Language and Global Access
One of the things that most excited me about this study abroad in Morocco was the idea of being immersed in multiple languages at once. Our first few days have more than delivered. The high point of my trip so far was at the blueberry farm when the brother-owners, Mohammed and Abdile Ali, took turns teaching about their operation, alternating in English (when addressing our group), Arabic (when conferring with one another), and Spanish (when Abdile Ali assumed that because a few of our group understood Spanish that all of our group did - I thought this was charming).
I have been jealous of our Moroccan hosts for being so linguistically equipped for the world market. I quickly made the assumption that if you are a Moroccan, you are a Polyglot. However, a few brief exchanges with wait staff and chauffeurs left me open to the idea that not all Moroccans are as multi-lingual as our guides have been. A study from 2019 "found that only 35 percent of Moroccans speak French" (Koundouno, 2019) and that in fact "just 1 in 4 Moroccans speak French to a bilingual standard" (Wheatley, 2024).
This presents a disparity in opportunities as available to Moroccans. The geographical proximity to European markets and the strong European influence of past decades makes language acquisition more than just a novelty as it can feel like in the U.S. Here it is of much greater consequence. I must acknowledge my own assumptions and admit that this assessment is based on my perception and opinion as much as it might be on fact, but I argue that if only 35% of the population speak the nation's trade language, then it inevitably leaves 65% as a marginalized community with limited opportunity for economic advancement.
References
Koundouno, T. (2019, March 20). International Francophonie Day: 35% Moroccans speak French. Morocco World News. https://www.moroccoworldnews.com/2019/03/81908/international-francophonie-day-moroccan-french/
Wheatley, C. (2024, July 23). About French in Morocco. CROSSROADS CULTURAL EXCHANGE. https://www.crossroadsculturalexchange.com/blog/about-french
Hey Eric! This is definitely eye opening - I assumed that much more of the Moroccan population spoke French. It kind of makes me draw parallels between the availability and level of work to people living in France depending on how much French they know. From what I’ve been taught, you have to know the language to be able to get a well-paying/decent job in France. But it’s interesting how the use of that language impacts workers not just in France, but in its former colonies as well. It really begs the question of whether the colonial French influence is servicing Morocco or doing a disservice (considering how relatively few people speak French and how important it is to secure employment).
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