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The sociolinguistic effects of the spread of English in Morocco

Grethel Aguila

Authors:  Grethel Aguila, Athmane Antara, Youssef Haddad

Faculty Mentor: Dr. Youssef Haddad 

College:  College of Liberal Arts and Sciences

Abstract

The spread of English as a global lingua franca has undeniably had an impact on the role and usage of other languages. This research explores the extent to which English has affected the linguistic domain of education in Morocco through high school students’ perceptions and attitudes. Data comes from a survey and interview administered to 43 Moroccan high students. The study’s aims are to: (1) assess the role of Modern Standard Arabic, Darija (Moroccan Arabic), French, and English on the intervals of their usage, instrumentality, education, identity, and attitude and (2) develop a better understanding of the effects of the spread of English on linguistic domains Morocco.

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26 Responses
  3. Lauren Weinsier

    This data is very interesting. I loved how you explored all five aspects of usage, instrumentality, education, identity, and attitude. What do you believe to be the future implications of your study? In other words, what was your overarching goal in deriving all of this data?

    1. Grethel Aguila

      Hi Lauren! Thank you for your questions. The main future implication is that the spread of English will continue to affect Arabic and French-speaking domains in the context of Morocco. As exposure to English increases, so will its competition with French in Moroccan linguistic landscapes. With English’s role as an international language and France’s diminishing role on the world stage, English will continue to spread and take over ‘traditionally’ French-dominated domains.

  4. William Zelin

    This is a very interesting topic! You did a great job presenting your motivation and methodology, and I would love to hear more about the results.

    1. Grethel Aguila

      Hi William! Thank you for your comment. In terms of results, we saw results that correlate with previous studies, such as Darija being used more than English and Modern Standard Arabic. But, we also witnessed results that were new, such as English holding more positive perceptions than Darija and Modern Standard Arabic. However, there are still no significant differences between French and English, which indicates that there is a competition between the varieties in the Moroccan linguistic landscape. All statistically significant results are listed out under each variable in the conclusion box at the top right of the research poster.

  5. Caroline Wiltshire

    Hi Grethel,
    well done! I was wondering if you found any difference between male and female responses? even if you don’t have enough for statistics, did you get a sense of any differences? thanks,
    Caroline

    1. Grethel Aguila

      Hi Caroline! Thank for your question. We did not run statistical tests on demographic data. However, based on previous linguistic studies, women tend to seek prestige in language varieties while men ten to seek solidarity. What this means is that women are more likely to study and prefer English, This was the case in this research studies as we had more female participants, most of whom prefered English because of its prestigious role as an international language.

    2. Grethel Aguila

      Hi Caroline! Thank for your question. We did not run statistical tests on demographic data. However, based on previous linguistic studies, women tend to seek prestige in language varieties while men ten to seek solidarity. What this means is that women are more likely to study and prefer English, This was the case in this research studies as we had more female participants, most of whom prefered English because of its prestigious role as an international language.

  10. Gabriel A Martin

    While I do agree with you that the community method would render the EU’s decision making more directly accountable, I am not sure if will create more sound policy 

    1. Gabriel A Martin

      Sorry there seems to be some sort of error. My question was why did you pick Morocco as an area of study? And what are the differences between Modern Standard Arabic and Darija?

  11. Youssef Haddad

    I am proud of you, Grethel. This is amazing work. I am looking forward to your next project.

  12. Grethel Aguila

    Hi Gabriel! Thank you for your questions. I chose Morocco because of its multilingual nature. There are over six widely spoken languages: Modern Standard Arabic, Darija, Amazigh (Berber) varieties, French, English, and Spanish (in Northern Morocco). The language situation of Arabic is interesting because it is diglossic, meaning the language has a high and a low variety. The high variety of Arabic, Modern Standard Arabic, is reserved for formal situations such as prayers, religion, and schooling. The low variety of Arabic is Darija, in the context of Morocco. Darija is the everyday language of Moroccans on the street and at home. However, it is not a standardized and codified language variety.

  15. Carlos Alfonzo

    Hi Grethel,

    This is a great topic and it’s very enjoyable to read. With the increase adoption of English as a lingua franca around the world, it’s interesting to see its effects on a largely multilingual nation such as Morocco. Do you think Moroccans may be more open to adopting English in daily life in the future or would its usage be constrained by French, Modern Standard Arabic, and Darija?