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Languages of Morocco

Languages of Morocco
OfficialModern Standard Arabic and Standard Moroccan Berber
VernacularArabic dialects (92.7%)[1]

Berber languages (24.8%)[1]

ForeignFrench (36%)[2]
English (14%)[3]
Spanish (4.5%)[4]
SignedMoroccan Sign Language
Keyboard layout
Sign in Arabic, Berber and French in Agadir

Arabic, particularly the Moroccan Arabic dialect, is the most widely spoken language in Morocco,[5] but a number of regional and foreign languages are also spoken. The official languages of Morocco are Modern Standard Arabic and Standard Moroccan Berber.[6] Moroccan Arabic (known as Darija) is by far the primary spoken vernacular and lingua franca, whereas Berber languages serve as vernaculars for significant portions of the country. According to the 2024 Moroccan census, 92.7% of the population spoke Arabic, whereas 24.8% spoke Berber languages.[1]

The languages of prestige in Morocco are Arabic in its Classical and Modern Standard Forms and sometimes French, the latter of which serves as a second language for approximately 33% of Moroccans.[7] According to the 2024 census, 99.2% or almost the entire literate population of Morocco could read and write in Arabic, whereas only 1.5% of the population could read and write in Berber. When it comes to foreign languages, this figure rises to 57.7% in French, 20.5% in English, and 1.2% in Spanish.[8] The census also reveals that 80.6% of Moroccans consider Arabic to be their native language, while 18.9% regard any of the various Berber languages as their mother tongue.[1][9]

According to a 2000–2002 survey done by Moha Ennaji, author of Multilingualism, Cultural Identity, and Education in Morocco, "there is a general agreement that Standard Arabic, Moroccan Arabic, and Berber are the national languages."[10] Ennaji also concluded "This survey confirms the idea that multilingualism in Morocco is a vivid sociolinguistic phenomenon, which is favored by many people."[11]

There are around 6 million Berber speakers in Morocco.[5] French retains a major place in Morocco, as it is taught universally and serves as Morocco's primary language of commerce and economics, culture, sciences and medicine; it is also widely used in education and government. Morocco is a member of the Francophonie.[12] 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.[13]

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i Gauthier, Christophe. "كلمة افتتاحية للسيد المندوب السامي للتخطيط بمناسبة الندوة الصحفية الخاصة بتقديم معطيات الإحصاء العام للسكان والسكنى 2024". Site institutionnel du Haut-Commissariat au Plan du Royaume du Maroc (in French). Retrieved 2024-12-23.
  2. ^ La langue française dans le monde, 2022." Organisation Internationale de la Francophonie. p. 31. Retrieved on 1 April 2023.
  3. ^ "British Council – United Kingdom" (PDF). britishcouncil.org. May 2012. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2014-05-13.
  4. ^ Saga, Ahlam Ben. Instituto Cervantes: 1.7 Million Moroccans Speak Spanish Archived 15 April 2021 at the Wayback Machine, Morocco World News, 29 Nov 2018. Retrieved 11 Apr 2022.
  5. ^ a b "2014 General Population and Habitat Census". rgphentableaux.hcp.ma. Retrieved 2019-09-15.
  6. ^ 2011 Constitution of Morocco Full text of the 2011 Constitution (French) Archived 2012-02-29 at the Wayback Machine
  7. ^ "La Francophonie dans le monde." (Archive) Organisation Internationale de la Francophonie. p. 16. Retrieved on 15 October 2012.
  8. ^ Cite error: The named reference :2 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  9. ^ Babas, Latifa (18 December 2024). "How many Moroccans consider Tamazight their mother tongue, and where do they live ?". Yabiladi.
  10. ^ Ennaji, p. 164.
  11. ^ Ennaji, p. 162-163.
  12. ^ Francophonie: 88 Etats et gouvernements
  13. ^ Fernández Vítores, David (2014), La lengua española en Marruecos (PDF), ISBN 978-9954-22-936-1, archived from the original (PDF) on November 22, 2019
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