This paper suggests a language policy model for Modern Morocco, which can respond to both, the na... more This paper suggests a language policy model for Modern Morocco, which can respond to both, the national needs of identity and the demands of Globalization, These two needs are the two major forces that shape the status of the various languages involved in the Moroccan sociolinguistic context, including English. The paper concisely describes how different sociolinguistic phenomenon produced by the ex-colonial powers shape the status of the different languages involved in the Moroccan multilingual context (i.e. language conflict, language competition, language selection and linguistic militantism). It also gives a detailed account of the different approaches and language policy models proposed by various Moroccan intellectuals and linguists in order to face such a de facto multilingualism. Finally, it proposes a multidimensional model that may contribute to reducing tensional relations between the different linguistic varieties cohabiting in Morocco, meeting the requirements of the Moroccan identity, and responding to the needs of modernity, prosperity, science and technology imposed by globalization.
This dissertation aims to assess the status of Spanish in post-independent Morocco from two diffe... more This dissertation aims to assess the status of Spanish in post-independent Morocco from two different angles: the Moroccan national policies and the Spanish cultural action. In particular, it demonstrates that the national policy in post-independent Morocco was, to a great extent, a response to the pressure exercised by the nationalist movement since 1963, the great involvement of the Francophone elite, and the carelessness and emptiness left by Spain. As a result, the Moroccan authority has had to opt for a policy of double standards: On the one hand, to fulfill the identity claims raised by the nationalist movement, Arabic was officially constitutionalized and the educational system begun to become Arabized. On the other hand, Francization has been implicitly favored in many Moroccan institutions by Moroccan officials at the expense of the other national and foreign languages. These two linguistic choices are then the two major forces that shaped the status of the various languages involved in the Moroccan sociolinguistic context, including Spanish. However, in 1990, Moroccan authorities started recognizing the linguistic diversity existing in the country and therefore shifted from officially favoring Arabization to favoring openness toward foreign languages. In parallel to this new orientation launched by the Moroccan agency through official discourse and legislation, Spain launched its cultural project aimed to I would like to express my special appreciation and thanks to my advisor Professor José del Valle. You have been a tremendous mentor for me. I would like to thank you for encouraging my research and for allowing me to grow as a research scientist. Your advice on both research as well as on my career have been priceless. I would also like to thank my committee members, Professor Laura Callahan and Professor Lía Schwartz for serving as my committee members. I would especially like to thank all faculty and staff who have been there to support me when I was collecting data for my dissertation. My warm thanks and prayers for Professor Isias Lerner who could witness one chapter of this work but could not witness the rest of it, as death-our unavoidable destiny-took him away from the academic family. I will never forget his inspiring words when I was presenting my thesis proposal: "¡Adelante Khalid!" Today, even though he is not physically with us, his spirit, wisdom and knowledge are present and will last forever. This actually reminds me of the saying of Prophet Mohamed (peace be upon him) who said: "When a person dies, his deeds come to an end except for three things: ceaseless charity; knowledge which is beneficial; or a virtuous descendant who prays for him" (Imam Muslim 815-875, 13:8).
Conferencia de Glotopolitica, Bogota, Colombia, 2018
This paper argues that, in an increasingly globalized era, cultural diplomacy is activated and it... more This paper argues that, in an increasingly globalized era, cultural diplomacy is activated and its promotion is instrumentalized with the purpose of homogenizing the international community and securing the best interest of the so-called "New Imperialism. Particularly in post-independent Morocco, these implications of Spanish cultural diplomacy are on prominent display since Spain was able to overcome a period of neglect, appeal to a new legislative framework, mainly embodied in its Constitution and various cultural conventions, and incorporate a clearer vision and a more organized plan aimed at promoting its culture. It is within this framework that the promotion of language has been conceptualized as a major factor for Spain to implement its cultural agenda in Morocco. Two distinct levels of language planning have been defined: 1) acquisition planning was concretized through the renovation and reactivation of Spanish schools, cultural centers and libraries, especially in the North, the multiplication of Institutos Cervantes, the organization of joint cultural activities and the increase in translation efforts 2) status planning was achieved through the establishment of an array of common interests (businesses, companies, tourism, etc.), supported by media and civil organizations. At both levels, the paper strives to demonstrate that Spanish cultural diplomacy was intended to fight historical stereotypes, project a better image of the Spanish reality in Morocco and articulate a solid foundation for the "Spanish brand." In addition, the paper strives to demonstrate that as a result of acquisition and status planning, Spanish experienced a great deal of appreciation within the Moroccan linguistic market. This appreciation goes hand in hand with the socioeconomic and democratic development of Spain, the increasing economic and professional value that Spanish gains every day, and its European and global or international character. Relations between countries have existed since ancient times. However, the beginning of institutionalized international relations is found in the Treaty of Westphalia signed in 1648, the year in which the modern state appeared. With the arrival of imperialism in the 19th century and in the course of the 20th century, the traditional burden of politics and economy in international relations was complicated by culture, which has influenced the structure of foreign policy agendas (Escalonilla 2002). In the case of Spain, the first true step in foreign cultural policy was launched by Américo Castro; the founder of the Office of
In this article, language policies are seen from the perspective of the Spanish cultural policy i... more In this article, language policies are seen from the perspective of the Spanish cultural policy in other countries. It aims precisely to shed light on language policies implemented in Morocco from 1990 until today. The article emphasizes the importance of this period and shows the lack of studies related to this topic. It also examines the historical and socio-political conditions surrounding these policies and deals with all types of language planning that the Moroccan sociolinguistic context allows. It is within this analytical framework, and within the recent Moroccan language policy, which promotes multilingualism and cultural diversity, that the article pays a special attention to the challenges facing Spanish language in the Moroccan linguistic market. The internationalization and improvement of the Spanish language image are presented as the main reasons for the linguistic promotion and foundation of "Mark Spain” Project. Finally, the article highlights the factors that work for the maintenance of Spanish in Morocco as well as the importance and urgent need for a study of language attitudes of Moroccan citizens toward Spanish language, with the goal of projecting some expectations about its future in this country south of Spain.
This paper argues that, in an increasingly globalized era, cultural diplomacy is activated and it... more This paper argues that, in an increasingly globalized era, cultural diplomacy is activated and its promotion is instrumentalized with the purpose of homogenizing the international community and securing the best interest of the so-called “New Imperialism. Particularly in post-independent Morocco, these implications of Spanish cultural diplomacy are on prominent display since Spain was able to overcome a period of neglect, appeal to a new legislative framework, mainly embodied in its Constitution and various cultural conventions, and incorporate a clearer vision and a more organized plan aimed at promoting its culture. It is within this framework that the promotion of language has been conceptualized as a major factor for Spain to implement its cultural agenda in Morocco. Two distinct levels of language planning have been defined: 1) acquisition planning was concretized through the renovation and reactivation of Spanish schools, cultural centers and libraries, especially in the North, the multiplication of Institutos Cervantes, the organization of joint cultural activities and the increase in translation efforts 2) status planning was achieved through the establishment of an array of common interests (businesses, companies, tourism, etc.), supported by media and civil organizations. At both levels, the paper strives to demonstrate that Spanish cultural diplomacy was intended to fight historical stereotypes, project a better image of the Spanish reality in Morocco and articulate a solid foundation for the “Spanish brand.” In addition, the paper strives to demonstrate that as a result of acquisition and status planning, Spanish experienced a great deal of appreciation within the Moroccan linguistic market. This appreciation goes hand in hand with the socio-economic and democratic development of Spain, the increasing economic and professional value that Spanish gains every day, and its European and global or international character.
The pathway to learning and teaching Arabic as a second language is fraught with difficulty. Spec... more The pathway to learning and teaching Arabic as a second language is fraught with difficulty. Specifically four challenges emerge to have a large impact on the teaching and learning of Arabic: 1) the sociolinguistic condition of Arabic (i.e. its diglossic status and dialectal variation) 2) the instructor’s practices and beliefs, 3) the student’s learning objectives, 4) and the methodologies adopted in the teaching of the language. Methodological suggestions to alleviate these challenges are proposed where the different varieties of Arabic are seen as a continuum dialectal of the same language, where the instructor him/herself is seen as a manifestation of language variation, where the student’s ability to develop sociolinguistic sensitivity towards linguistic variation simultaneously with language skills is centralized, and where instruction is assessed in terms of its ability to help learners in becoming functional, in both formal and informal contexts.
This paper suggests a language policy model for Modern Morocco, which can respond to both, the na... more This paper suggests a language policy model for Modern Morocco, which can respond to both, the national needs of identity and the demands of Globalization, These two needs are the two major forces that shape the status of the various languages involved in the Moroccan sociolinguistic context, including English. The paper concisely describes how different sociolinguistic phenomenon produced by the ex-colonial powers shape the status of the different languages involved in the Moroccan multilingual context (i.e. language conflict, language competition, language selection and linguistic militantism). It also gives a detailed account of the different approaches and language policy models proposed by various Moroccan intellectuals and linguists in order to face such a de facto multilingualism. Finally, it proposes a multidimensional model that may contribute to reducing tensional relations between the different linguistic varieties cohabiting in Morocco, meeting the requirements of the Moroccan identity, and responding to the needs of modernity, prosperity, science and technology imposed by globalization.
This dissertation aims to assess the status of Spanish in post-independent Morocco from two diffe... more This dissertation aims to assess the status of Spanish in post-independent Morocco from two different angles: the Moroccan national policies and the Spanish cultural action. In particular, it demonstrates that the national policy in post-independent Morocco was, to a great extent, a response to the pressure exercised by the nationalist movement since 1963, the great involvement of the Francophone elite, and the carelessness and emptiness left by Spain. As a result, the Moroccan authority has had to opt for a policy of double standards: On the one hand, to fulfill the identity claims raised by the nationalist movement, Arabic was officially constitutionalized and the educational system begun to become Arabized. On the other hand, Francization has been implicitly favored in many Moroccan institutions by Moroccan officials at the expense of the other national and foreign languages. These two linguistic choices are then the two major forces that shaped the status of the various languages involved in the Moroccan sociolinguistic context, including Spanish. However, in 1990, Moroccan authorities started recognizing the linguistic diversity existing in the country and therefore shifted from officially favoring Arabization to favoring openness toward foreign languages. In parallel to this new orientation launched by the Moroccan agency through official discourse and legislation, Spain launched its cultural project aimed to I would like to express my special appreciation and thanks to my advisor Professor José del Valle. You have been a tremendous mentor for me. I would like to thank you for encouraging my research and for allowing me to grow as a research scientist. Your advice on both research as well as on my career have been priceless. I would also like to thank my committee members, Professor Laura Callahan and Professor Lía Schwartz for serving as my committee members. I would especially like to thank all faculty and staff who have been there to support me when I was collecting data for my dissertation. My warm thanks and prayers for Professor Isias Lerner who could witness one chapter of this work but could not witness the rest of it, as death-our unavoidable destiny-took him away from the academic family. I will never forget his inspiring words when I was presenting my thesis proposal: "¡Adelante Khalid!" Today, even though he is not physically with us, his spirit, wisdom and knowledge are present and will last forever. This actually reminds me of the saying of Prophet Mohamed (peace be upon him) who said: "When a person dies, his deeds come to an end except for three things: ceaseless charity; knowledge which is beneficial; or a virtuous descendant who prays for him" (Imam Muslim 815-875, 13:8).
Conferencia de Glotopolitica, Bogota, Colombia, 2018
This paper argues that, in an increasingly globalized era, cultural diplomacy is activated and it... more This paper argues that, in an increasingly globalized era, cultural diplomacy is activated and its promotion is instrumentalized with the purpose of homogenizing the international community and securing the best interest of the so-called "New Imperialism. Particularly in post-independent Morocco, these implications of Spanish cultural diplomacy are on prominent display since Spain was able to overcome a period of neglect, appeal to a new legislative framework, mainly embodied in its Constitution and various cultural conventions, and incorporate a clearer vision and a more organized plan aimed at promoting its culture. It is within this framework that the promotion of language has been conceptualized as a major factor for Spain to implement its cultural agenda in Morocco. Two distinct levels of language planning have been defined: 1) acquisition planning was concretized through the renovation and reactivation of Spanish schools, cultural centers and libraries, especially in the North, the multiplication of Institutos Cervantes, the organization of joint cultural activities and the increase in translation efforts 2) status planning was achieved through the establishment of an array of common interests (businesses, companies, tourism, etc.), supported by media and civil organizations. At both levels, the paper strives to demonstrate that Spanish cultural diplomacy was intended to fight historical stereotypes, project a better image of the Spanish reality in Morocco and articulate a solid foundation for the "Spanish brand." In addition, the paper strives to demonstrate that as a result of acquisition and status planning, Spanish experienced a great deal of appreciation within the Moroccan linguistic market. This appreciation goes hand in hand with the socioeconomic and democratic development of Spain, the increasing economic and professional value that Spanish gains every day, and its European and global or international character. Relations between countries have existed since ancient times. However, the beginning of institutionalized international relations is found in the Treaty of Westphalia signed in 1648, the year in which the modern state appeared. With the arrival of imperialism in the 19th century and in the course of the 20th century, the traditional burden of politics and economy in international relations was complicated by culture, which has influenced the structure of foreign policy agendas (Escalonilla 2002). In the case of Spain, the first true step in foreign cultural policy was launched by Américo Castro; the founder of the Office of
In this article, language policies are seen from the perspective of the Spanish cultural policy i... more In this article, language policies are seen from the perspective of the Spanish cultural policy in other countries. It aims precisely to shed light on language policies implemented in Morocco from 1990 until today. The article emphasizes the importance of this period and shows the lack of studies related to this topic. It also examines the historical and socio-political conditions surrounding these policies and deals with all types of language planning that the Moroccan sociolinguistic context allows. It is within this analytical framework, and within the recent Moroccan language policy, which promotes multilingualism and cultural diversity, that the article pays a special attention to the challenges facing Spanish language in the Moroccan linguistic market. The internationalization and improvement of the Spanish language image are presented as the main reasons for the linguistic promotion and foundation of "Mark Spain” Project. Finally, the article highlights the factors that work for the maintenance of Spanish in Morocco as well as the importance and urgent need for a study of language attitudes of Moroccan citizens toward Spanish language, with the goal of projecting some expectations about its future in this country south of Spain.
This paper argues that, in an increasingly globalized era, cultural diplomacy is activated and it... more This paper argues that, in an increasingly globalized era, cultural diplomacy is activated and its promotion is instrumentalized with the purpose of homogenizing the international community and securing the best interest of the so-called “New Imperialism. Particularly in post-independent Morocco, these implications of Spanish cultural diplomacy are on prominent display since Spain was able to overcome a period of neglect, appeal to a new legislative framework, mainly embodied in its Constitution and various cultural conventions, and incorporate a clearer vision and a more organized plan aimed at promoting its culture. It is within this framework that the promotion of language has been conceptualized as a major factor for Spain to implement its cultural agenda in Morocco. Two distinct levels of language planning have been defined: 1) acquisition planning was concretized through the renovation and reactivation of Spanish schools, cultural centers and libraries, especially in the North, the multiplication of Institutos Cervantes, the organization of joint cultural activities and the increase in translation efforts 2) status planning was achieved through the establishment of an array of common interests (businesses, companies, tourism, etc.), supported by media and civil organizations. At both levels, the paper strives to demonstrate that Spanish cultural diplomacy was intended to fight historical stereotypes, project a better image of the Spanish reality in Morocco and articulate a solid foundation for the “Spanish brand.” In addition, the paper strives to demonstrate that as a result of acquisition and status planning, Spanish experienced a great deal of appreciation within the Moroccan linguistic market. This appreciation goes hand in hand with the socio-economic and democratic development of Spain, the increasing economic and professional value that Spanish gains every day, and its European and global or international character.
The pathway to learning and teaching Arabic as a second language is fraught with difficulty. Spec... more The pathway to learning and teaching Arabic as a second language is fraught with difficulty. Specifically four challenges emerge to have a large impact on the teaching and learning of Arabic: 1) the sociolinguistic condition of Arabic (i.e. its diglossic status and dialectal variation) 2) the instructor’s practices and beliefs, 3) the student’s learning objectives, 4) and the methodologies adopted in the teaching of the language. Methodological suggestions to alleviate these challenges are proposed where the different varieties of Arabic are seen as a continuum dialectal of the same language, where the instructor him/herself is seen as a manifestation of language variation, where the student’s ability to develop sociolinguistic sensitivity towards linguistic variation simultaneously with language skills is centralized, and where instruction is assessed in terms of its ability to help learners in becoming functional, in both formal and informal contexts.
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