Competing with English, the privileged position of the French language began to be destabilized. Researchers and observers expect English to replace French as the first foreign language. This is also predicted by Houssine Soussi, a research professor at Ibn Zohr University at ENCG Dakhla.
Contacted by us, he estimates that English can have the place of the first foreign language in Morocco within ten to fifteen years, even if, for the moment, French is still protected on a daily basis. And this, for several reasons, in particular the linguistic policies put in place by the governmental institutions, the opening towards the outside world. He nevertheless notes the use by the younger generations of social networks in which the use of the English language predominates.
This analysis and these findings were the subject of a study on “the expansion of English in Morocco”, published in 2023 by our interlocutor, in the “Englishes in Africa” collection. Houssine Soussi explains that, for the moment, there is not yet a “Moroccan English” (Moroccan English), as is the case in Saudi Arabia or Nigeria where we speak, for example, of “Nigerian english”.
The idea is based on the concept “World englishes”, since there is no longer only American or British English; since English became an international language, new varieties have been created.
A neutral language, with no colonial past
In Morocco, “a country without a British colonial past, but which recognizes English as a foreign language”, several factors explain the competition between English and French. At first, it is a neutral language, without a colonial past unlike French which is even “rejected by Moroccans because of the protectorate”.
In addition, the language policies put in place by government institutions have introduced English in higher education, particularly at Al Akhawayn University, which requires candidates to have a good level of English before entering it. The International University of Rabat (UIR), or the Mohammed VI University offer courses exclusively taught in English.
International baccalaureates taught in English have emerged in Moroccan private schools.
The same turn has been taken in several other areas. These include names chosen for state institutions such as “National road safety agency” (NARSA), “Moroccan agency for sustainable energy” (MASEN), or government strategies such as “Generation green”. But also in the choice of shopping center names, called “mall” instead of “shopping center”, among other examples.
“In the world of professional sports, officials from the iconic and popular football club Raja Athletic de Casablanca have decided to use exclusively English and Arabic to communicate on their social networks since 2017 after finding that their supporters exchanged with each other, mainly in these two languages”, emphasizes Houssine Soussi in this study.
English, language of access to quality training according to 83% of young Moroccans
He explains to us that all these changes, made at several levels, have been confirmed by studies, in particular that of the British Council, on English in Morocco carried out in 2021, the results of which show “a large majority of young Moroccans, aged between 15 and 25 years old, who express their interest in learning English which will replace French in the next five years, thus becoming the first foreign language in Morocco”.
85% of respondents expect the number of young English-speaking Moroccans to increase exponentially in the next ten years and 57% of them expect this figure to increase significantly, compared to 23% who are themselves favorable to the French. In addition, 83% of these young people believe that English will give them access to better quality and internationally recognized training, allowing them to find jobs abroad.
“Young people are more interested in English than French because many go to Qatar, Dubai, the United States or even Canada. It is therefore not French that will serve them, but English that will offer them opportunities”, explains our interlocutor.
According to him, there are still families in Morocco who “prefer to speak exclusively in French to their children, thinking that it is the language of modernity”; since the French language has long been considered by part of society as the language of the bourgeoisie. Now, as our interlocutor points out, Moroccans are more likely to “switch from Arabic to English in their discussions, instead of Arabic and French”.
Any reproduction prohibited, in any form whatsoever, except with the written authorization of the New Media Company. This content is protected by law and in particular law 88-13 relating to the press and publishing as well as laws 66.19 and 2-00 relating to copyright and related rights.
