Why morocco speaks french

It is seen as the language of science, technology, and more, while Modern Standard Arabic is regarded as the more traditional official language. Most Moroccans feel that it is necessary to speak a European language in order to maintain contact with the rest of the world and keep up in terms of technology and science.

Berber refers to a group of languages as well as dialects that is native to North Africa. Most speakers can be found in either Algeria or Morocco, though there are pockets of speakers in other North African countries. Berber dialects were the original languages spoken in Morocco before even Arabic was introduced, and its influence can be seen even in the Moroccan Arabic commonly spoken at home and in the streets.

Berber can also be heard spoken among families and on the street, depending on where you are in Morocco. The dialect will vary as well from region to region, and there are at least three dialects that are widely spoken in the country. Most Moroccans consider any Berber dialect to be inferior to Arabic and French, and so it rarely gets used outside of Berber-speaking communities and is never used for documenting anything in writing.

Given that Morocco is only a hop, skip, and a jump away from the southern tip of Spain, it makes sense that, at least in the north, you would be able to find people who spoke the language. On top of that, there is a lot of tourism between the two countries, mostly Spanish tourists visiting Morocco because of the exchange rate and the fact that Spain has a stronger economy.

If you go to parts of Morocco that used to be controlled by Spain, you will find that people will even watch television in Spanish and interact with their communities in the language. It has become the vernacular language of those areas, with a dialect of Arabic or possibly French spoken as well for business and official purposes.

Just like most other countries in the world, Morocco sees English as an important language in terms of international relations and keeping up with the rest of the modern world. Though French and Spanish are much more popular still as second languages, English is becoming the new hot language for young Moroccans to learn. In fact, the state recognized this and in pushed through a reform stating that English will be taught in public schools starting in the fourth year.

However, the interesting thing is that Morocco is much closer to Spain and France and the rest of the Arabic speaking world than to any country with English as the national language. Tourism could be a factor for English becoming more popular, but the main reason is probably just to keep up with the rest of the world.

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. Besides being only a short distance away, Spain also acted as a protectorate of Morocco for a while after This resulted in Spanish influence in culture and language.

Central Atlas Tamazight — This is also spoken by roughly 3 million of the inhabitants of Morocco. It is a dialect of Berber. Tarifit — a lesser used dialect of the Berber language. It is spoken by about 1. Ghomara — was a dialect of Berber which is generally considered to no longer be in use. Senhaja de Srair — this is the fifth dialect of Berber which has also unfortunately fallen into disuse.

French — though not seen as an indigenous language in Morocco, at least half of the population is capable of speaking it. This is due to the strong French influence during the period of to , which has also left a large amount of French architecture in parts of Morocco. For more interesting facts on Morocco, click here. While this hotel may have a fairly long history, it is certainly not old-fashioned, having recently been completely renovated and upgraded by the Helnan International Hotel group that owns it.

Today it is one of the top As far as the weather goes, it will be better to visit the south and the desert routes outside midsummer when, for the most of the day, it's far too hot for casual exploration - especially if you're dependant on public transport. We are using cookies to make the website better. By clicking Agree you are accepting Terms of Service. The following is a breakdown of the 11 listed languages that are or were spoken in Morocco: Living Languages Moroccan Arabic — This is the official language of Morocco.

They would overturn decades of Arabisation after independence from France in and have triggered a furor in parliament, where members of the Islamist PJD party, the senior partner in the coalition government, and the conservative Istiqlal party view them as a betrayal.

The disagreement has delayed a vote on the changes. Like many Moroccan politicians, his children received a private education. Amzazi did not respond to a Reuters request for comment. Frustration over jobs and poverty has fueled periodic protests in Morocco, but the country has avoided the sort of instability suffered by other North African states, where pent-up anger has triggered uprisings and provided fertile ground for Islamist extremism.

King Mohammed VI, the ultimate power in Morocco, has proven adept at introducing limited reforms in response to popular protest. He has spoken publicly about the need to teach foreign languages to students to reduce unemployment and has made the economy a top priority.

Last year, he sacked the minister for finance after calling on the government to do more to boost investment. Problems with language are not unique to Morocco. France is the biggest foreign direct investor in Morocco and large companies such as carmakers Renault and Peugeot employ tens of thousands of people.

Privately-run universities such as the International University of Rabat UIR have courses geared toward high-growth industries such as aerospace and renewable energy and offer tuition in French and English.