The Moroccan linguistic landscape: the linguistic neighbourhood and the situation of the Spanish language on the other side of the Strait

In this article we will try to shed light on the Moroccan linguistic panorama by pointing out the contact between the languages that exist in the country, as well as the situation of Spanish and the status it has in Moroccan society. After independence, most Maghreb countries have faced a linguistic situation characterised by multilingualism with a predominance of the colonial language (Boukous, quoted in Moustawi, 2004). However, Morocco may be considered a spatial case owing to the complexity of its linguistic landscape, which is divided into two blocks: the first consists of the national languages, Arabic and Amazigh; and the second is made up of the European languages, French, Spanish and English. It is therefore a complex linguistic situation. 

The origin of this situation has to do with the arrival of the Arabs in a Berber-speaking country in the seventh and eighth centuries (Sánchez, 2007). Similarly, in the 20th century the Spanish-French protectorate saw the arrival of two colonial languages. However, the Spanish language is considered a special case, as several investigations show that its presence began in the 15th century with the arrival of refugees, immigrants and settlers from Spain (Vitores, 2014). To all this should be added the arrival of English as an international language, which began to gradually gain ground throughout Morocco.

The complexity of the Moroccan linguistic landscape is not only related to the existence of several foreign languages, but the national languages have different types. Firstly, Arabic is divided into two varieties: Moroccan Arabic and classical Arabic. The first variety, also called Dariŷa, is the dialect used throughout the country. It should be noted that in recent years a lot of importance has been given to teaching Moroccan Arabic to foreigners, as it is the official language of communication. For example, the Instituto Cervantes in Tangier offers classes of Dariŷa, and these courses are in great demand, especially by Spanish and French people living in the city. There are also movements that support the idea of introducing Dariŷa into local schools, something that was not supported by Moroccan society, as Moroccan Arabic is considered a colloquial form of communication and cannot be part of the Moroccan education system.

It should be noted that Dariŷa changes according to the area; for example, we find a clear influence of Spanish in the speech of the northern areas, in fact the dialect of that area is plagued by Hispanisms, especially in the cities of Tangier and Tetouan, as the latter was the capital of the Spanish protectorate. In contrast, in the centre of Morocco, French has a significant presence and clearly influences the dialect spoken in the area. 

On the other hand, we find classical Arabic, which is the official language of the country, and is used in the administrations, the media, etc. It can be said that the importance of classical Arabic lies in the cultural and religious character it has; this is due to the fact that there is an enormous amount of literature written in classical Arabic, in the same way that it is the language of the Koran. Therefore, classical Arabic has a lot of prestige in the whole country.

The block of national languages is completed by Amazigh, also known as Berber, which is divided into three types: Tarifit, used in the north of the country, Tamazight in the centre and Tachelhit in the south (Llorent, 2014).

As far as the use and status of foreign languages is concerned, it is clear today that French occupies a very important place in the Alaouite kingdom, as it is the first foreign language par excellence and is considered an official language in different fields, such as, for example, in the administrations, in higher studies, etc.

This gives great importance to the French language, especially in the process of integration into the labour market, as French is an indispensable requirement in several sectors. Therefore, it is a language that is very valuable in Moroccan society.

As for the Spanish one, it can be said that it still has a notable presence in the northern area, for example, the number of Spanish companies offering jobs, especially telecommunication companies, stands out. Spanish television also has a large following, especially the football and cinema channels, etc., particularly in the cities of Tetouan and Tangiers. 

Finally, English, despite not being considered a colonial language in Morocco, began to gain ground owing to its worldwide importance until it became widespread throughout the country and now has a high status in Moroccan society. In this sense, it may be deduced that economic power plays an essential role in the dissemination of a language. 

It is evident that Spanish has historically had an important presence in Morocco, as it had the status of second foreign language, even during the time of the protectorate it became an official language in several sectors (Benyaya, 2007; Palma, 2019). However, it has now lost its prominence and has deteriorated alarmingly. As far as the teaching of Spanish is concerned, it should be noted that it currently has a very limited presence in the Moroccan education system; the Spanish language is limited to 138 secondary schools and 308 qualified secondary schools (Vitores, 2014). This shows that the language of Cervantes has disappeared from many schools. In addition, Spanish does not appear in the education system until the last year of secondary school, whereas French, for example, is present in all schools and is compulsory from the second year of primary school. Likewise, student demand for Spanish as a second foreign language has clearly decreased.

This shows that the Spanish language has lost its status as a second foreign language in favour of English.

The decline of Spanish in Morocco is related to several aspects: first, since independence, the Moroccan government has followed a policy of Frenchisation in all areas. Political and economic relations with France were a key element that facilitated the spread of French throughout Moroccan territory. "The Moroccan authorities, for strict political reasons, strictly applied official bilingualism: Arabic and French" (Moratinos, quoted in Vitores, 2014, p.30).

Another cause of the complicated situation of the Spanish language in Morocco is the scant investment Spain made in disseminating its language and culture in its neighbour in the Straits of Gibraltar, particularly in the period following Morocco's independence (El Khoutabi, quoted in Vitores, 2014). This facilitated the spread of French throughout the country, and later English.  

In short, since independence the Moroccan government has followed a process of Frenchisation in all areas, as Spanish gradually began to lose its importance until it became a third foreign language and, in many cases, a complementary language. And despite the fact that Spanish shares the status of colonial language with French, its presence in Moroccan society is much lower (Moratinos, 1993). It can be said that the job opportunities offered by the Spanish language in Morocco are very limited; it also offers few options in higher education, which has worsened its situation and decreased the interest in the Cervantes language in Moroccan educational centres.  On the other hand, French and English are considered the languages of the future and an essential element that facilitates access to the labour market. 

We consider that the Spanish language is in an unfavourable situation on the other side of the Strait.  The Moroccan Government and the Spanish Government must cooperate together to build bridges and find effective solutions, since in many cases the agreements made are not implemented, which prevents the improvement of the position of the Spanish language in Moroccan society. 

Omar ibn Salah, Moroccan researcher

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