A study on the sociolinguistic profile of students instructed in three different languages in marocco: standard modern arabic, french and dariya

Authors

  • Lamia Hadri Tahiri
  • Manuela Martínez Lorca
  • Mª Carmen Zabala Baños
Keywords: Diglossia, sociolinguistic profile, Modern Standard Arabic, French, Darija

Abstract

Objectives: to determine whether a situation of diglossia exists in Morocco by evaluating the sociolinguistic profile (domain of use and language attitudes) and oral comprehension in Modern Standard Arabic, French and Darija. Method: A descriptive transversal study was conducted in which 27 nine-year old pupils from the third grade of a private Moroccan Primary School took part. An ad hoc questionnaire was used as a measure to evaluate domain of use, language attitudes and oral comprehension in the three languages. Results: French is the most valued and widely-used language in educational settings. Attitudes towards Modern Standard Arabic are very positive and it is present in many domains of use. Darija is the language used in family conversations and language attitudes towards it are negative. Conclusion: There exists a language imbalance between Modern Standard Arabic, French and Darija which depends on the settings of use and the different attitudes towards the languages. There is a difference of status resulting in the predominant use of one language over another in certain activities and situations.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.
Published
15-01-2016
How to Cite
Hadri Tahiri, L., Martínez Lorca, M., & Zabala Baños, M. C. (2016). A study on the sociolinguistic profile of students instructed in three different languages in marocco: standard modern arabic, french and dariya. Journal of Linguistic Research, 18, 89–114. Retrieved from https://revistas.um.es/ril/article/view/246941
Issue
Section
Monograph