroccan Language Association

[Dilworth Parkinson]

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Arabic-L: Fri 30 Nov 2007
Moderator: Dilworth Parkinson <dilworth_parkinson at byu.edu>
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1) Subject:New Moroccan Language Association

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1)
Date: 30 Nov 2007
From:ff273 at nyu.edu
Subject:New Moroccan Language Association

I would like to bring to your attention the creation of a new  
association for the promotion of the Moroccan language. Membership is  
open to anyone interested in any discipline related to the study of  
Moroccan Darija, linguistic, cultural or sociological. Currently, the  
Association functions mainly as an e-mailing list. We are however in  
the process of creating a website which will be online before the 15th  
of December. We will notify you as soon as it is completed.

The Association intends to spearhead the national promotion and the  
institutionalization of the Moroccan language. While Arabic remains  
the official language of Morocco, Darija, which is spoken by Moroccans  
in the street and at home is still stigmatized as a vulgar vernacular.  
By raising the status of Darija to that of a national and thus written  
language, children will be able to pick up a book and read at an age  
(2 to 6) when reading habits are acquired. Right now, reading is  
contingent on learning the basics of Classical Arabic language,  
fundamentals taught at the first or second grade level. This late  
start – and most importantly, the fact that education requires the  
knowledge of a non-native language – explains the current alarming  
rates of illiteracy which plague Morocco.

The history of Darija could be no different than that of French or  
Italian, which were once hampered by the sacrosanct authority of Latin  
and considered vulgar vernaculars before Du Bellay’s Défense et  
illustration de la langue française or Dante’s De vulgari eloquentia.

To become a member, please write to ff273 at nyu.edu

In the message area, include only this:

SUBSCRIBE MLA [YOUR E-MAIL ADDRESS]

Once you have subscribed, you may send mail to the list at the  
following address:

             moroccan-language-association at lists.nyu.edu
Please do not hesitate to forward this email to anyone you believe  
might be interested in joining our debate.

Sincerely,

Fayçal Falaky

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End of Arabic-L:  30 Nov 2007