Language Policy in the Kingdom of Morocco: Arabic, Tamazight and French in Interaction.
Language Policy in the Kingdom of Morocco: Arabic, Tamazight and French in Interaction.

Summary/Abstract: This article provides an overview of the substantial changes in language policy of the Kingdom of Morocco since its independence. The first part of the article describes the modes of use and the geographical and social distribution of all major languages spoken in Morocco. The paper focuses especially on the language situation in education and the media. Due attention is paid to the legal framework in the field of language policy. In the second part the author examines the historical perspective and presents a survey of government approach to language policy from independence to the recent years. Special emphasis is put to the field of education, precisely reflecting the development of language policies. The study also analyzes the origins, development and issues of the Amazigh cultural movement, which started in the early 1980s. Since Muhammad VI ascended the throne in 2000, it has been possible to identify substantial changes in the language policy, which have resulted in consolidating the role of foreign languages, especially French, and a greater openness to Tamazight in education and other fields.

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