In this article, we will delve into what’s considered a very complex and delicate subject. Rational thinking would have us treat this subject with a scientific rigor, and a clarifying methodology in analyzing the different aspects of the subject and mixing them with one another in order to gain a better understanding of the overall phenomenon. Truly, the complexity of this subject does not allow an overarching constructive analyzation of the subject but rather we can discuss the problems or the limits of the Moroccan dialect or as it’s called the Darija.

Here we are dealing with a problem from the middle ages that many societies have had to cross in order to unify their citizens around a common language; a language that can serve as a medium that allows society to cultivate itself and to progress. If we were to refer back to history, there were some intellectuals and writers that worked to develop languages such as French and Italian: Dante or the circle of Pleiades are very good examples. Moroccan society much like French society suffered of diglossia (usage of two languages) because until the end of the 18th century, Latin had the status of the main language for the transmission of knowledge and thus it was taught in school as opposed to French which had been used as the common everyday language. Latin was reserved for the elite and French was for the general public. This separation of languages was a good way of keeping a tight stronghold over the economy, politics and of course religion. This of course was not a plot, but this situation came from several other cultural, philosophic and socio-economic developments.

The dual language use phenomenon can observed when Arabic and the Darija (a variant of Arabic) coexist together in Moroccan society in a relatively stable fashion. Arabic benefits of a privileged status is used in formal education, contrastingly, the Darija is only used for everyday interactions.

The reality of this situation today is known to everyone and there is no need to describe it. Although unable to hold a conversation in modern Arabic, we have nevertheless studied this language, but all is in vain though except for liturgical needs at certain other specific areas of study. To integrate one’s self into the high echelons of economics, one must have perfect mastery over either English or French, which is not the case for the majority of Moroccan society. The political spheres require a perfect mastery over Arabic or at least the appearance of it, which excludes most of the francophone and Anglophone students both of which are important sectors in the development of the country. This situation places the student in front of an extremely difficult cognitive task because the acquisition of knowledge becomes very arduous. The teaching of modern Arabic in schools shows its limits, that’s why it becomes important to open a serious debate over such questions and to think about alternative solutions that won’t have unanimous support.

The only true language that unites people is the Darija, and its variants, which are left developing sporadically. Yet, without intervention, without known conventions and a nomenclature for this dialect (shameful for some), without all of the above emerging, we can’t aspire to development or a common social rise. Knowledge passes through language and there must be a debate of this knowledge in order to sharpen the spirits. We can’t allow ourselves to have this debate in Darija over subjects that we learned in Arabic to finally write them in French! In this way a process of bypassing takes places. Can we revive the Darija today and thus manage this problem of multilingualism? The response is absolutely, yes, we can do it. But the question is more so of knowing if it would be necessary to put it forth because some well to do thinkers will say: what will the Darija serve in schools and the world where communication in English is paramount, where knowledge, articles, scientific revues and job opportunities all require mastery of either French or English at the very least? It is worth of noting that some Scandinavian countries have abandoned little by little certain dialects and gave more importance to English in their education. Likewise, in the 70s, Finland established a national program to teach languages throughout the different levels of one’s education. Scandinavian citizens are perfectly bilinguals and some abandoned their old languages and relied on the use of the emerging languages which provide easier access to knowledge. In an ideal society, where political and theological factors don’t come into play, a society open to e-learning, to cultural exchanges and cognizant of economic factors, the solution is push young people to express themselves and to study in languages that facilitate learning, far from all the political games and nationalistic propaganda. But realistically, we don’t live in this kind of utopian world, and even if our discourse changed to become more open to such an idea, we won’t enough sufficiently qualified teachers to do this.

Assembling the nation, eradicating illiteracy can take place by having a unified Moroccan language that will include the other dialects (Tamazight, Tachelhit, and the Tarifit). To deconstruct all these dialects and to reconstruct them around a kind of federal Darija will be the pride of the Moroccan people who will then be able to finally express themselves, write, read, and be capable of literary, artistic and philosophic creativity and innovation. The road is long but its possible. This is a relatively easy task compared to the task of creating of Modern Hebrew from biblical Hebrew (which is reserved only for liturgical purposes). This was done by Eliezer Ben Yahouda in an effort to unify the Jewish people around the world. Ben Yahouda, the creator of Modern Hebrew, undertook in the beginning of the 20th century the writing of a Hebrew dictionary that combined all the terms of biblical and Mishnah Hebrew that can possibly be used in the new Modern Hebrew thus we see the creation of a new Hebrew neologism. We see today, after 100 years, an explosion of works in Hebrew in subjects of science, education, history, and literary, creating a strong sense of nationalism and on a macro level, economic and cultural development.

As for the question of whether this new form of unified Darija should be Latinized or not like several languages such as Vietnamese (Quốc ngữ), Romanji, or Turkish, which allows for rapid, simple learning, opening to the world and to technology. This is a matter that ought to be examined because it might contribute to incorporating the descendants of Moroccans that live overseas who can’t read Arabic, and also some expatriots who speak Darija without being able to read it. What is certain though is that language evolves from top to bottom, that’s to say that our intellectuals, politicians, and media (top classes) have to help bring about a language that is harmonious, modern, and rich that will be taken up by the bottom classes (the relationship between the top and bottom classes here is not used in a derogatory sense but rather its used to point the pyramid-like dynamic taking place here). There are many examples of writers, musicians and politicians such as Jules Ferry, Alexandre Pouchkine, and William Shakespeare among others, who contributed to renewing their respective languages and giving them an international dimension.

We have to still respond to many problems before proposing the use of Darija in schools. It is also important to insure that these future men and women continue to be bilingual. This offers a true and real solution that does not get rid of multilingualism but also does not keep this counterproductive model of frenchifying businesses and Arabizing schools. As for those that think that this linguistic model should be maintained in order to keep a permanent place for the elite in the top ranks through the imposition of linguistic barriers, such a bourgeois model is of the past and it hinders the economy and it does not help in raising the level of prosperity and cooperation.

This recurring spiral limits the development of even the elite class of society which restricts itself to picking up the crumbs left over from international commerce. Some are certainly satisfied with this situation but there will come a time when things have to change because here we are not demanding anything but the bare minimum of education and social mobility for all.

It’s also important to add one last cultural and psycholinguistic point, in that the Darija that we know today does not allow for the profound expression of certain emotions like pain, love and passion. This is due to the dialect’s restricted vocabulary, its rigidity, and its masculine macho, because and we confess, the dialect’s vocabulary is certainly created by men. This whole situation in one way or another feeds a feeling of frustration that can lead to aggression. It is evident that language by itself does not constitute the only form of communication, but if we communicate exclusively through the oral canal, there will certainly be psychological repercussions.

For the intellectuals, it’s difficult to express themselves and their ideas in Darija because they have to frequently utilize foreign expressions to help clarify their views. In the absence of many terms and expressions needed, we end up returning to other foreign languages that have such terms which then leads to a kind of restriction of the access to knowledge to a few that understand foreign languages.

To stop this discrimination and to open the door to everybody to participate in this academic enrichment of our language is everybody’s business. Of course, Arabic would be neglected in this scenario but it can serve as a second language or a liturgical language. The unification and structuring of the Darija as well as having strong second languages will allow Moroccan society to progress rapidly because here were are giving people the keys to their resuscitation.

Samir Taouaou - Translated by Omer Kassim French version : http://onorient.com/manifeste-pour-ladoption-dune-nouvelle-darija-4709-20140302