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Language Policy and Language Planning in the Arab World and Africa
Edited by : Moha Ennaji
2011 / Issue 27

Moha Ennaji
Introduction

Abderrezak Dourari
L’enseignement de tamazight en Algérie : contexte
sociopolitique et problématique d’aménagement linguistique

John Costello
Classical Arabic-based Identity and ‘Linguistic’ Performance
Anxiety

Jennifer L. Hall
Building Bridges in Morocco: Mother Tongue Literacy
Education Paving the Road to Standard Arabic

Moha Ennaji 
Planification linguistique et enseignement de la langue amazighe

Abdelaziz Kesbi
Arabization and Translation: Focus on Lexical Issues 

Abderrahman Zouhir 
The Place of English in Morocco as Perceived by Faculty
and Students of a Moroccan University

Noa Nishimoto
Implementation of Language Policies and the Reform
of the Education System in Madagascar

 
 
L’enseignement de tamazight en Algérie : contexte
sociopolitique et problématique d’aménagement linguistique
Abderrezak Dourari

Abstract

    The first article, by Abderrezak Dourari, is a sociopolitical case study that explores the situation of Amazigh (Berber) language in Algeria and its evolution since the 1940s. This article presents a global perspective of pedagogical and sociolinguistic problems encountered in the process of Amazigh language teaching which account partly for the regression Amazigh in terms of its prestige and popularity. The study is a historical analysis of the controversy linked to the introduction of Amazigh language in the Algerian school system and its recent evolution.
 
 
Classical Arabic-based Identity and ‘Linguistic’ Performance
Anxiety
John Costello

Abstract

    The second article by John Costello deals with questions of linguistic insecurity related to the Classical Arabic and Arab identity. Rather than answering these questions definitively, the author sets up a theoretical framework for future research into the relationship between linguistic insecurity among individual speakers of Classical Arabic and Classical Arabic-based national identity. In addition, this article raises some socioeconomic and philosophical questions associated with the maintenance of the Classical Arabic/Arab identity linkage. 

 
 
Building Bridges in Morocco: Mother Tongue Literacy
Education Paving the Road to Standard Arabic
Jennifer L. Hall

Abstract

     Jennifer Hall’s article presents a case study of a new and innovative approach to adult literacy education in Morocco called “passerelle.” Passerelle aims to teach adult women to first write their mother tongues, Moroccan Arabic or Berber, using Standard Arabic orthography before transitioning them to broader Standard Arabic literacy skills. Passerelle was developed and tested by a joint American and Moroccan project run by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) between 2005 and 2008 and has since been implemented by the Moroccan government in six regions of Morocco. An analysis of passerelle primers and ethnographical data from passerelle based classes in both rural and urban settings are discussed in this study. 

 
 
Planification linguistique et enseignement de la langue amazighe
Moha Ennaji

Abstract

    Moha Ennaji’s article examines language planning and policy and their impact on the teaching and learning of Amazigh language in Morocco. He shows that the success of the introduction of Amazigh in education depends on language planning and decision-makers who should seriously address this issue. The reluctance of policy-makers toward Amazigh should end now that the Amazigh language is recognized by the new constitution of July 2011 as an official language alongside Classical Arabic. The successful introduction of Tamazight in schools is also linked to the development of appropriate programs and educational tools. A system of supervision, monitoring and evaluation is imperative, and the development of teaching materials and television programs specializing in the teaching of Amazigh is a prerogative. Until now there is a total void in the domain of teacher training, the media library and audio-visual aids in general relating to the teaching of the Amazigh.

 
 
Arabization and Translation: Focus on Lexical Issues
Abdelaziz Kesbi

Abstract

    The article by Abdelaziz Kesbi article addresses the issue of Arabization and translation with a focus on the lexicographic deficiencies noted in Arabic dictionaries. These factors negatively affect the success of the Arabization process. The analysis of some dictionaries reveals clearly several weaknesses and deficiencies in the Arabic entries and translations. The author gives examples and propose some solutions that would eventually promote the field of translation, a condition sine qua non of any development in the Arab world.
 
  
The Place of English in Morocco as Perceived by Faculty
and Students of a Moroccan University
Abderrahman Zouhir

Abstract

     Abderrahman Zouhir’s article discusses the place of English in Moroccan schools and universities, where English is the most popular foreign language nowadays and is becoming a serious rival of French. The data of this study were collected in a university of one of the major cities in Morocco. Findings from this study support the claim that English is creeping in Moroccan academic life and highlight the challenges that students and teachers face. This article also touches upon the broader repercussions of this discussion, which include issues of globalization and language policy.

 
 
Implementation of Language Policies and the Reform
of the Education System in Madagascar
Noa Nishimoto

Abstract

Noa Nishimoto’s article discusses the current language policies in Madagascar by focusing on the education system. The article is based on participatory research that the author conducted in the field intermittently from 2006 to 2008. After describing the Malagasy linguistic diversity and mutual intelligibility in the country, the author presents an overview of the chronology of language policies from the period of Malagasization (1972–1982), through the reintroduction of the French language (1982–1992), to the present day, before examining the current literacy education at the primary school level and then discussing the issues regarding technical terminology and its use.