Resumen de Young Moroccans are speaking out: The changing language market of Morocco

Driss Meskine, Jan Jaap de Ruiter

• This article reports on the outcomes of two major sociolinguistic studies executed among youngsters in Morocco. The first took place in the period 2000–2003 and was carried out among 569 persons; the second took place in the period 2010–2012 among 782 persons. In both cases, a questionnaire was distributed containing questions on language proficiency, language behaviour and language attitudes, focusing on Amazigh (Berber), Moroccan – dialectal – Arabic or Darija, Standard Arabic and French. The studies were done in the light of recent language policies opening up the Kingdom to Amazigh and Moroccan Arabic. The key question is to explore to what extent the linguistic profiles of young Moroccans have undergone changes in the first decade of the new millennium in the language market that characterizes Morocco.