French language within Morocco

Morocco has always been a crossroads of industry and culure. The Amazighr (colloquially called Berber) and those in the Saraha are the original inhabitants, but with its location on both the Mediterranean and Atlantic Ocean, Spaniards, Arabs, Jews, Portuguese French, and othere African nations have invaded, lived, and mixed throughout its history. 

Because of the mixing of cultures and languages, the Moroccan Arabic is a melange of many tongues. During the first half of the 20th century, it was under a French protectorate. As a lingua franca, most of Morocco took the French language for education and business. Even after the end of the protectorate in 1956, students were expected to learn French in schools in an effort to prepare them for international business and European universities.

In our TGC cohort, we were able to meet with leaders and dignitaries as well as students, teachers, and friends. Again and again, we heard the comment that French is on its way out of the country, and English is the language to learn. One fitting example was a friend of my host teacher who is a chemistry professor at a university in Marrakesh. He is very well-educated from the French education system, and teaches his lectures in French. However, he is currently studying English because he finds that most research is done in English and he wants to be able to read and publish in English as well. Students told us they would love to go to college in Great Britain or the United States if their families could afford it (French schools, and the Moroccan schools are much more affordable).

Karim Bensoukas, a linguist from a university in Morocco explained the evolution of official languages throughout time. During the French protectorate, French was the language of government, media, education, and banking. In the universities, classes have traditionally been taught in French, but more recently, many professors instruct in English, especially in the STEM fields. 

Most Moroccans learn to speak either Moroccan Amazigh or Moroccan Arabic as their mother tongue. When they enter school, they learn Standard Arabic, but it is not spoken in Morocco. Up until 2011 modern standard Arabic was the official language (Modern Standard Arabic does not have a native speaker but it is the official language of 22 countries in the world and is the language revered as the language of Islam).

The rise in the interest in English may be caused to a new sense of Moroccan pride. Because French and Arabic are languages of  conquerors, there is a sense of nationalism towards learning a different language in high school. English is now the language that is chosen most often by high schoolers.  Today, middle schoolers can choose between English, German and Italian in addition to traditional Spanish, Arabic or French. In 2014, only 880 students chose French in comparison to 1357 choosing Arabic and 1600 choosing English.

As an outsider who speaks French, I was surprised by the usage of French (or lack thereof) in the markets. It was suggested by some that French is spoken when a person wants to sound educated, but Moroccan Arabic will be used in common transactions partly to sound down-to-earth. At our hotels, the staff all speak French. The staffer at the desk in Rabat was surprised I was an American who spoke French. He claims he has never had an American stay there who was French speaking. 

It is fascinating how Moroccans learn so many languages and are expected to converse freely in all. My host teacher spoke to me and her students in English, and Moroccan Arabic at home. She also understands French and Spanish.  This was typical of many Moroccans we met. 

I am grateful I had the opportunity to learn about the languages of Morocco because it helps understand their history and an aspect of their culture I otherwise would not have known.