Why do Moroccans speak so many languages?
If you look into the history of Morocco, you will see that each language has been influenced by another country. In the pre-colonial stages of Morocco, people either spoke one of the Berber languages or Standard Arabic. The Berber languages were the original languages in Morocco by the indigenous population.
How many languages do Moroccans speak?
In Morocco there are two official languages, Arabic and Amazigh, which are spoken in the streets and villages of Morocco. Classical Arabic, more commonly known as Literary Arabic, is the administrative language of the country. Generally speaking, you will hear Moroccan Arabic spoken in the streets.
Why do so many Moroccans speak French?
In 1956 Morocco declared independence, and in the government declared Classical Arabic as the official language. After independence, to facilitate economic growth and to increase its ties to Europe, the Moroccan government decided to strengthen its ties with France, resulting in the promotion of French.
What different languages are spoken in Morocco?
Arabic
Standard Moroccan Berber
Morocco/Official languages
What percentage of Moroccans speak French?
33\%
According to the OIF, 33\% of Moroccans speak French, among them 13.5\% fully francophone and thus bilingual with one of the other Moroccan languages, and 19.5\% partially francophone. According to the 2004 census, nearly 69\% of literate people can read and write French.
How many Moroccans are in Europe?
Of the estimated 5.6 million Moroccans living abroad, 5.1 million live in Europe.
Is Moroccan French different?
Moroccan Arabic (known as Darija) is the spoken native vernacular. According to a 2012 study by the Government of Spain, 98\% of Moroccans spoke Moroccan Arabic, 63\% spoke French, 26\% Tamazight, 14\% spoke English, and 10\% spoke Spanish.
Is Spanish spoken in Morocco?
There are a number of languages of Morocco. The two official languages are Standard Arabic and Tamazight. Spanish is spoken by many Moroccans, particularly in the northern regions around Tetouan and Tangier, as well as in parts of the south, due to historic ties and business interactions with Spain.
Why do Moroccans go to France?
People of Moroccan origin account for a large sector of the total immigrant population in France. Following the French protectorate in Morocco from 1912 to 1956, many Moroccans chose to immigrate to France from the 1960s to the present due to France’s favorable economic conditions.
Where do most Moroccans live in Europe?
Of the estimated 5 to 6 million Moroccans living abroad, the overwhelming majority live in France and Spain, the remainder are distributed throughout the Americas (including North America and Latin America), Australia, Africa (in particular West Africa), and the countries of the Arab World.
Who colonized Morocco?
The French Protectorate consisted of a majority, about nine-tenths, of Morocco. France controlled the Moroccan land to the south of the Spanish Protectorate. The capital city of the French Protectorate was Rabat (History of Morocco to the Present Day, Moroccansands.com).
How many languages do they speak in Morocco?
Moroccans speak in average from 2 to 4 languages, the main languages we speak in Morocco are: Moroccan Arabic (Moroccan Darija) heavily influenced by Berber, French and Spanish, due the colonialism. Berber or Tamazight: dialects spoken by the Berbers indigenous to North Africa.
Why is English so important in Morocco?
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.
Do Moroccans prefer classical Arabic or modern Arabic?
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.
How many people speak Riffian in Morocco?
Speakers of Riffian language 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 one of the three main Berber languages of Morocco.