First a question: in what language do you think people speak to me when I am in the markets or hotels?
One of my great takeaways from this visit has been the incredible language ability of Moroccans. Many people speak Amazigh or some other Berber language that predate the arrival of the Arabs in the 7th century. Moroccan Arabic is also significantly different than standard Arabic. Different vocabulary, grammar, and pronunciation make Moroccan Arabic unintelligible to Arabs outside of the region. Primary school is taught in standard Arabic, so almost all students arrive in the classroom listening to a language that they don't speak at home. I have asked multiple people including language teachers whether Moroccan Arabic is really a different language. They all insist that it is.
Foreign language study in French begins in the lowest grades. English is started in high school. Many Moroccans also know Spanish, especially in the far north or far south. In other words, when I am speaking in English to people in Morocco, they are speaking in their fourth or fifth language. Amazing!
In the souks and other markets the venders are picking up a variety of other languages because of the tourist trade. Italian, Russia, German, Mandarin and even Latvian can now be heard in the market stalls of the traditional souks.
So the answer to the question... French. French everywhere because of the legacy of 20th century imperialism.
The girl in the video when you asked her what she wanted to do once she grew up spoke very good english. Do most Moroccans speak english that well?
ReplyDeleteThe kids speak better than their English teachers in terms of their accents because they started watching American movies and YouTube as kids. Pick up a language before 13 and you speak without as much of an accent.
DeleteAre the street signs and shop names also in French and, if so, Is it difficult to communicate and navigate around the city?
ReplyDeleteYes, French speakers have it good here. I can figure out much of what stuff is, but I am always with a moroccan teachers, so he directs me throughout the day.
DeleteThis is like the relationships between the official mandarin and the dialect in different areas. In most of the school, they teach in mandarin. But when they got home, they will speak their dialect to their parents, because their parents won't be able to understand the official mandarin.
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