Languages of Morocco
Encyclopedia
A multitude of Languages are used in Morocco
, the native languages of Moroccans are Moroccan Arabic
(known as Darija
) and Amazigh Languages
. The official Languages are Classical Arabic and the Amazigh Language
.
Amazigh Language exists in Morocco in three different -yet related- languages: Riff, Shilha, and Central Atlas. In Morocco
, there are 15 to 18 million Berber speakers, about 50 to 65% of the population. Tachelhit in the High Atlas
, the Anti-Atlas
and Souss, the Tamazight
in the Middle Atlas
and rates
in the region of Rif
. Many Berbers were also established in major cities.
French
, which remains Morocco's unofficial second language
, is taught universally and serves as Morocco's primary language of commerce and economics; it is also widely used in education and government. Morocco is a member of the Francophonie.
Spanish
, is also spoken by some Moroccans, especially in the northern regions. English
, is spoken sporadically in the business, science and education sectors. Its usage and learning has grown over the last decade, since the introduction of an education reform in 2002, which established the teaching English since the 7th grade in public schools.
Arabic is Morocco's official language although it is the Moroccan dialect of Arabic, namely Darija
that is spoken or understood, frequently as a second language, by the majority of the population (about 85% of the total population). Many native Berber speakers, also speak the local Arabic variant.
In 1995 the number of native speakers in Morocco was approximately 16 million (60% of the total population), and 21 million including the Moroccan diaspora
.
As a member of the Maghrebi Arabic grouping of dialects, Moroccan Arabic is similar to the dialects spoken in Mauritania
, Algeria
, Tunisia
, and Libya
(and also Maltese
). The country shows a marked difference in urban and rural dialects. This is due to the history of settlement. Originally, Arabs established centers of power in only a few cities and ports in the region, with the effect that the other areas remained Berber-speaking
. Then in the 11th century, Bedouin
tribes swept through much of the unsettled areas, spreading with them their distinct Arabic dialect in the non-urbanized areas and leaving speakers of Berber in isolated areas in the more mountainous regions.
The below table presents statistical figures of speakers, based on the 2004 population census (Population aged 5 and above)
The exact population of Amazigh Language
speakers is hard to ascertain, since most North African countries do not -traditionally- record language data in their censuses(An exception to this was the 2004 Morocco
popultation census). The Ethnologue provides a useful academic starting point ; however, its bibliographic references are inadequate, and it rates its own accuracy at only B-C for the area. Early colonial censuses may provide better documented figures for some countries; however, these are also very much out of date. The number for each dialect is difficult to estimate.
Speakers of Riff dialect were estimated to be around 1.5 million in 1990.
The language is spoken in the Rif area in the north of the country, and is the smallest Berber dialect in Morocco, by number of speakers.
The tashelhit language is considered to be the most widely spoken as it covers the whole of the Region Souss-Massa-Draâ
, and is also spoken in the Marrakech-Tensift-El Haouz
and Tadla-Azilal
regions. Studies done in 1990 show around 3 million people, concentrated in the south of Morocco, speak the dialect.
Central Morocco Tamazight
is the second Berber language in Morocco. A 1998 study done by Ethnologue
, shows that around 3 million people speak the language in Morocco. The language is most used in the regions Middle Atlas
, High Atlas
and east High Atlas Mountains.
Other Berber dialects are spoken in Morocco, as the Senhaja de Srair
and the Ghomara
dialects in the Rif
mountains and the Figuig Shilha in Figuig
(not to be confused with Atlas Shilha
).
In 1952, André Basset ("La langue berbère", Handbook of African Languages, Part I, Oxford) estimated that a "small majority" of Morocco's population spoke Berber. The 1960 census estimated that 34% of Moroccans spoke Berber, including bi-, tri-, and quadrilinguals. In 2000, Karl Prasse cited "more than half" in an interview conducted by Brahim Karada at Tawalt.com. According to the Ethnologue (by deduction from its Moroccan Arabic figures), the Berber-speaking population is estimated at 65% (1991 and 1995). However, the figures it gives for individual languages only add up to 7.5 million, or about 57%. Most of these are accounted for by three dialects:
This nomenclature is common in linguistic publications, but is significantly complicated by local usage: thus Shilha is sub-divided into Shilha of the Dra valley, Tasusit (the language of the Souss) and several other (mountain) dialects. Moreover, linguistic boundaries are blurred, such that certain dialects cannot accurately be described as either Central Morocco Tamazight (spoken in the Central and eastern Atlas area) or Shilha. The differences among all Moroccan dialects are not too pronounced: public radio news are broadcast using the various dialects; each journalist speaks his or her own dialect with the result that understanding is not obstructed, though most southern Berbers find Riff requires getting used to to understand it.
, is spoken by about 0.7% of the population mainly in the southern regions and the disputed territory of Western Sahara
. Communities of speakers exist elsewhere in Morocco too, especially in the metropolitan areas of Agadir
, Marrakech
, Rabat
and Casablanca
.
The below table presents statistical figures of speakers, based on the 2004 population census (Population aged 5 and above)
. Nonetheless, French remains an important language in Morocco, where it competes with/complements Standard Arabic as the language of written expression and of higher education.
About 20,000 Moroccans in the northern part of the country speak Spanish
. English
, while still far behind French and Spanish in terms of the number of speakers, is rapidly becoming the second foreign language of choice among educated youth, after French. As a result of national education reforms entering into force in late 2002, English will be taught in all public schools from the fourth year on.
Morocco
Morocco , officially the Kingdom of Morocco , is a country located in North Africa. It has a population of more than 32 million and an area of 710,850 km², and also primarily administers the disputed region of the Western Sahara...
, the native languages of Moroccans are Moroccan Arabic
Moroccan Arabic
Moroccan Arabic is the variety of Arabic spoken in the Arabic-speaking areas of Morocco. For official communications, the government and other public bodies use Modern Standard Arabic, as is the case in most Arabic-speaking countries. A mixture of French and Moroccan Arabic is used in business...
(known as Darija
Darija
Darija is the group of Arabic dialects spoken by Maghrebi Arabic speakers. It is only used for oral communication, with Modern Standard Arabic used for written communication...
) and Amazigh Languages
Berber languages
The Berber languages are a family of languages indigenous to North Africa, spoken from Siwa Oasis in Egypt to Morocco , and south to the countries of the Sahara Desert...
. The official Languages are Classical Arabic and the Amazigh Language
Berber languages
The Berber languages are a family of languages indigenous to North Africa, spoken from Siwa Oasis in Egypt to Morocco , and south to the countries of the Sahara Desert...
.
Amazigh Language exists in Morocco in three different -yet related- languages: Riff, Shilha, and Central Atlas. In Morocco
Morocco
Morocco , officially the Kingdom of Morocco , is a country located in North Africa. It has a population of more than 32 million and an area of 710,850 km², and also primarily administers the disputed region of the Western Sahara...
, there are 15 to 18 million Berber speakers, about 50 to 65% of the population. Tachelhit in the High Atlas
High Atlas
High Atlas, also called the Grand Atlas Mountains is a mountain range in central Morocco in Northern Africa.The High Atlas rises in the west at the Atlantic Ocean and stretches in an eastern direction to the Moroccan-Algerian border. At the Atlantic and to the southwest the range drops abruptly...
, the Anti-Atlas
Anti-Atlas
The Anti-Atlas or Lesser Atlas or Little Atlas, is a mountain range in Morocco, a part of the Atlas mountains in the northwest of Africa. The Anti-Atlas extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the southwest toward the northeast, to the heights of Ouarzazate and further east to the city of Tafilalt,...
and Souss, the Tamazight
Central Morocco Tamazight
Central Atlas Tamazight is a Berber languageCentral Atlas Tamazight may be referred to as either a Berber language or a Berber dialect...
in the Middle Atlas
Middle Atlas
The Middle Atlas is part of the Atlas mountain range lying in Morocco, a mountainous country with more than 100,000 km² or 15% of its landmass rising above 2,000 metres. The Middle Atlas is the northernmost of three Atlas Mountains chains that define a large plateaued basin extending eastward...
and rates
Rates
Rates is a Portuguese parish and town located in the municipality of Póvoa de Varzim. In the census of 2001, it had a population of 2,539 inhabitants and a total area of 13.88 square kilometres.-History:...
in the region of Rif
Rif
The Rif or Riff is a mainly mountainous region of northern Morocco, with some fertile plains, stretching from Cape Spartel and Tangier in the west to Ras Kebdana and the Melwiyya River in the east, and from the Mediterranean Sea in the north to the river of Wergha in the south.It is part of the...
. Many Berbers were also established in major cities.
French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
, which remains Morocco's unofficial second language
Second language
A second language or L2 is any language learned after the first language or mother tongue. Some languages, often called auxiliary languages, are used primarily as second languages or lingua francas ....
, is taught universally and serves as Morocco's primary language of commerce and economics; it is also widely used in education and government. Morocco is a member of the Francophonie.
Spanish
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
, is also spoken by some Moroccans, especially in the northern regions. English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
, is spoken sporadically in the business, science and education sectors. Its usage and learning has grown over the last decade, since the introduction of an education reform in 2002, which established the teaching English since the 7th grade in public schools.
Arabic
Arabic is Morocco's official language although it is the Moroccan dialect of Arabic, namely Darija
Moroccan Arabic
Moroccan Arabic is the variety of Arabic spoken in the Arabic-speaking areas of Morocco. For official communications, the government and other public bodies use Modern Standard Arabic, as is the case in most Arabic-speaking countries. A mixture of French and Moroccan Arabic is used in business...
that is spoken or understood, frequently as a second language, by the majority of the population (about 85% of the total population). Many native Berber speakers, also speak the local Arabic variant.
In 1995 the number of native speakers in Morocco was approximately 16 million (60% of the total population), and 21 million including the Moroccan diaspora
Moroccan diaspora
The Moroccan diaspora consists of emigrants from Morocco and their descendants. Of the estimated 4.5 million Moroccans living abroad, roughly two thirds live in Europe; the remainder are distributed throughout the Americas , Australia, Africa , and the countries of the Arab World.-History:Europe...
.
As a member of the Maghrebi Arabic grouping of dialects, Moroccan Arabic is similar to the dialects spoken in Mauritania
Hassaniya
Hassānīya is the variety of Arabic originally spoken by the Beni Hassān Bedouin tribes, who extended their authority over most of Mauritania and the Western Sahara between the fifteenth and seventeenth centuries. It has almost completely replaced the Berber languages spoken in this region...
, Algeria
Algerian Arabic
Algerian Arabic is the variety or varieties of Arabic spoken in Algeria. In Algeria, as elsewhere, spoken Arabic differs from written Arabic; Algerian Arabic has a vocabulary mostly Arabic, with significant Berber substrates, and many new words and loanwords borrowed from French, Turkish and...
, Tunisia
Tunisian Arabic
Tunisian Arabic is a Maghrebi dialect of the Arabic language, spoken by some 11 million people. It is usually known by its own speakers as Derja, which means dialect, to distinguish it from Standard Arabic, or as Tunsi, which means Tunisian...
, and Libya
Libyan Arabic
Libyan Arabic is a collective term for the closely related varieties of Arabic spoken in Libya. It can be divided into two major dialect areas; the eastern centred in Benghazi and Bayda, and the western centred in Tripoli and Misrata...
(and also Maltese
Maltese language
Maltese is the national language of Malta, and a co-official language of the country alongside English,while also serving as an official language of the European Union, the only Semitic language so distinguished. Maltese is descended from Siculo-Arabic...
). The country shows a marked difference in urban and rural dialects. This is due to the history of settlement. Originally, Arabs established centers of power in only a few cities and ports in the region, with the effect that the other areas remained Berber-speaking
Berber languages
The Berber languages are a family of languages indigenous to North Africa, spoken from Siwa Oasis in Egypt to Morocco , and south to the countries of the Sahara Desert...
. Then in the 11th century, Bedouin
Bedouin
The Bedouin are a part of a predominantly desert-dwelling Arab ethnic group traditionally divided into tribes or clans, known in Arabic as ..-Etymology:...
tribes swept through much of the unsettled areas, spreading with them their distinct Arabic dialect in the non-urbanized areas and leaving speakers of Berber in isolated areas in the more mountainous regions.
The below table presents statistical figures of speakers, based on the 2004 population census (Population aged 5 and above)
| Region | Moroccan Arabic | Total population | % Moroccan Arabic Moroccan Arabic Moroccan Arabic is the variety of Arabic spoken in the Arabic-speaking areas of Morocco. For official communications, the government and other public bodies use Modern Standard Arabic, as is the case in most Arabic-speaking countries. A mixture of French and Moroccan Arabic is used in business... speakers |
| Souss-Massa-Draa Souss-Massa-Draâ Souss-Massa-Draâ is one of the sixteen regions of Morocco. It is situated in central Morocco. It covers an area of 70,880 km² and has a population of 3,113,653 . The capital is Agadir... |
1,694,780 | 2,775,953 | 61.05% |
| Oriental | 1,487,620 | 1,739,440 | 85.52% |
| Guelmim-Es Semara Guelmim-Es Semara Guelmim-Es Semara is one of the sixteen regions of Morocco. It covers an area of 122,825 km² and has a population of 462,410 . The capital is Guelmim. The southern half of the region forms part of the Western Sahara.... |
261,109 | 382,029 | 68.35% |
| Meknes-Tafilalet Meknès-Tafilalet Meknès-Tafilalet is one of the sixteen regions of Morocco. It is situated in north-central Morocco, bordering Algeria. It covers an area of 79,210 km² and has a population of 2,141,527... |
1,633,122 | 1,926,247 | 84.78% |
| Tadla-Azilal Tadla-Azilal Tadla-Azilal ) is one of the sixteen regions of Morocco. It is situated in central Morocco. It covers an area of 17,125 km² and has a population of 1,450,519 . The capital is Beni Mellal.The region is made into of the following provinces :... |
1,038,765 | 1,299,536 | 79.93% |
| Marrakech-Tensift-El Haouz Marrakech-Tensift-El Haouz Marrakesh-Tensift-El Haouz is one of the sixteen regions of Morocco. It is situated in central Morocco. It covers an area of 31,160 km² and has a population of 3,102,652... |
2,358,910 | 2,765,908 | 85.29% |
| Taza-Al Hoceima-Taounate Taza-Al Hoceima-Taounate Taza-Al Hoceima-Taounate is one of the sixteen regions of Morocco. It is situated in northern Morocco. It covers an area of 24,155 km² and has a population of 1,807,113 . The capital is Al Hoceima.... |
1,461,182 | 1,613,315 | 90.57% |
| Rabat-Sale-Zemmour-Zaer Rabat-Salé-Zemmour-Zaer Rabat-Salé-Zemmour-Zaer is one of the sixteen regions of Morocco. It is situated in north-western Morocco. It covers an area of 9,580 km², and has a population of 2,366,494... |
2,101,916 | 2,136,636 | 98.38% |
| Fès-Boulemane Fès-Boulemane Fès-Boulemane ) is one of the sixteen regions of Morocco. It is situated in northern Morocco. It covers an area of 19,795 km² and has a population of 1,573,055 . The capital is Fès.... |
1,375,766 | 1,418,475 | 96.99% |
| Laayoune-Boujdour-Sakia El Hamra Laâyoune-Boujdour-Sakia El Hamra Laâyoune-Boujdour-Sakia El Hamra is one of the sixteen regions of Morocco. It is partly located in the disputed territory of Western Sahara. Most of the region is administered by Morocco.The region is made up into the following provinces:... |
181,413 | 219,505 | 82.65% |
| Oued Ed-Dahab-Lagouira Oued Ed-Dahab-Lagouira Oued Ed-Dahab-Lagouira is one of the sixteen regions of Morocco. It is situated in the disputed territory of Western Sahara, considered by Morocco to be the southern part of the country. The Polisario Front and other independence-seeking Sahrawis consider this to be a part of the Sahrawi Arab... |
53,988 | 64,163 | 84.14% |
| Grand Casablanca Grand Casablanca Grand Casablanca is one of sixteen administrative regions of Morocco. Located in coastal north western Morocco, it is the most densely populated region and covers an area of 1,615 km.² The population at the 2010 census was 7,500,000... |
3,292,543 | 3,306,334 | 99.58% |
| Tangier-Tetouan Tangier-Tetouan Tangier-Tetouan is one of the sixteen regions of Morocco. It is situated in north-western Morocco. It covers an area of 11,570 km² and has a population of 2,470,372... |
2,199,093 | 2,205,457 | 99.71% |
| Gharb-Chrarda-Beni Hssen Gharb-Chrarda-Béni Hssen Gharb-Chrarda-Béni Hssen is one of the sixteen regions of Morocco. It is situated in north-western Morocco. It covers an area of 8805 km² and has a population of 1,859,540 . The capital is Kenitra.... |
1,653,612 | 1,655,852 | 99.86% |
| Chaouia-Ouardigha Chaouia-Ouardigha Chaouia-Ouardigha ) is one of the sixteen regions of Morocco. It is situated in north-central Morocco. It covers an area of 7,010 km² and has a population of 1,655,660 . The capital is Settat.... |
1,476,318 | 1,478,605 | 99.85% |
| Doukkala-Abda Doukkala-Abda Doukkala-Abda ) is one of the sixteen regions of Morocco. It is situated in west-central Morocco. It covers an area of 13,285 km² and has a population of 1,984,039 . The capital is Safi.The region is made up into the following provinces :... |
1,765,904 | 1,768,150 | 99.87% |
| Morocco Morocco Morocco , officially the Kingdom of Morocco , is a country located in North Africa. It has a population of more than 32 million and an area of 710,850 km², and also primarily administers the disputed region of the Western Sahara... |
24,036,041 | 26,755,605 | 89.84% |
Amazigh
Berber languages
The Berber languages are a family of languages indigenous to North Africa, spoken from Siwa Oasis in Egypt to Morocco , and south to the countries of the Sahara Desert...
speakers is hard to ascertain, since most North African countries do not -traditionally- record language data in their censuses(An exception to this was the 2004 Morocco
Morocco
Morocco , officially the Kingdom of Morocco , is a country located in North Africa. It has a population of more than 32 million and an area of 710,850 km², and also primarily administers the disputed region of the Western Sahara...
popultation census). The Ethnologue provides a useful academic starting point ; however, its bibliographic references are inadequate, and it rates its own accuracy at only B-C for the area. Early colonial censuses may provide better documented figures for some countries; however, these are also very much out of date. The number for each dialect is difficult to estimate.
Speakers of Riff dialect were estimated to be around 1.5 million in 1990.
The language is spoken in the Rif area in the north of the country, and is the smallest Berber dialect in Morocco, by number of speakers.
The tashelhit language is considered to be the most widely spoken as it covers the whole of the Region Souss-Massa-Draâ
Souss-Massa-Draâ
Souss-Massa-Draâ is one of the sixteen regions of Morocco. It is situated in central Morocco. It covers an area of 70,880 km² and has a population of 3,113,653 . The capital is Agadir...
, and is also spoken in the Marrakech-Tensift-El Haouz
Marrakech-Tensift-El Haouz
Marrakesh-Tensift-El Haouz is one of the sixteen regions of Morocco. It is situated in central Morocco. It covers an area of 31,160 km² and has a population of 3,102,652...
and Tadla-Azilal
Tadla-Azilal
Tadla-Azilal ) is one of the sixteen regions of Morocco. It is situated in central Morocco. It covers an area of 17,125 km² and has a population of 1,450,519 . The capital is Beni Mellal.The region is made into of the following provinces :...
regions. Studies done in 1990 show around 3 million people, concentrated in the south of Morocco, speak the dialect.
Central Morocco Tamazight
Central Morocco Tamazight
Central Atlas Tamazight is a Berber languageCentral Atlas Tamazight may be referred to as either a Berber language or a Berber dialect...
is the second Berber language in Morocco. A 1998 study done by Ethnologue
Ethnologue
Ethnologue: Languages of the World is a web and print publication of SIL International , a Christian linguistic service organization, which studies lesser-known languages, to provide the speakers with Bibles in their native language and support their efforts in language development.The Ethnologue...
, shows that around 3 million people speak the language in Morocco. The language is most used in the regions Middle Atlas
Middle Atlas
The Middle Atlas is part of the Atlas mountain range lying in Morocco, a mountainous country with more than 100,000 km² or 15% of its landmass rising above 2,000 metres. The Middle Atlas is the northernmost of three Atlas Mountains chains that define a large plateaued basin extending eastward...
, High Atlas
High Atlas
High Atlas, also called the Grand Atlas Mountains is a mountain range in central Morocco in Northern Africa.The High Atlas rises in the west at the Atlantic Ocean and stretches in an eastern direction to the Moroccan-Algerian border. At the Atlantic and to the southwest the range drops abruptly...
and east High Atlas Mountains.
Other Berber dialects are spoken in Morocco, as the Senhaja de Srair
Senhaja de Srair language
The language of the Senhaja de Srair, also Senhaya or Zenaga, is a Northern Berber language spoken in the southern part of the Moroccan Rif. It is most closely related to the Atlas languages, but heavily influenced by the neighboring Riff language Contrary to the Ethnologue, it is not extinct;...
and the Ghomara
Ghomara language
The language of the Ghomara is a Northern Berber language spoken by at least 10,000 people in Morocco near Tetouan and Chaouen. While included in the Zenati subgroup by some sources , it is probably more closely related to southern Moroccan languages, such as Central Atlas Tamazight and Shilha....
dialects in the Rif
Rif
The Rif or Riff is a mainly mountainous region of northern Morocco, with some fertile plains, stretching from Cape Spartel and Tangier in the west to Ras Kebdana and the Melwiyya River in the east, and from the Mediterranean Sea in the north to the river of Wergha in the south.It is part of the...
mountains and the Figuig Shilha in Figuig
Figuig
Figuig - Ifiyey is a town in eastern Morocco near the Atlas Mountains, on the border with Algeria.The town is built around an oasis of date palms, called Tazdayt in the Berber languages, surrounded by rugged, mountainous wilderness...
(not to be confused with Atlas Shilha
Shilha
Shilha, or Tashelhit, is a term used to refer to a number of Berber languages spoken across the northern Sahara. In international usage, it most commonly refers to the Shilha language spoken by the Shilha people of southwestern Morocco...
).
2004 Population Census
The below table presents statistical figures of speakers, based on the 2004 population census (Population aged 5 and above)| Region | Tashlhyt | Tamazight | Tarifit | Total pop | % of Amazigh Berber languages The Berber languages are a family of languages indigenous to North Africa, spoken from Siwa Oasis in Egypt to Morocco , and south to the countries of the Sahara Desert... speakers |
| Souss-Massa-Draa Souss-Massa-Draâ Souss-Massa-Draâ is one of the sixteen regions of Morocco. It is situated in central Morocco. It covers an area of 70,880 km² and has a population of 3,113,653 . The capital is Agadir... |
1,717,139 | 313,284 | 3,873 | 2,775,953 | 73.28% |
| Oriental | 48,076 | 85,916 | 741,913 | 1,739,440 | 50.36% |
| Guelmim-Es Semara Guelmim-Es Semara Guelmim-Es Semara is one of the sixteen regions of Morocco. It covers an area of 122,825 km² and has a population of 462,410 . The capital is Guelmim. The southern half of the region forms part of the Western Sahara.... |
182,695 | 6,670 | 766 | 382,029 | 49.77% |
| Meknes-Tafilalet Meknès-Tafilalet Meknès-Tafilalet is one of the sixteen regions of Morocco. It is situated in north-central Morocco, bordering Algeria. It covers an area of 79,210 km² and has a population of 2,141,527... |
37,533 | 843,595 | 33,966 | 1,926,247 | 47.51% |
| Tadla-Azilal Tadla-Azilal Tadla-Azilal ) is one of the sixteen regions of Morocco. It is situated in central Morocco. It covers an area of 17,125 km² and has a population of 1,450,519 . The capital is Beni Mellal.The region is made into of the following provinces :... |
199,092 | 409,446 | 1,436 | 1,299,536 | 46.94% |
| Marrakech-Tensift-El Haouz Marrakech-Tensift-El Haouz Marrakesh-Tensift-El Haouz is one of the sixteen regions of Morocco. It is situated in central Morocco. It covers an area of 31,160 km² and has a population of 3,102,652... |
969,561 | 14,170 | 2,372 | 2,765,908 | 35.65% |
| Taza-Al Hoceima-Taounate Taza-Al Hoceima-Taounate Taza-Al Hoceima-Taounate is one of the sixteen regions of Morocco. It is situated in northern Morocco. It covers an area of 24,155 km² and has a population of 1,807,113 . The capital is Al Hoceima.... |
18,923 | 111,731 | 338,083 | 1,613,315 | 29.05% |
| Rabat-Sale-Zemmour-Zaer Rabat-Salé-Zemmour-Zaer Rabat-Salé-Zemmour-Zaer is one of the sixteen regions of Morocco. It is situated in north-western Morocco. It covers an area of 9,580 km², and has a population of 2,366,494... |
166,658 | 268,687 | 14,965 | 2,136,636 | 21.08% |
| Fès-Boulemane Fès-Boulemane Fès-Boulemane ) is one of the sixteen regions of Morocco. It is situated in northern Morocco. It covers an area of 19,795 km² and has a population of 1,573,055 . The capital is Fès.... |
23,138 | 217,845 | 15,275 | 1,418,475 | 18.07% |
| Laayoune-Boujdour-Sakia El Hamra Laâyoune-Boujdour-Sakia El Hamra Laâyoune-Boujdour-Sakia El Hamra is one of the sixteen regions of Morocco. It is partly located in the disputed territory of Western Sahara. Most of the region is administered by Morocco.The region is made up into the following provinces:... |
28,352 | 6,569 | 891 | 219,505 | 16.31% |
| Oued Ed-Dahab-Lagouira Oued Ed-Dahab-Lagouira Oued Ed-Dahab-Lagouira is one of the sixteen regions of Morocco. It is situated in the disputed territory of Western Sahara, considered by Morocco to be the southern part of the country. The Polisario Front and other independence-seeking Sahrawis consider this to be a part of the Sahrawi Arab... |
6,910 | 3,214 | 296 | 64,163 | 16.24% |
| Grand Casablanca Grand Casablanca Grand Casablanca is one of sixteen administrative regions of Morocco. Located in coastal north western Morocco, it is the most densely populated region and covers an area of 1,615 km.² The population at the 2010 census was 7,500,000... |
367,558 | 25,067 | 9,036 | 3,306,334 | 12.15% |
| Tangier-Tetouan Tangier-Tetouan Tangier-Tetouan is one of the sixteen regions of Morocco. It is situated in north-western Morocco. It covers an area of 11,570 km² and has a population of 2,470,372... |
26,783 | 11,963 | 98,780 | 2,205,457 | 6.24% |
| Gharb-Chrarda-Beni Hssen Gharb-Chrarda-Béni Hssen Gharb-Chrarda-Béni Hssen is one of the sixteen regions of Morocco. It is situated in north-western Morocco. It covers an area of 8805 km² and has a population of 1,859,540 . The capital is Kenitra.... |
37,162 | 13,816 | 6,105 | 1,655,852 | 3.45% |
| Chaouia-Ouardigha Chaouia-Ouardigha Chaouia-Ouardigha ) is one of the sixteen regions of Morocco. It is situated in north-central Morocco. It covers an area of 7,010 km² and has a population of 1,655,660 . The capital is Settat.... |
40,858 | 8,308 | 1,435 | 1,478,605 | 3.42% |
| Doukkala-Abda Doukkala-Abda Doukkala-Abda ) is one of the sixteen regions of Morocco. It is situated in west-central Morocco. It covers an area of 13,285 km² and has a population of 1,984,039 . The capital is Safi.The region is made up into the following provinces :... |
24,367 | 3,656 | 1,794 | 1,768,150 | 1.69% |
| Morocco Morocco Morocco , officially the Kingdom of Morocco , is a country located in North Africa. It has a population of more than 32 million and an area of 710,850 km², and also primarily administers the disputed region of the Western Sahara... |
3,894,805 | 2,343,937 | 1,270,986 | 26,755,605 | 28.07% |
Older studies
"Few census figures are available; all countries (Algeria and Morocco included) do not count Berber languages. Population shifts in location and number, effects of urbanization and education in other languages, etc., make estimates difficult. In 1952 A. Basset (LLB.4) estimated the number of Berberophones at 5,500,000. Between 1968 and 1978 estimates ranged from eight to thirteen million (as reported by Galand, LELB 56, pp. 107, 123–25); Voegelin and Voegelin (1977, p. 297) call eight million a conservative estimate. In 1980, S. Chaker estimated that the Berberophone populations of Kabylie and the three Moroccan groups numbered more than one million each; and that in Algeria, 3,650,000, or one out of five Algerians, speak a Berber language (Chaker 1984, pp. 8-)In 1952, André Basset ("La langue berbère", Handbook of African Languages, Part I, Oxford) estimated that a "small majority" of Morocco's population spoke Berber. The 1960 census estimated that 34% of Moroccans spoke Berber, including bi-, tri-, and quadrilinguals. In 2000, Karl Prasse cited "more than half" in an interview conducted by Brahim Karada at Tawalt.com. According to the Ethnologue (by deduction from its Moroccan Arabic figures), the Berber-speaking population is estimated at 65% (1991 and 1995). However, the figures it gives for individual languages only add up to 7.5 million, or about 57%. Most of these are accounted for by three dialects:
- Riff: 4.5 million (1991)
- Shilha: 7 million (1998)
- Central Morocco Tamazight: 7 million (1998)
This nomenclature is common in linguistic publications, but is significantly complicated by local usage: thus Shilha is sub-divided into Shilha of the Dra valley, Tasusit (the language of the Souss) and several other (mountain) dialects. Moreover, linguistic boundaries are blurred, such that certain dialects cannot accurately be described as either Central Morocco Tamazight (spoken in the Central and eastern Atlas area) or Shilha. The differences among all Moroccan dialects are not too pronounced: public radio news are broadcast using the various dialects; each journalist speaks his or her own dialect with the result that understanding is not obstructed, though most southern Berbers find Riff requires getting used to to understand it.
Hassani Dialect
HassānīyaHassaniya
Hassānīya is the variety of Arabic originally spoken by the Beni Hassān Bedouin tribes, who extended their authority over most of Mauritania and the Western Sahara between the fifteenth and seventeenth centuries. It has almost completely replaced the Berber languages spoken in this region...
, is spoken by about 0.7% of the population mainly in the southern regions and the disputed territory of Western Sahara
Western Sahara
Western Sahara is a disputed territory in North Africa, bordered by Morocco to the north, Algeria to the northeast, Mauritania to the east and south, and the Atlantic Ocean to the west. Its surface area amounts to . It is one of the most sparsely populated territories in the world, mainly...
. Communities of speakers exist elsewhere in Morocco too, especially in the metropolitan areas of Agadir
Agadir
Agadir is a major city in southwest Morocco, capital of the Agadir province and the Sous-Massa-Draa economic region .-Etymology:...
, Marrakech
Marrakech
Marrakech or Marrakesh , known as the "Ochre city", is the most important former imperial city in Morocco's history...
, Rabat
Rabat
Rabat , is the capital and third largest city of the Kingdom of Morocco with a population of approximately 650,000...
and Casablanca
Casablanca
Casablanca is a city in western Morocco, located on the Atlantic Ocean. It is the capital of the Grand Casablanca region.Casablanca is Morocco's largest city as well as its chief port. It is also the biggest city in the Maghreb. The 2004 census recorded a population of 2,949,805 in the prefecture...
.
The below table presents statistical figures of speakers, based on the 2004 population census (Population aged 5 and above)
| Region | Hassaniya | Total pop | % Hassniya speakers |
| Souss-Massa-Draa Souss-Massa-Draâ Souss-Massa-Draâ is one of the sixteen regions of Morocco. It is situated in central Morocco. It covers an area of 70,880 km² and has a population of 3,113,653 . The capital is Agadir... |
13,349 | 2,775,953 | 0.48% |
| Oriental | 573 | 1,739,440 | 0.03% |
| Guelmim-Es Semara Guelmim-Es Semara Guelmim-Es Semara is one of the sixteen regions of Morocco. It covers an area of 122,825 km² and has a population of 462,410 . The capital is Guelmim. The southern half of the region forms part of the Western Sahara.... |
68,597 | 382,029 | 17.96% |
| Meknes-Tafilalet Meknès-Tafilalet Meknès-Tafilalet is one of the sixteen regions of Morocco. It is situated in north-central Morocco, bordering Algeria. It covers an area of 79,210 km² and has a population of 2,141,527... |
983 | 1,926,247 | 0.05% |
| Tadla-Azilal Tadla-Azilal Tadla-Azilal ) is one of the sixteen regions of Morocco. It is situated in central Morocco. It covers an area of 17,125 km² and has a population of 1,450,519 . The capital is Beni Mellal.The region is made into of the following provinces :... |
470 | 1,299,536 | 0.04% |
| Marrakech-Tensift-El Haouz Marrakech-Tensift-El Haouz Marrakesh-Tensift-El Haouz is one of the sixteen regions of Morocco. It is situated in central Morocco. It covers an area of 31,160 km² and has a population of 3,102,652... |
3,248 | 2,765,908 | 0.12% |
| Taza-Al Hoceima-Taounate Taza-Al Hoceima-Taounate Taza-Al Hoceima-Taounate is one of the sixteen regions of Morocco. It is situated in northern Morocco. It covers an area of 24,155 km² and has a population of 1,807,113 . The capital is Al Hoceima.... |
186 | 1,613,315 | 0.01% |
| Rabat-Sale-Zemmour-Zaer Rabat-Salé-Zemmour-Zaer Rabat-Salé-Zemmour-Zaer is one of the sixteen regions of Morocco. It is situated in north-western Morocco. It covers an area of 9,580 km², and has a population of 2,366,494... |
2,781 | 2,136,636 | 0.13% |
| Fès-Boulemane Fès-Boulemane Fès-Boulemane ) is one of the sixteen regions of Morocco. It is situated in northern Morocco. It covers an area of 19,795 km² and has a population of 1,573,055 . The capital is Fès.... |
370 | 1,418,475 | 0.03% |
| Laayoune-Boujdour-Sakia El Hamra Laâyoune-Boujdour-Sakia El Hamra Laâyoune-Boujdour-Sakia El Hamra is one of the sixteen regions of Morocco. It is partly located in the disputed territory of Western Sahara. Most of the region is administered by Morocco.The region is made up into the following provinces:... |
86,926 | 219,505 | 39.60% |
| Oued Ed-Dahab-Lagouira Oued Ed-Dahab-Lagouira Oued Ed-Dahab-Lagouira is one of the sixteen regions of Morocco. It is situated in the disputed territory of Western Sahara, considered by Morocco to be the southern part of the country. The Polisario Front and other independence-seeking Sahrawis consider this to be a part of the Sahrawi Arab... |
13,501 | 64,163 | 21.04% |
| Grand Casablanca Grand Casablanca Grand Casablanca is one of sixteen administrative regions of Morocco. Located in coastal north western Morocco, it is the most densely populated region and covers an area of 1,615 km.² The population at the 2010 census was 7,500,000... |
1,778 | 3,306,334 | 0.05% |
| Tangier-Tetouan Tangier-Tetouan Tangier-Tetouan is one of the sixteen regions of Morocco. It is situated in north-western Morocco. It covers an area of 11,570 km² and has a population of 2,470,372... |
329 | 2,205,457 | 0.01% |
| Gharb-Chrarda-Beni Hssen Gharb-Chrarda-Béni Hssen Gharb-Chrarda-Béni Hssen is one of the sixteen regions of Morocco. It is situated in north-western Morocco. It covers an area of 8805 km² and has a population of 1,859,540 . The capital is Kenitra.... |
526 | 1,655,852 | 0.03% |
| Chaouia-Ouardigha Chaouia-Ouardigha Chaouia-Ouardigha ) is one of the sixteen regions of Morocco. It is situated in north-central Morocco. It covers an area of 7,010 km² and has a population of 1,655,660 . The capital is Settat.... |
617 | 1,478,605 | 0.04% |
| Doukkala-Abda Doukkala-Abda Doukkala-Abda ) is one of the sixteen regions of Morocco. It is situated in west-central Morocco. It covers an area of 13,285 km² and has a population of 1,984,039 . The capital is Safi.The region is made up into the following provinces :... |
508 | 1,768,150 | 0.03% |
| Morocco Morocco Morocco , officially the Kingdom of Morocco , is a country located in North Africa. It has a population of more than 32 million and an area of 710,850 km², and also primarily administers the disputed region of the Western Sahara... |
194,742 | 26,755,605 | 0.73% |
Foreign languages
At the time of the French protectorate of Morocco, French was the official language of administration and education. Since independence, Morocco, like other countries of the Maghreb, has undertaken a policy of ArabizationArabization
Arabization or Arabisation describes a growing cultural influence on a non-Arab area that gradually changes into one that speaks Arabic and/or incorporates Arab culture...
. Nonetheless, French remains an important language in Morocco, where it competes with/complements Standard Arabic as the language of written expression and of higher education.
About 20,000 Moroccans in the northern part of the country speak Spanish
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
. English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
, while still far behind French and Spanish in terms of the number of speakers, is rapidly becoming the second foreign language of choice among educated youth, after French. As a result of national education reforms entering into force in late 2002, English will be taught in all public schools from the fourth year on.
See also
- Berber languagesBerber languagesThe Berber languages are a family of languages indigenous to North Africa, spoken from Siwa Oasis in Egypt to Morocco , and south to the countries of the Sahara Desert...
- Arabic
- Moroccan ArabicMoroccan ArabicMoroccan Arabic is the variety of Arabic spoken in the Arabic-speaking areas of Morocco. For official communications, the government and other public bodies use Modern Standard Arabic, as is the case in most Arabic-speaking countries. A mixture of French and Moroccan Arabic is used in business...
- MoroccoMoroccoMorocco , officially the Kingdom of Morocco , is a country located in North Africa. It has a population of more than 32 million and an area of 710,850 km², and also primarily administers the disputed region of the Western Sahara...
- Languages of AlgeriaLanguages of AlgeriaThe official language of Algeria is Arabic, as specified in its constitution since 1963. In addition to this, Berber has been recognized as a "national language" by constitutional amendment since May 8, 2002. Between them, these two languages are the native languages of over 99% of Algerians,...
- Languages of MauritaniaLanguages of Mauritania-Afro-Asiatic languages :* Arabic** Literary Arabic is the official language.** Hassaniyya is the local and oral form of Arabic. It is close to the language used by the Bedoins. It is the language used by the majority of the Mauritanian population...
- Languages of SpainLanguages of SpainThe languages of Spain are the languages spoken or once spoken in Spain. Romance languages are the most widely spoken in Spain, of which Spanish is the country's official language...