Morocco, a country in North Africa with a rich blend of cultures, is experiencing a linguistic shift. For a long time predominant in Morocco, the French language is losing its brilliance in favour of English, adopted by a generation proud of its culture, open to the world and who wants to free themselves from post-colonial ties.
Morocco's strategic location has influenced its linguistic diversity.
Understanding Morocco's Linguistic Landscape
Understanding the evolution of foreign languages in Morocco cannot be done without contextualizing the country's linguistic landscape.
- Darija: Moroccan Arabic, is used in daily life, with borrowings from several languages, including Tamazight, Morocco's Indigenous language.
- It is distinct from literary Arabic, which is the written and official language, especially used in speeches, the press, and education, and common to all Arabic-speaking countries.
A perpetual debate exists in Moroccan society: some plead for the recognition of Darija as a language in its own right, because of its marked differences with classical Arabic, while others fear that this would weaken the use of literary Arabic, the language of education, the Muslim religion, and official texts.
As for French, nearly 70 years after Morocco's independence, it remains very present in several social spheres, although it has never had the status of official language. It is one of the languages of public administration, education, and the media, among others. But, in the last 10 years, we have seen and heard the English language much more in Morocco, on social networks, in bookstores, or on the terraces of cafes.
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English as a Language of Choice
This strong emergence of English is accompanied, in parallel, by a form of distance from the French language, closely linked to a desire to revive and proudly claim Moroccan culture. For Ibtissam Ghazoui, cultural manager of the American artistic centre in Casablanca, it is not a question of replacing one foreign language with another, but of detaching ourselves from a culture and a language that “has been imposed on us, while English is a language that we have chosen.”
“Valuing and celebrating our Moroccan culture allowed us to realize what colonization caused us,” she adds. “Before, speaking French was a symbol of social and intellectual status. That is no longer the case today.”
In a country where the local cultural offer is minimal, foreign cultural diplomacy fills the void. The American artistic centre, opened less than two years ago, is quickly establishing itself as the city's flagship cultural space. Unlike French cultural institutes, here, we speak Darija. Dance and writing workshops are offered in Darija and English. Most of the participants are teenagers who skateboard from popular neighbourhoods in Casablanca, such as Hay Mohammadi, Sidi Moumen, or Ain Sebaa.
With a degree in cultural policy and management, Ibtissam notes that several artists want to develop Moroccan culture, rather than trying their luck abroad, like a generation of French-speaking North African authors and musicians who aspired to succeed in France. “Recently, there was a very interesting realization of our own identity,” she explains.
For many digital native Moroccans, English is an easier language to master, compared to French or literary Arabic. It also allows greater openness to the world, and the Internet and social networks have accelerated this enthusiasm.
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The Privilege of Learning French
Learning French is still “a privilege in Morocco”. This is especially the case for Khtek. At 29, the rapper is naturally confident, without falling into arrogance. Like many Moroccans of her generation, her sentences mix up to three languages at the same time.
Houda - her real name is - chose her stage name Khtek, which means “Your sister,” to reappropriate this expression that is too often pejorative in the macho world of rap. The young woman grew up in a middle class family that encouraged her to read and write in French. “At home, it was an important language to learn,” she says. As a teenager, this lover of French-speaking literature devoured books, from Milan Kundera to Amin Maalouf.
Then she started getting interested in American music and movies. “I started to love English. I wrote letters to Kurt Cobain in my diary. I was learning songs by heart. I printed out the lyrics of the songs and tried to understand what they meant. That's how my level improved.” Later, the language nourished her passion. “It is thanks to English that I rap today,” she explains.
"It is by discovering American hip hop and being able to understand this culture that I rap today. The first song that inspired me was 'Suicidal Thoughts' by Notorious Big. If I didn't speak English, this song would surely never have captivated and touched me so much.”
Today, she is aware of the privilege of having learned French outside of public school, at home or through private lessons. “In Morocco, learning French is a privilege since the level of French is low in public school.”
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Decolonizing Social Relationships
Although she maintains an affinity for the French language, her interest in decolonial thought has led her to question its use in public space. “When a Moroccan does not make the effort to speak Darija and wants to impose on the rest of Moroccans to speak French in their own country, for me, it is a colonialist approach. We socially exclude people who have a pronounced accent in French or who do not master the language.”
The Hassan II Mosque in Casablanca showcases traditional Moroccan architecture.
This observation is confirmed by Entisar. “In my experience, French is synonymous with classicism. Even in terms of services [hotels, shops, etc.], when you speak in Darija, you are not treated in the same way as if you speak in French. I still speak French, but if given the choice, I would prefer to speak another language.”
According to Khtek, the rejection of the French language is “an unconscious rebellion of the new generation.” She believes that the existence of a French-speaking elite in Morocco is “a damage of colonialism”.
Using the colonization argument to defend a linguistic choice may seem incoherent when the alternative is the language of the British and the Americans. But for Khtek, “since English is accessible, I don't have a problem with this language. You can learn it by yourself, easily, just on social media and by watching YouTube, and getting to know it is not classist. Even though England colonized several countries in the world, we have a different relationship with this language.”
A more accessible language? She explains: “It is accepted to have an accent. All over the world, people speak English with different accents. And it's easier to learn.”
Sometimes, a debate takes place in his class, with his adult students: “a lot of people don't like French, and put forward this argument. For example, I would be in favour of using English more, because it is a simple, more open language and gives access to many more countries, for studies or for work. You have to put forward logical arguments rather than thinking about this question emotionally.”
Morocco, how many languages do you speak?
The World in Original Version
Before the arrival of the Internet in Morocco, the foreign art and culture that Moroccans consumed came mainly from Egypt or France. As for English-speaking films, literature and music, Moroccans discovered them mainly through French channels, where the works were dubbed or translated.
Direct access to English-speaking cultures through the Internet has changed consumer habits and forced several sectors to adapt their offer to the new expectations of the Moroccan public. Until very recently, American movies in movie theaters were only available in French. Today, several sessions in original version with French subtitles are available daily.
On the media side, some newsrooms now have English-speaking teams. The public channel Al Aoula is also said to be in the process of developing An English news channel.
On the reading side, the Carrefour des Livres has long been the reference French-language bookstore in Casablanca. Today, almost half of its shelves contain books in English, ranging from classics to the most recent novels and personal development books.
For Yacine Retnani, owner of Carrefour des Livres, the trigger was initially financial. With more competition - especially digital bookstores - and the Covid crisis, they had to adapt and find a way to survive. “English and Arabic saved us because if we had clung to our French-speaking customers who gradually disappeared or who went elsewhere, we would have closed.”
Language Issues in Education
Language issues in many parts of the world affect a wide range of areas such as education, the public life, the media, arts, literature, politics, religion and government institutions, to name only these. In Morocco, the field of education faces a number of challenges relating to the functions of the languages in use in the country.
This paper tries to investigate some of the language issues in education in Morocco through eliciting the views of a group of teachers and officials. On the basis of these views, the paper shows that the policy of arabisation has not had the expected results in education, administration and the public life in view of the fact that French and Moroccan Arabic are making substantial progress as languages of communication.
The teaching of French suffers from high levels of poor proficiency on the part of the learners. The teaching of Amazighe is impeded by unsupportive official policies which do not yet recognise the rightness of teaching this language to the whole school population in the country.
In the Moroccan public education system, French is taught more than English. But the level is still quite low. Rajae, 35, teaches French for all ages. The youngest of his students are often children who study in public schools and whose parents want to offer additional French language education.
As for teenagers, Rajae is used to hearing them say that they don't want to learn the colonizer's language. “When I see that they're not interested and I ask them why they don't want to make an effort to learn while they're in French class, I'm told: 'I'm here just because I have to be, but what I want to do is learn English. I'm here just to be able to take my exams.'”
Adults, on the other hand, seem to be much more involved in learning, in order to progress professionally and climb the ladder. “Don't fool yourself,” explains Rajae. "We are in Morocco. It is true that more and more people speak English here, but we are still very far from becoming a country where English is the first foreign language. In the meantime, you must be able to guarantee yourself a professional future.”
Morocco: A Multilingual Nation
It is well-known that Morocco is a multilingual country. The fact that a number of languages, along with their varieties, are used by the population is therefore the rule rather than the exception. So many countries exhibit the same situation and it is not an exaggeration to say that no country is monolingual in the sociolinguistic sense of this term.
Indeed, even in the so- called monolingual settings in which speakers make use of only one language, these latter are observed to use different varieties of this language in accordance with various factors present in the linguistic situation like setting, topic, interlocutors, mood, etc.
Beyond serving as the world’s most spoken language, it is an official language in 53 nations and is taught in 118 countries. “Morocco is a country with a rich, diverse multilingual culture and history,” Tony Reilly, director of the British Council in Morocco, said.
Language acquisition has become vital to job growth. As the language of science, the majority of scientific publications are in English. In the private sector, companies often require their employees or candidates for various positions to master the English language.
If there is a country that truly captures the essence of travel itself, it may be Morocco, a nation of sparkling beaches, epic mountains and grand medieval cities that has entranced visitors since the Romans arrived 2,000 years ago. Located in the northwest corner of Africa, Morocco maintains an Arab and Islamic culture infused by African, Bedouin, European and Mediterranean influences that have melded over thousands of years.
While French has long been widely spoken in Morocco, English is fast becoming the preferred second language for many young Moroccans in particular who are eager to learn the world's international language of commerce and culture. Language schools and academies are growing in number throughout the country, creating new jobs every year for teaching English in Morocco.
Languages Spoken in Morocco
As you probably gathered from the rest of this list, Morocco is home to speakers of a variety of languages. There are at least a few dialects of Arabic that are widely spoken, plus French. Then you have the Berber languages, of which there are at least three that are commonly spoken in Morocco.
Since the official language is Modern Standard Arabic, and most government and official business is carried out in French, all Moroccans have to know either one or the other. In their own homes, however, they may speak Moroccan Arabic, a Berber dialect, or perhaps Spanish. Soon, even more people will also speak English, making them trilingual.
This list has hopefully demonstrated to you, Morocco is not just another Arabic speaking country. Yes, it is part of that group of nations, but thanks to its history with France and Spain, many people also speak either French or Spanish. Of course, you also have to remember the languages in the Berber family that were spoken long before any Arabic speaking settler arrived in the area. When you add in the fact that English is growing ever more popular there, you have at least five different languages spoken in the country, in the same country where everyone is at least bilingual.
Key Languages and Their Roles
| Language | Role |
|---|---|
| Modern Standard Arabic | Official language, formal situations, written documents |
| Moroccan Arabic (Darija) | Most commonly spoken language in daily life |
| French | Language of government, education, business, and science |
| Berber | Native languages spoken in various dialects across the country |
| English | Becoming the new hot language for young Moroccans, international relations |
| Spanish | Spoken in parts of Morocco that used to be controlled by Spain |
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