[lg policy] Language Policy in Morocco: Real crisis or Potential Transformation?

Mon Apr 14 15:09:48 UTC 2014

Language Policy in Morocco: Real crisis or Potential Transformation?
 *Monday 14 April 2014 - 01:10*
 [image: morocco world news]
morocco world news <http://www.moroccoworldnews.com/author/mwn/>
 [image: Language Policy in Morocco: Real crisis or Potential
Transformation?]

By Hamid Ait El Caid

Rabat – *Morocco has lately witnessed a profound change in various
policies, and attention has focused on Morocco**’s policy on language which
has been questioned in debates in recent years. *

However, the policy of language implementation is quite problematic, given
the nature of Morocco’s many cultural and linguistic influences as well as
its local identity, while at the same time also being driven by the need to
adapt to the globe, which is a part of Morocco’s openness towards Europe,
the US, and the entire world.

It is evident that French and Moroccan Arabic, colloquially known as “
Darija,” constitute the major useful languages as most Moroccans can speak
both, or at least one, in public life. Each of these languages serves in a
variety of public areas and is used by categories of people as their
language of communication and for special purposes. Yet, Tamazight on the
other hand has been introduced to the public in reaction to demands by a
number of associations and human rights NGOs. Such movements have been
calling for a real political willingness to recognize Tamazight as an
official language of Morocco, not merely recognizing it constitutionally
but promoting it as much as possible to be an active and dynamic language
serving all areas in the public.

The current state of language policy in Morocco is complicated. It is based
upon extensive historical and cultural changes within the Moroccan society.
Yet establishing a certain language as official above the others is based
upon political power. Therefore, power has been an important factor driving
language policy, no matter what tongue the majority of people speak.
France, as a part of its colonial theory, imposed French upon the majority
of people who speak Tamazight and/or Moroccan Arabic. Therefore, France
influenced the linguistic structure of Morocco, which has served French
interests well, even after Morocco’s  independence.

Unlike some ex-French colonies, such as Senegal and Mali, which have
adopted French as their first language after their independence, Morocco
decided to use both French and Standard Arabic, one being a national and
official language and the other the medium of business and foreign
communication. Although the decision maintained the Arabo-Islamic identity
of Morocco and reshaped its existence, it has not completely satisfied the
linguistic needs of all Morocco, especially the Amazigh speaking groups
whose identity and culture has been neglected and not politically
recognized in the past decade.

*English vs. French?*

Nobody can deny that French dominates most areas of public life in Morocco.
The French language has tremendously affected our behaviors the attitudes.
It is often regarded as a second language after Darija, but a large
proportion of people consider it to be a foreign language alongside English
and Spanish. Indeed, French is, to many Moroccans, a language used to gain
prestige and respect. Besides, speakers of this language are labeled as
belonging to the upper social class. It has also for the past century, been
a “global” language due to many educational references written in French in
all disciplines, such as the arts and experimental sciences.

The wave of globalization has pushed many countries in the developing world
to adopt English as a first foreign language. Some of these countries are
neither the home of English speaking people nor ex-British colonies.  To
name but a few, these include Poland, Hungary and Turkey.  Such countries
considered English a potential language which could contribute to their
local development.  Most of these countries have adopted English as a
medium of instruction at the tertiary education level, as well as the
language of business, diplomacy, and foreign affairs. Consequently, their
language policy has succeeded in introducing these countries to the global
structure as models of developing countries.

Morocco, on the other hand, has worked to reach the “globalised
world”through several attempts at reform. Yet the public policy of
Morocco has
not taken into consideration the need to adopt English, as a universal
language, being understood by the majority of international decision makers
and scholars from all over the world. Morocco still retains French as its
first interest, with little attention paid to English, claiming that the
first (French) is still as much a “global language” as it was believed to
have been in the past decade, while the second (English) is less efficient
at the national level.

Very recently,  Moroccan teachers of English, including members of the
governments and leaders of political parties (*e.g*., the Minister of
higher education, Mr. Lahcen Daoudi and the leader of Alistiqlal party, Mr.
Hamid Chabat)  have called upon replacing French with English as a first
foreign language, or at least making English more important in Moroccan
education. Yet, no official statement has been made by the government to
give a boost to English.

*Standard Arabic vs. Darija (Moroccan Dialect of Arabic)*

Standard Arabic is the official language of the state. Morocco has
implemented it to cover all sectors including public education and media.
However, Moroccan citizens do not master this language as it is not their
mother tongue, rather they are brought up using Darija as a medium of
communication within families, friends and colleagues. Linguistically
speaking, Darija is a dialect which combines some Arabic items with the
local expressions. It has moved from being a dialect into a prospective
language serving Media and Arts. Therefore, some scholars have recently
called for standardizing Darija and adopting it as a language of
instruction in Education.

In the televised 2M program “Moubashara Maakom,” a special episode was
produced for the debate on the question of Darija implementation. The two
debaters, Nour Eddin Ayouch and Abdellah El Aroui, are scholars
representing opposite views concerning the legitimacy and efficiency of
using Darija at schools in place of Standard Arabic. Nour Eddin Ayouch who
advocates the issue claimed that Darija is understood by the ultimate
proportion of people and it could simplify the process of learning. On the
other hand, Abdellah El Aroui opposes Ayouch’s proposal, and explained that
Standard Arabic is the language of the divine and is linguistically rich.
El Aroui argued that Darija is not qualified to cover Sciences and
Academia, because it lacks rules and standard practices in writing and
syntax.

*What’s next?*

After the constitutional recognition of Tamazight, Morocco will, today or
tomorrow, recognize that preserving its history and identity is a result of
promoting its language. We are often aware that implementing foreign
languages is a key solution to overcome joblessness, and also help us learn
new cultures while expanding our discovery to the world, in addition to
introducing our country the best possible way to foreigners.

Yet, our language policy lacks principles and planning. The language
panorama in Morocco is witnessing a real crisis in all aspects. Yet it is
not time to lay blame or initiate proposals. Rather, it is time to
establish a clear and well-oriented policy which takes into consideration
the promotion of Morocco’s cultural heritage and identity, as well as the
need to adapt to global changes using suitable communication techniques to
achieve growth and prosperity for the country.

*Edited by Elisabeth Myers*

http://www.moroccoworldnews.com/2014/04/128456/language-policy-in-morocco-real-crisis-or-potential-transformation/
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