For those who don't know, there is a formal arabic (MSA) and a regional dialect for basically everywhere in the Arabic-speaking world. The dialect here is darija and it is one of the farthest removed from MSA. A Moroccan and a Saudian talking to each other would not be able to understand each other. Incidentally, linguists define the difference between languages and dialects as follows: If there is mutual comprehension, then you're speaking two dialects of the same language. If not, then you're speaking two different languages. Obviously the definition of vague, but regardless, I think it's clear that darija is a distinct language from Arabic. One could probably say the same about the Egyptian, Syrian, Saudian dialects as well. The reason they aren't called distinct languages is almost certainly to preserve pan-Arab unity.
One thing that surprised me is how little people know MSA. MSA is essentially the language of the Qur'an as well as of the media and administration, so I assumed that generally people knew it but if you spoke it, you sounded like a pedantic ass. In fact, plenty of people just won't understand you because they don't understand the Qur'an or the media or the elites. Other people will sort of understand but definitely can't speak it. From what I understand, this is vastly different than 20 or 30 years ago when very, very few people understood it at all. So perhaps if I return in ten years, most people will understand MSA.
On the other hand, a lot of people think MSA might generally be on its way out and certain colloquials (especially Egyptian) might kind of take over, as mass media begins to be used more in colloquial and also to reach more people. Social medias are all going to be colloquial dominated, but if people from different regions want to communicate with each other, it's a reasonable guess that one colloquial will end up dominating and Egyptian seems poised to take that role (many people can understand it because so many films, TV shows etc come from Egypt -- although maybe economic decline will change this?). But nobody really has any idea what will happen.
Lastly, ~50% of the population speaks a Berber language as a first language (although they almost all speak darija as a second). The population is far, far more ethnically Berber (Amazigh = "noble people") than one might think given the dominance of Arab culture. Recently there has been a bit of an Amazigh identity movement which stems from colonialism. Long story short: During colonialism, the French adopted a number of policies designed to divide the Berbers (Amazigh) and the Arabs in order to prevent a unified opposition. In many ways, this created the concept of an Amazigh identity, which hadn't really existed before. After independence, Arab elites fought to remove this concept of an Amazigh identity, for example by banning Berber from schools, contriving a convoluted history of the Amazigh that said they were from Yemen and lived primitive lives until they saw the light of Islam, claimed that Berber and Arabic were linguistically related (they're not), and jailed people for issuing Amazigh pride publications.
Recently (last ~5 years) this policy has been reversed and now schools can even be taught in Berber languages, and an Amazigh culture movement is growing.
But the point is that in an already fairly interesting linguistic situation where you have everyone speaking darija, MSA and French both used in media/government/among elites (and MSA also practically identical to Qur'anic Arabic), tons of people code-switching between all three languages, and the further complication of international communication, pan-Arab identity, etc, you also have this other element that nobody really likes to talk about which is that most of your population is Amazigh.
One thing that surprised me is how little people know MSA. MSA is essentially the language of the Qur'an as well as of the media and administration, so I assumed that generally people knew it but if you spoke it, you sounded like a pedantic ass. In fact, plenty of people just won't understand you because they don't understand the Qur'an or the media or the elites. Other people will sort of understand but definitely can't speak it. From what I understand, this is vastly different than 20 or 30 years ago when very, very few people understood it at all. So perhaps if I return in ten years, most people will understand MSA.
On the other hand, a lot of people think MSA might generally be on its way out and certain colloquials (especially Egyptian) might kind of take over, as mass media begins to be used more in colloquial and also to reach more people. Social medias are all going to be colloquial dominated, but if people from different regions want to communicate with each other, it's a reasonable guess that one colloquial will end up dominating and Egyptian seems poised to take that role (many people can understand it because so many films, TV shows etc come from Egypt -- although maybe economic decline will change this?). But nobody really has any idea what will happen.
Lastly, ~50% of the population speaks a Berber language as a first language (although they almost all speak darija as a second). The population is far, far more ethnically Berber (Amazigh = "noble people") than one might think given the dominance of Arab culture. Recently there has been a bit of an Amazigh identity movement which stems from colonialism. Long story short: During colonialism, the French adopted a number of policies designed to divide the Berbers (Amazigh) and the Arabs in order to prevent a unified opposition. In many ways, this created the concept of an Amazigh identity, which hadn't really existed before. After independence, Arab elites fought to remove this concept of an Amazigh identity, for example by banning Berber from schools, contriving a convoluted history of the Amazigh that said they were from Yemen and lived primitive lives until they saw the light of Islam, claimed that Berber and Arabic were linguistically related (they're not), and jailed people for issuing Amazigh pride publications.
Recently (last ~5 years) this policy has been reversed and now schools can even be taught in Berber languages, and an Amazigh culture movement is growing.
But the point is that in an already fairly interesting linguistic situation where you have everyone speaking darija, MSA and French both used in media/government/among elites (and MSA also practically identical to Qur'anic Arabic), tons of people code-switching between all three languages, and the further complication of international communication, pan-Arab identity, etc, you also have this other element that nobody really likes to talk about which is that most of your population is Amazigh.
Thanks for all this information. I really appreciate you entertaining us and educating us in this blog.
ReplyDelete