There are a number of languages
in Morocco, but the two official languages are Modern Standard Arabic and Berber.
Moroccan
Arabic (known as Darija) is the spoken native vernacular.
The languages of prestige in Morocco are Arabic in its Classical
and Modern Standard Forms and the French
language, the latter of which serves as a second
language for many Moroccans. According to a 2000-2002 survey done by
Moha Ennaji, author of Multilingualism, Cultural Identity, and Education in
Morocco, "there is a general agreement that Standard Arabic, Moroccan
Arabic, and Berber are the national languages." Ennaji also concluded
"This survey confirms the idea that multilingualism in Morocco is a vivid
sociolinguistic phenomenon, which is favoured by many people."
There are 12 to 15 million Berber
speakers in Morocco,
about 40 to 50% of the population. French remains Morocco's unofficial third
language, and is taught universally and serves as Morocco's primary language of
commerce and economics; it is also widely used in education and government.
Morocco is a member of the Francophonie.
Arabic
Arabic, along with Berber, is one
of two Morocco's official languages, although it is the Moroccan dialect of
Arabic, namely Darija, that is spoken or understood, frequently as a second
language, by the majority of the population (about 85% of the total
population). Many native Berber speakers also speak the local Arabic variant. Arabic in its Classical and Standard forms is
one of the two prestige languages in Morocco. Aleya Rouchdy, author of Language
Contact and Language Conflict in Arabic, said that Classical/Modern Arabic and
French are constantly in conflict with one another, but that most Moroccans
believe that the bilingualism of Classical Arabic and French is the most
optimal choice to allow for Morocco's development.
In 1995 the number of native
Arabic speakers in Morocco was approximately 18.8 million (65% of the total
population), and 21 million including the Moroccan diaspora.
As a member of the Maghrebi
Arabic grouping of dialects, Moroccan Arabic is similar to the dialects spoken
in Mauritania, Algeria, Tunisia, and Libya (and also Maltese). The country
shows a marked difference in urban and rural dialects. This is due to the
history of settlement. Originally, Arabs established centers of power in only a
few cities and ports in the region, with the effect that the other areas
remained Berber-speaking. Then, in the 13th century, Bedouin tribes swept
through many of the unsettled areas, spreading with them their distinct Arabic
dialect in the non-urbanized areas and leaving speakers of Berber in isolated
areas in the more mountainous regions.
Modern Standard and Classical Arabic
Moroccans learn Standard Arabic
as a language. It is not spoken at home or on the streets. Standard Arabic is
frequently used in administrative offices, mosques, and schools. According to
Rouchdy, within Morocco Classical Arabic is still only used in literary and
cultural aspects, formal traditional speeches, and discussions about religion.
Dialectal Arabic
Darija Arabic
Moroccan 'Darija' Arabic, along
with Berber, is one of two languages spoken in homes and on the street. The
language is not used in writing. Abdelâli Bentahila, the author of the 1983
book Language Attitudes among Arabic–French Bilinguals in Morocco, said that
Moroccans who were bilingual in both French and Arabic preferred to speak
Arabic while discussing religion; while discussing matters in a grocery store
or restaurant; and while discussing matters with family members, beggars, and
maids. Moha Ennaji, author of Multilingualism, Cultural Identity, and Education
in Morocco, said that Moroccan Arabic has connotations of informality, and that
Moroccan Arabic tends to be used in casual conversations and spoken discourse.
Ennaji added that Bilingual Moroccans tend to use Moroccan Arabic while in the
house. Berbers generally learn Moroccan Arabic as a second language and use it
as a lingua franca, since not all versions of Berber are mutually intelligible
with one another.
Berber
The exact population of Berber
languages speakers is hard to ascertain, since most North African countries do
not – traditionally – record language data in their censuses (An exception to
this was the 2004 Morocco population census). The Ethnologue provides a useful
academic starting point; however, its bibliographic references are inadequate,
and it rates its own accuracy at only B-C for the area. Early colonial censuses
may provide better documented figures for some countries; however, these are
also very much out of date. The number for each dialect is difficult to
estimate.
Berber serves as a vernacular
language in many rural areas of Morocco. Berber, along with Moroccan Arabic, is
one of two languages spoken in homes and on the street. The population does not
use Berber in writing. Aleya Rouchdy, author of "Language Contact and
Language Conflict in Arabic," said that Berber is mainly used in the
contexts of family, friendship, and "street". In her 2000-2002
research, Ennaji found that 52% of the interviewees placed Berber as a language
inferior to Arabic because it did not have a prestigious status and because its
domain was restricted. Ennaji added that "he dialectisation of Berber
certainly reduces its power of communication and its spread."
Speakers of Riffian dialect were
estimated to be around 1.5 million in 1990. The language is spoken in the Rif
area in the north of the country, and is the smallest Berber dialect in
Morocco, by number of speakers.
The Tashelhit language is
considered to be the most widely spoken as it covers the whole of the Region
Souss-Massa-Drâa, and is also spoken in the Marrakech-Tensift-El Haouz and
Tadla-Azilal regions. Studies done in 1990 show around 3 million people,
concentrated in the south of Morocco, speak the dialect.
Central Morocco Tamazight is the
second Berber language in Morocco. A 1998 study done by Ethnologue, shows that
around 3 million people speak the language in Morocco.[18] The language is most
used in the regions Middle Atlas, High Atlas and east High Atlas Mountains.
Other Berber dialects are spoken
in Morocco, as the Senhaja de Srair and the Ghomara dialects in the Rif
mountains, the Figuig Shilha (not to be confused with Atlas Shilha) and Eastern
Zenati in eastern Morocco, and Eastern Middle Atlas dialects in central
Morocco.
