Moroccan Arabic Explained

Moroccan Arabic
Nativename:Arabic: العربية المغربية الدارجة
Also Known As:Darija
Pronunciation:pronounced as /ar/
States:Morocco
Speakers:L1

million

Date:2020
Ref:e27
Speakers2:L2

million (2020)
Total: million (2020)

Speakers Label:Speakers
Familycolor:Afro-Asiatic
Fam2:Semitic
Fam3:West Semitic
Fam4:Central Semitic
Script:Arabic alphabet
Iso3:ary
Glotto:moro1292
Glottorefname:Moroccan Arabic
Notice:IPA
Ethnicity:Moroccan Arabs, also used as a second language by other ethnic groups in Morocco
Map:Árabe marroquí.png
Fam5:Arabic
Fam6:Maghrebi
Dia1:West Moroccan Arabic
Dia2:East Moroccan Arabic
Dia3:Fessi dialect
Dia4:Judeo-Moroccan

Moroccan Arabic (Arabic: العربية المغربية الدارجة|translit=al-ʻArabiyyah al-Maghribiyyah ad-Dārija[1]), also known as Darija (Arabic: الدارجة or الداريجة[1]), is the dialectal, vernacular form or forms of Arabic spoken in Morocco.[2] [3] It is part of the Maghrebi Arabic dialect continuum and as such is mutually intelligible to some extent with Algerian Arabic and to a lesser extent with Tunisian Arabic. It is spoken by 90.9% of the population of Morocco.[4] While Modern Standard Arabic is used to varying degrees in formal situations such as religious sermons, books, newspapers, government communications, news broadcasts and political talk shows, Moroccan Arabic is the predominant spoken language of the country and has a strong presence in Moroccan television entertainment, cinema and commercial advertising. Moroccan Arabic has many regional dialects and accents as well, with its mainstream dialect being the one used in Casablanca, Rabat, Tangier, Marrakesh and Fez, and therefore it dominates the media and eclipses most of the other regional accents.

SIL International classifies Moroccan Arabic, Hassaniya Arabic and Judeo-Moroccan Arabic as different varieties of Arabic.

Dialects

Moroccan Arabic was formed of several dialects of Arabic belonging to two genetically different groups: pre-Hilalian and Hilalian dialects.[5]

Pre-Hilalian dialects

Pre-Hilalian dialects are a result of early Arabization phases of the Maghreb, from the 7th to the 12th centuries, concerning the main urban settlements, the harbors, the religious centres (zaouias) as well as the main trade routes. The dialects are generally classified in three types: (old) urban, "village" and "mountain" sedentary and Jewish dialects.[6] In Morocco, several pre-Hilalian dialects are spoken:

Old dialects of Fes, Rabat, Salé, Taza, Tétouan, Wezzan, Chefchaouen, Tangier, Asilah, Larache, Ksar el-Kebir, Meknes and Marrakesh.[7] [8] [9]

Dialects of northwestern Morocco, spoken by the Jebala people.[10]

Hilalian dialects

Hilalian dialects (Bedouin dialects) were introduced following the migration of Arab nomadic tribes to Morocco in the 11th century, particularly the Banu Hilal, which the Hilalian dialects are named after.[12]

The Hilalian dialects spoken in Morocco belong to the Maqil subgroup,[13] a family that includes three main dialectal areas:

Phonology

Vowels

! colspan="3"
ShortLong
FrontCentralBackFrontBack
Closepronounced as /link/pronounced as /link/pronounced as /link/pronounced as /link/
Mid
Openpronounced as /link/

One of the most notable features of Moroccan Arabic is the collapse of short vowels. Initially, short pronounced as //a// and pronounced as //i// were merged into a phoneme pronounced as //ə// (however, some speakers maintain a difference between pronounced as //a// and pronounced as //ə// when adjacent to pharyngeal pronounced as //ʕ// and pronounced as //ħ//). This phoneme (pronounced as //ə//) was then deleted entirely in most positions; for the most part, it is maintained only in the position /...CəC#/ or /...CəCC#/ (where C represents any consonant and # indicates a word boundary), i.e. when appearing as the last vowel of a word. When pronounced as //ə// is not deleted, it is pronounced as a very short vowel, tending towards pronounced as /[ɑ]/ in the vicinity of emphatic consonants, pronounced as /[a]/ in the vicinity of pharyngeal pronounced as //ʕ// and pronounced as //ħ// (for speakers who have merged /a/ and pronounced as //ə// in this environment), and pronounced as /[ə]/ elsewhere. Original short pronounced as //u// usually merges with pronounced as //ə// except in the vicinity of a labial or velar consonant. In positions where pronounced as //ə// was deleted, /u/ was also deleted, and is maintained only as labialization of the adjacent labial or velar consonant; where pronounced as //ə// is maintained, pronounced as //u// surfaces as pronounced as /[ʊ]/. This deletion of short vowels can result in long strings of consonants (a feature shared with Amazigh and certainly derived from it). These clusters are never simplified; instead, consonants occurring between other consonants tend to syllabify, according to a sonorance hierarchy. Similarly, and unlike most other Arabic dialects, doubled consonants are never simplified to a single consonant, even when at the end of a word or preceding another consonant.

Some dialects are more conservative in their treatment of short vowels. For example, some dialects allow pronounced as //u// in more positions. Dialects of the Sahara, and eastern dialects near the border of Algeria, preserve a distinction between pronounced as //a// and pronounced as //i// and allow pronounced as //a// to appear at the beginning of a word, e.g. pronounced as //aqsˤarˤ// "shorter" (standard pronounced as //qsˤərˤ//), pronounced as //atˤlaʕ// "go up!" (standard pronounced as //tˤlaʕ// or pronounced as //tˤləʕ//), pronounced as //asˤħaːb// "friends" (standard pronounced as //sˤħab//).

Long pronounced as //aː//, pronounced as //iː// and pronounced as //uː// are maintained as semi-long vowels, which are substituted for both short and long vowels in most borrowings from Modern Standard Arabic (MSA). Long pronounced as //aː/, /iː// and pronounced as //uː// also have many more allophones than in most other dialects; in particular, pronounced as //aː/, /iː/, /uː// appear as pronounced as /[ɑ], [e], [o]/ in the vicinity of emphatic consonants and pronounced as /link/, pronounced as /link/, pronounced as /link/, pronounced as /link/, but pronounced as /[æ], [i], [u]/ elsewhere. (Most other Arabic dialects only have a similar variation for the phoneme pronounced as //aː//.) In some dialects, such as that of Marrakech, front-rounded and other allophones also exist. Allophones in vowels usually do not exist in loanwords.

Emphatic spreading (i.e. the extent to which emphatic consonants affect nearby vowels) occurs much less than in Egyptian Arabic. Emphasis spreads fairly rigorously towards the beginning of a word and into prefixes, but much less so towards the end of a word. Emphasis spreads consistently from a consonant to a directly following vowel, and less strongly when separated by an intervening consonant, but generally does not spread rightwards past a full vowel. For example, pronounced as //bidˤ-at/ [bedɑt͡s]/ "eggs" (pronounced as //i// and pronounced as //a// both affected), pronounced as //tˤʃaʃ-at/ [tʃɑʃæt͡s]/ "sparks" (rightmost pronounced as //a// not affected), pronounced as //dˤrˤʒ-at/ [drˤʒæt͡s]/ "stairs" (pronounced as //a// usually not affected), pronounced as //dˤrb-at-u/ [drˤbat͡su]/ "she hit him" (with pronounced as /[a]/ variable but tending to be in between pronounced as /[ɑ]/ and pronounced as /[æ]/; no effect on pronounced as //u//), pronounced as //tˤalib/ [tɑlib]/ "student" (pronounced as //a// affected but not pronounced as //i//). Contrast, for example, Egyptian Arabic, where emphasis tends to spread forward and backward to both ends of a word, even through several syllables.

Emphasis is audible mostly through its effects on neighboring vowels or syllabic consonants, and through the differing pronunciation of pronounced as //t/ [t͡s]/ and pronounced as //tˤ/ [t]/. Actual pharyngealization of "emphatic" consonants is weak and may be absent entirely. In contrast with some dialects, vowels adjacent to emphatic consonants are pure; there is no diphthong-like transition between emphatic consonants and adjacent front vowels.

Consonants

Consonant phonemes of Moroccan Arabic[16]
 LabialDental-AlveolarPalatalVelarUvularPharyngealGlottal
plainemphatic plainemphatic
Nasalpronounced as /link/ pronounced as /link/ pronounced as /link/            
Plosivevoiceless(pronounced as /link/)  pronounced as /link/ pronounced as /link/   pronounced as /link/ pronounced as /link/   pronounced as /link/
voicedpronounced as /link/ pronounced as /link/ pronounced as /link/ pronounced as /link/   pronounced as /link/     
Fricativevoicelesspronounced as /link/ (pronounced as /link/) pronounced as /link/ pronounced as /link/ pronounced as /link/  pronounced as /link/ pronounced as /link/ pronounced as /link/
voiced(pronounced as /link/)  pronounced as /link/ pronounced as /link/ pronounced as /link/  pronounced as /link/ pronounced as /link/ 
Tap   pronounced as /link/pronounced as /link/         
Trill   pronounced as /link/pronounced as /link/         
Approximant   pronounced as /link/ pronounced as /link/ pronounced as /link/ pronounced as /link/      
Phonetic notes:

Writing

Through most of its history, Moroccan vernacular Arabic has usually not been written.[17] Due to the diglossic nature of the Arabic language, most literate Muslims in Morocco would write in Standard Arabic, even if they spoke Darija as a first language. However, since Standard Arabic was typically taught in Islamic religious contexts, Moroccan Jews usually would not learn Standard Arabic and would write instead in Darija, or more specifically a variety known as Judeo-Moroccan Arabic, using Hebrew script. A risala on Semitic languages written in Maghrebi Judeo-Arabic by Judah ibn Quraish to the Jews of Fes dates back to the ninth-century.

Al-Kafif az-Zarhuni's epic 14th century zajal Mala'bat al-Kafif az-Zarhuni, about Abu al-Hasan Ali ibn Othman al-Marini's campaign on Hafsid Ifriqiya, is considered the first literary work in Darija.[18] [19]

Most books and magazines are in Modern Standard Arabic; Qur'an books are written and read in Classical Arabic, and there is no universally standard written system for Darija. There is also a loosely standardized Latin system used for writing Moroccan Arabic in electronic media, such as texting and chat, often based on sound-letter correspondences from French, English or Spanish ('sh' or 'ch' for English 'sh', 'u' or 'ou' for English 'oo', etc.) and using numbers to represent sounds not found in French or English (2-3-7-9 used for ق-ح-ع-ء, respectively.).

In the last few years, there have been some publications in Moroccan Darija, such as Hicham Nostik's Notes of a Moroccan Infidel, as well as basic science books by Moroccan physics professor Farouk El Merrakchi.[20] Newspapers in Moroccan Arabic also exist, such as Souq Al Akhbar, Al Usbuu Ad-Daahik,[21] the regional newspaper Al Amal (formerly published by Latifa Akherbach), and Khbar Bladna (news of our country), which was published by Tangier-based American painter Elena Prentice between 2002 and 2006.[22]

The latter also published books written in Moroccan Arabic, mostly novels and stories, written by authors such as Kenza El Ghali and Youssef Amine Alami.[22]

Vocabulary

Substrates

Moroccan Arabic is characterized by a strong Berber, as well as Latin (African Romance), substratum.[23]

Following the Arab conquest, Berber languages remained widely spoken. During their Arabisation, some Berber tribes became bilingual for generations before abandoning their language for Arabic; however, they kept a substantial Berber stratum that increases from the east to the west of the Maghreb, making Moroccan Arabic dialects the ones most influenced by Berber.

More recently, the influx of Andalusi people and Spanish-speaking–Moriscos (between the 15th and the 17th centuries) influenced urban dialects with Spanish substrate (and loanwords).

Vocabulary and loanwords

The vocabulary of Moroccan Arabic is mostly Semitic and derived from Classical Arabic.[24] It also contains some Berber, French and Spanish loanwords.

There are noticeable lexical differences between Moroccan Arabic and most other Arabic languages. Some words are essentially unique to Moroccan Arabic: daba "now". Many others, however, are characteristic of Maghrebi Arabic as a whole including both innovations and unusual retentions of Classical vocabulary that disappeared elsewhere, such as hbeṭ "go down" from Classical habaṭ. Others are shared with Algerian Arabic such as hḍeṛ "talk", from Classical hadhar "babble", and temma "there", from Classical thamma.

There are a number of Moroccan Arabic dictionaries in existence:

Examples of words inherited from Classical Arabic

Examples of words inherited from Tamazight

Examples of loanwords from French

Examples of loanwords from Spanish

Some loans might have come through Andalusi Arabic brought by Moriscos when they were expelled from Spain following the Christian Reconquest or, alternatively, they date from the time of the Spanish protectorate in Morocco.

Examples of regional differences

Some useful sentences

Note: All sentences are written according to the transcription used in Richard Harrell, A Short Reference Grammar of Moroccan Arabic (Examples with their pronunciation).:[25]

EnglishWestern Moroccan ArabicNorthern (Jebli, Tanjawi and Tetouani) Moroccan ArabicEastern (Oujda) Moroccan ArabicWestern Moroccan Arabic(Transliterated)Northern (Jebli, Tetouani) Moroccan Arabic(Transliterated) Eastern (Oujda) Moroccan Arabic(Transliterated)
How are you?لا باس؟كيف نتينا؟/لا باس؟ بخير؟راك شباب؟ /لا باس؟/ راك غايَ؟la bas?la bas? / bi-xayr?/ kif ntina? / amandra?la bas? / rak ġaya / rak šbab?
Can you help me?يمكن لك تعاونني؟تقدر تعاونني؟/ واخا تعاونني؟يمكن لك تعاونني؟yemken-lek tʿaweni? teqder dʿaweni? waxa dʿaweni?yemken-lek tʿaweni?
Do you speak English?واش كَتهدر بالانّڭليزية؟/ واش كتدوي بالانّڭليزية؟واش كَتهدر بالانّڭليزية؟/كتهدر الانّڭليزية؟واش تهدر الانّڭليزية؟waš ka-tehder lengliziya / waš ka-tedwi be-l-lengliziya?waš ka-tehder be-l-lengliziya? / ka-tehder lengliziya?waš tehder lengliziya?
Excuse meسمح ليَسمح ليسمح لِيَsmaḥ-liyasmaḥ-lismaḥ-liya
Good luckالله يعاون/الله يسهلallah y'awn / allah ysahel
Good morningصباح الخير/صباح النورṣbaḥ l-xir / ṣbaḥ n-nur
Good nightتصبح على خيرالله يمسيك بخيرتصبح على خيرteṣbaḥ ʿla xirlay ymsik be-xerteṣbaḥ ʿla xir
Goodbyeبالسلامة / تهلابالسلامةبالسلامةbe-slama / tḥăllabe-slama be-slama
Happy new yearسنة سعيدةsana saʿida
Helloالسلام عليكم/اهلاًالسلام عليكم/اهلاًالسلام عليكمs-salam ʿalikum / as-salamu ʿalaykum (Classical) / ʔahlanas-salamu ʿalaykum (Classical) / ʔahlans-salam ʿlikum
How are you doing?لا باس؟la bas (ʿlik)?
How are you?كي داير؟/كي دايرة؟كيف نتين؟/كيف نتينا؟كي راك؟ki dayer ? (masculine) / ki dayra ? (feminine)kif ntin? (Jebli) / kif ntina [ki tina] ? (Northern urban)ki rak?
Is everything okay?كل شي مزيان؟كل شي مزيان؟ /كل شي هو هداك؟؟كل شي مليح؟kul-ši mezyan ?kul-ši mezyan ? / kul-ši huwa hadak ?kul-ši mliḥ? / kul-ši zin?
Nice to meet youمتشرفينmetšaṛṛfin pronounced as /[mət.ʃɑrˤrˤ.fen]/
No thanksلا شكراًla šukran
Pleaseالله يخليك/عفاكالله يعزك / الله يخليك / عفاكالله يعزك / الله يخليكḷḷa yxallik / ʿafakḷḷa yxallik / ḷḷa yʿizek / ʿafakḷḷa yxallik / ḷḷa yʿizek
Take careتهلا فراسكتهلاتهلا فراسكtḥălla f-ṛaṣektḥăllatḥălla f-ṛaṣek
Thank you very muchشكراً بزافšukran bezzaf
What do you do?فاش خدام/شنو كتدير؟faš xddam? / chno katdirškatʿăddel? / šenni xaddam? (masculine) / šenni xaddama? (feminine) / š-ka-dexdem? / šini ka-teʿmel/tʿadal f-hyatak?faš texdem? (masculine) / faš txedmi ? (feminine)
What's your name?شنو اسمك؟ / شنو سميتك؟ašnu smiytek? / šu smiytek šenni ʔesmek? /šenno ʔesmek? / kif-aš msemy nta/ntinah?wašta smiytek?
Where are you from?منين نتا؟mnin nta? (masculine) / mnin nti? (feminine)mnayn ntina?min ntaya? (masculine) / min ntiya? (feminine)
Where are you going?فين غادي؟fin ġhadi?fayn machi? (masculine) / fayn mašya? (feminine)f-rak temchi? / f-rak rayaḥ
You are welcomeبلا جميل/مرحبا/دّنيا هانية/ماشي مشكل / العفو bla žmil/merḥba/ddenya hania/maši muškil/l'afobla žmil/merḥba/ddunya hania/maši muškil/l'afobla žmil/merḥba/ddenya hania/maši muškil/l'afo

Further useful phrases[26]

EnglishMoroccan ArabicLatin Transliteration
Yes..ايهeyeh.
Yes please..وخا شكراwakha shoukran.
No..لاla.
Thank you..شكراًshoukran.
I'd like a coffee please..واحد القهوة عفاكwahed lqahoua afak.
What time is it?شحال فالساعة؟ch-hal fssa-a?
Can you repeat that please?وخا  تعاود  عفاك؟wakha t-awoud afak?
Please speak more slowly..هضر بشويا عافاكhder bshwiya afak.
I don't understand..ما فهمتشma fhamtch.
Sorry..سمح ليsmeh li.
Where are the toilets?فين الطواليط؟fin toilettes?
How much does this cost?بشحال هادا؟bch-hal hada?
Welcome!تفضّلtfdel!
Good evening..مسا الخيرmsa lkheir.

Grammar

Verbs

Introduction

The regular Moroccan Arabic verb conjugates with a series of prefixes and suffixes. The stem of the conjugated verb may change a bit, depending on the conjugation:

The stem of the Moroccan Arabic verb for "to write" is kteb.

Past tense

The past tense of kteb (write) is as follows:

I wrote: kteb-t

You wrote: kteb-ti (some regions tend to differentiate between masculine and feminine, the masculine form is kteb-t, the feminine kteb-ti)

He/it wrote: kteb (can also be an order to write; kteb er-rissala: Write the letter)

She/it wrote: ketb-et

We wrote: kteb-na

You (plural) wrote: kteb-tu / kteb-tiu

They wrote: ketb-u

The stem kteb turns into ketb before a vowel suffix because of the process of inversion described above.

Present tense

The present tense of kteb is as follows:

I am writing: ka-ne-kteb

You are (masculine) writing: ka-te-kteb

You are (feminine) writing: ka-t-ketb-i

He's/it is writing: ka-ye-kteb

She is/it is writing: ka-te-kteb

We are writing: ka-n-ketb-u

You (plural) are writing: ka-t-ketb-u

They are writing: ka-y-ketb-u

The stem kteb turns into ketb before a vowel suffix because of the process of inversion described above. Between the prefix ka-n-, ka-t-, ka-y- and the stem kteb, an e appears but not between the prefix and the transformed stem ketb because of the same restriction that produces inversion.

In the north, "you are writing" is always ka-de-kteb regardless of who is addressed.This is also the case of de in de-kteb as northerners prefer to use de and southerners prefer te.

Instead of the prefix ka, some speakers prefer the use of ta (ta-ne-kteb "I am writing"). The coexistence of these two prefixes is from historic differences. In general, ka is more used in the north and ta in the south, some other prefixes like la, a, qa are less used. In some regions like in the east (Oujda), most speakers use no preverb (ne-kteb, te-kteb, y-kteb, etc.).

Other tenses

To form the future tense, the prefix ka-/ta- is removed and replaced with the prefix ġa-, ġad- or ġadi instead (e.g. ġa-ne-kteb "I will write", ġad-ketb-u (north) or ġadi t-ketb-u "You (plural) will write").

For the subjunctive and infinitive, the ka- is removed (bġit ne-kteb "I want to write", bġit te-kteb "I want 'you to write").

The imperative is conjugated with the suffixes of the present tense but without any prefixes or preverbs:

kteb Write! (masculine singular)

ketb-i Write! (feminine singular)

ketb-u Write! (plural)

Negation

See main article: Negation in Arabic. One characteristic of Moroccan Arabic syntax, which it shares with other North African varieties as well as some southern Levantine dialect areas, is in the two-part negative verbal circumfix pronounced as //ma-...-ʃi//. (In many regions, including Marrakech, the final pronounced as //i// vowel is not pronounced so it becomes pronounced as //ma-...-ʃ//.)[27]

/ma-/ comes from the Classical Arabic negator /ma/. /-ʃi/ is a development of Classical /ʃajʔ/ "thing". The development of a circumfix is similar to the French circumfix ne ... pas in which ne comes from Latin non "not" and pas comes from Latin passus "step". (Originally, pas would have been used specifically with motion verbs, as in "I did not walk a step". It was generalised to other verbs.)

The negative circumfix surrounds the entire verbal composite, including direct and indirect object pronouns:

Future and interrogative sentences use the same pronounced as //ma-...-ʃi// circumfix (unlike, for example, in Egyptian Arabic). Also, unlike in Egyptian Arabic, there are no phonological changes to the verbal cluster as a result of adding the circumfix. In Egyptian Arabic, adding the circumfix can trigger stress shifting, vowel lengthening and shortening, elision when /ma-/ comes into contact with a vowel, addition or deletion of a short vowel, etc. However, they do not occur in Moroccan Arabic (MA):

Negative pronouns such as walu "nothing", ḥta ḥaja "nothing" and ḥta waḥed "nobody" can be added to the sentence without ši as a suffix:

Note that wellah ma-ne-kteb could be a response to a command to write kteb while wellah ma-ġa-ne-kteb could be an answer to a question like waš ġa-te-kteb? "Are you going to write?"

In the north, "'you are writing" is always ka-de-kteb regardless of who is addressed. It is also the case of de in de-kteb, as northerners prefer to use de and southerners prefer te.

Instead of the prefix ka, some speakers prefer the use of ta (ta-ne-kteb "I am writing"). The co-existence of these two prefixes is from historical differences. In general ka is more used in the north and ta in the south. In some regions like the east (Oujda), most speakers use no preverb:

In detail

Verbs in Moroccan Arabic are based on a consonantal root composed of three or four consonants. The set of consonants communicates the basic meaning of a verb. Changes to the vowels between the consonants, along with prefixes and/or suffixes, specify grammatical functions such as tense, person and number in addition to changes in the meaning of the verb that embody grammatical concepts such as causative, intensive, passive or reflexive.

Each particular lexical verb is specified by two stems, one used for the past tense and one used for non-past tenses, along with subjunctive and imperative moods. To the former stem, suffixes are added to mark the verb for person, number and gender. To the latter stem, a combination of prefixes and suffixes are added. (Very approximately, the prefixes specify the person and the suffixes indicate number and gender.) The third person masculine singular past tense form serves as the "dictionary form" used to identify a verb like the infinitive in English. (Arabic has no infinitive.) For example, the verb meaning "write" is often specified as kteb, which actually means "he wrote". In the paradigms below, a verb will be specified as kteb/ykteb (kteb means "he wrote" and ykteb means "he writes"), indicating the past stem (kteb-) and the non-past stem (also -kteb-, obtained by removing the prefix y-).

The verb classes in Moroccan Arabic are formed along two axes. The first or derivational axis (described as "form I", "form II", etc.) is used to specify grammatical concepts such as causative, intensive, passive or reflexive and mostly involves varying the consonants of a stem form. For example, from the root K-T-B "write" are derived form I kteb/ykteb "write", form II ketteb/yketteb "cause to write", form III kateb/ykateb "correspond with (someone)" etc. The second or weakness axis (described as "strong", "weak", "hollow", "doubled" or "assimilated") is determined by the specific consonants making up the root, especially whether a particular consonant is a "w" or " y", and mostly involves varying the nature and location of the vowels of a stem form. For example, so-called weak verbs have one of those two letters as the last root consonant, which is reflected in the stem as a final vowel instead of a final consonant (ṛma/yṛmi "throw" from Ṛ-M-Y). Meanwhile, hollow verbs are usually caused by one of those two letters as the middle root consonant, and the stems of such verbs have a full vowel (/a/, /i/ or /u/) before the final consonant, often along with only two consonants (žab/yžib "bring" from Ž-Y-B).

It is important to distinguish between strong, weak, etc. stems and strong, weak, etc. roots. For example, X-W-F is a hollow root, but the corresponding form II stem xuwwef/yxuwwef "frighten" is a strong stem:

Table of verb forms

In this section, all verb classes and their corresponding stems are listed, excluding the small number of irregular verbs described above. Verb roots are indicated schematically using capital letters to stand for consonants in the root:

Hence, the root F-M-L stands for all three-consonant roots, and F-S-T-L stands for all four-consonant roots. (Traditional Arabic grammar uses F-ʕ-L and F-ʕ-L-L, respectively, but the system used here appears in a number of grammars of spoken Arabic dialects and is probably less confusing for English speakers since the forms are easier to pronounce than those involving /ʕ/.)

The following table lists the prefixes and suffixes to be added to mark tense, person, number, gender and the stem form to which they are added. The forms involving a vowel-initial suffix and corresponding stem PAv or NPv are highlighted in silver. The forms involving a consonant-initial suffix and corresponding stem PAc are highlighted in gold. The forms involving no suffix and corresponding stem PA0 or NP0 are not highlighted.

Tense/MoodPastNon-Past
PersonSingularPluralSingularPlural
1ststyle=background:goldPAc-tstyle=background:goldPAc-nan(e)-NP0n(e)-NP0-u/w
2ndmasculinestyle=background:gold rowspan=2PAc-tistyle=background:gold rowspan=2PAc-tiwt(e)-NP0style=background:silver rowspan=2t(e)-NPv-u/w
femininestyle=background:silvert(e)-NPv-i/y
3rdmasculinePA0style=background:silver rowspan=2PAv-u/wy-NP0style=background:silver rowspan=2y-NPv-u/w
femininestyle=background:silverPAv-ett(e)-NP0

The following table lists the verb classes along with the form of the past and non-past stems, active and passive participles, and verbal noun, in addition to an example verb for each class.

Notes:

FormStrongWeakHollowDoubled
PastNon-PastExamplePastNon-PastExamplePastNon-PastExamplePastNon-PastExample
IFMeL; FeMLuyFMeL, yFeMLukteb/ykteb "write", ʃrˤeb/yʃrˤeb "drink"FMit, FMayFMirˤma/yrˤmi "throw", ʃra/yʃri "buy"FeLt, FaLyFiLbaʕ/ybiʕ "sell", ʒab/yʒib "bring"FeMMit, FeMMyFeMMʃedd/yʃedd "close", medd/ymedd "hand over"
yFMoL, yFeMLudxel/ydxol "enter", sken/yskon "reside"yFMansa/ynsa "forget"yFuLʃaf/yʃuf "see", daz/yduz "pass"FoMMit, FoMMyFoMMkoħħ/ykoħħ "cough"
yFMuħba/yħbu "crawl"yFaLxaf/yxaf "sleep", ban/yban "seem"
FoLt, FaLyFuLqal/yqul "say", kan/ykun "be" (the only examples)
IIFeMMeL; FeMMLuyFeMMeL, yFeMMLubeddel/ybeddel "change"FeMMit, FeMMayFeMMiwerra/ywerri "show"(same as strong)
FuwweL; FuwwLuyFuwweL, yFuwwLuxuwwef/yxuwwef "frighten"Fuwwit, FuwwayFuwwiluwwa/yluwwi "twist"
FiyyeL; FiyyLuyFiyyeL, yFiyyLubiyyen/ybiyyen "indicate"Fiyyit, FiyyayFiyyiqiyya/yqiyyi "make vomit"
IIIFaMeL; FaMLuyFaMeL, yFaMLusˤaferˤ/ysˤaferˤ "travel"FaMit, FaMayFaMiqadˤa/yqadˤi "finish (trans.)", sawa/ysawi "make level"(same as strong)FaMeMt/FaMMit, FaM(e)M, FaMMuyFaM(e)M, yFaMMusˤaf(e)f/ysˤaf(e)f "line up (trans.)"
Ia(VIIt)tteFMeL; ttFeMLuytteFMeL, yttFeMLuttekteb/yttekteb "be written"tteFMit, tteFMaytteFMatterˤma/ytterˤma "be thrown", ttensa/yttensa "be forgotten"ttFaLit/ttFeLt/ttFaLt, ttFaLyttFaLttbaʕ/yttbaʕ "be sold"ttFeMMit, ttFeMMyttFeMMttʃedd/yttʃedd "be closed"
ytteFMoL, yttFeMLuddxel/yddxol "be entered"yttFoMMttfekk/yttfokk "get loose"
IIa(V)tFeMMeL; tFeMMLuytFeMMeL, ytFeMMLutbeddel/ytbeddel "change (intrans.)"tFeMMit, tFeMMaytFeMMatwerra/ytwerra "be shown"(same as strong)
tFuwweL; tFuwwLuytFuwweL, ytFuwwLutxuwwef/ytxuwwef "be frightened"tFuwwit, tFuwwaytFuwwatluwwa/ytluwwa "twist (intrans.)"
tFiyyeL; tFiyyLuytFiyyeL, ytFiyyLutbiyyen/ytbiyyen "be indicated"tFiyyit, tFiyyaytFiyyatqiyya/ytqiyya "be made to vomit"
IIIa(VI)tFaMeL; tFaMLuytFaMeL, ytFaMLutʕawen/ytʕawen "cooperate"tFaMit, tFaMaytFaMatqadˤa/ytqadˤa "finish (intrans.)", tħama/ytħama "join forces"(same as strong)tFaMeMt/tFaMMit, tFaM(e)M, tFaMMuytFaM(e)M, ytFaMMutsˤaf(e)f/ytsˤaf(e)f "get in line", twad(e)d/ytwad(e)d "give gifts to one another"
VIIIFtaMeL; FtaMLuyFtaMeL, yFtaMLuħtarˤem/ħtarˤem "respect", xtarˤeʕ/xtarˤeʕ "invent"FtaMit, FtaMayFtaMi???FtaLit/FteLt/FtaLt, FtaLyFtaLxtarˤ/yxtarˤ "choose", ħtaʒ/yħtaʒ "need"FteMMit, FteMMyFteMMhtemm/yhtemm "be interested (in)"
IXFMaLit/FMeLt/FMaLt, FMaLyFMaLħmarˤ/yħmarˤ "be red, blush", sman/ysman "be(come) fat"(same as strong)
XsteFMeL; steFMLuysteFMeL, ysteFMLusteɣrˤeb/ysteɣrˤeb "be surprised"steFMit, steFMaysteFMistedʕa/ystedʕi "invite"(same as strong)stFeMMit, stFeMMystFeMMstɣell/ystɣell "exploit"
ysteFMastehza/ystehza "ridicule", stăʕfa/ystăʕfa "resign"
IqFeSTeL; FeSTLuyFeSTeL, yFeSTLutˤerˤʒem/ytˤerˤʒem "translate", melmel/ymelmel "move (trans.)", hernen/yhernen "speak nasally"FeSTit, FeSTayFeSTiseqsˤa/yseqsˤi "ask"(same as strong)
FiTeL; FiTLuyFiTeL, yFiTLusˤifetˤ/ysˤifetˤ "send", ritel/yritel "pillage"FiTit, FiTayFiTitira/ytiri "shoot"
FuTeL; FuTLuyFuTeL, yFuTLusuger/ysuger "insure", suret/ysuret "lock"FuTit, FuTayFuTirula/yruli "roll (trans.)"
FiSTeL; FiSTLuyFiSTeL, yFiSTLubirˤʒez??? "cause to act bourgeois???", biznes??? "cause to deal in drugs"F...Tit, F...TayF...Tiblˤana, yblˤani "scheme, plan", fanta/yfanti "dodge, fake", pidˤala/ypidˤali "pedal"
Iqa(IIq)tFeSTeL; tFeSTLuytFeSTeL, ytFeSTLutˤtˤerˤʒem/ytˤtˤerˤʒem "be translated", tmelmel/ytmelmel "move (intrans.)"tFeSTit, tFeSTaytFeSTatseqsˤa/ytseqsˤa "be asked"(same as strong)
tFiTeL; tFiTLuytFiTeL, ytFiTLutsˤifetˤ/ytsˤifetˤ "be sent", tritel/ytritel "be pillaged"tFiTit, tFiTaytFiTattira/yttiri "be shot"
tFuTeL; tFuTLuytFuTeL, ytFuTLutsuger/ytsuger "be insured", tsuret/ytsuret "be locked"tFuTit, tFuTaytFuTatrula/ytruli "roll (intrans.)"
tFiSTeL; tFiSTLuytFiSTeL, ytFiSTLutbirˤʒez "act bourgeois", tbiznes "deal in drugs"tF...Tit, tF...TaytF...Tatblˤana/ytblˤana "be planned", tfanta/ytfanta "be dodged", tpidˤala/ytpidˤala "be pedaled"
= Regular verb, form I, fʕel/yfʕel

=

Example: kteb/ykteb "write"

Tense/MoodPastPresent SubjunctivePresent IndicativeFutureImperative
PersonSingularPluralSingularPluralSingularPluralSingularPluralSingularPlural
1stkteb-tkteb-nane-ktebn-ketb-uka-ne-ktebka-n-ketb-uɣa-ne-ktebɣa-n-ketb-u
2ndmasculinekteb-tikteb-tiwte-ktebt-ketb-uka-te-ktebka-t-ketb-uɣa-te-ktebɣa-t-ketb-uktebketb-u
femininet-ketb-ika-t-ketb-iɣa-t-ketb-iketb-i
3rdmasculinektebketb-uy-kteby-ketb-uka-y-ktebka-y-ketb-uɣa-y-ktebɣa-y-ketb-u
feminineketb-ette-ktebka-te-ktebɣa-te-kteb

Some comments:

Example: kteb/ykteb "write": non-finite forms

Number/GenderActive ParticiplePassive ParticipleVerbal Noun
Masc. Sg.katebmektubketaba
Fem. Sg.katb-amektub-a
Pl.katb-inmektub-in
= Regular verb, form I, fʕel/yfʕel, assimilation-triggering consonant

=

Example: dker/ydker "mention"

Tense/MoodPastPresent SubjunctivePresent IndicativeFutureImperative
PersonSingularPluralSingularPluralSingularPluralSingularPluralSingularPlural
1stdker-tdker-nan-dkern-dekr-uka-n-dkerka-n-dekr-uɣa-n-dkerɣa-n-dekr-u
2ndmasculinedker-tidker-tiwd-dkerd-dekr-uka-d-dkerka-d-dekr-uɣa-d-dkerɣa-d-dekr-udkerdekr-u
feminined-dekr-ika-d-dekr-iɣa-d-dekr-idekr-i
3rdmasculinedkerdekr-uy-dkery-dekr-uka-y-dkerka-y-dekr-uɣa-y-dkerɣa-y-dekr-u
femininedekr-etd-dkerka-d-dkerɣa-d-dker

This paradigm differs from kteb/ykteb in the following ways:

Reduction and assimilation occur as follows:

Examples:

= Regular verb, form I, fʕel/yfʕol

=

Example: xrˤeʒ/yxrˤoʒ "go out"

Tense/MoodPastPresent SubjunctivePresent IndicativeFutureImperative
PersonSingularPluralSingularPluralSingularPluralSingularPluralSingularPlural
1stxrˤeʒ-txrˤeʒ-nane-xrˤoʒn-xerˤʒ-uka-ne-xrˤoʒka-n-xerˤʒ-uɣa-ne-xrˤoʒɣa-n-xerˤʒ-u
2ndmasculinexrˤeʒ-tixrˤeʒ-tiwte-xrˤoʒt-xerˤʒ-uka-te-xrˤoʒka-t-xerˤʒ-uɣa-te-xrˤoʒɣa-t-xerˤʒ-uxrˤoʒxerˤʒ-u
femininet-xerˤʒ-ika-t-xerˤʒ-iɣa-t-xerˤʒ-ixerˤʒ-i
3rdmasculinexrˤeʒxerˤʒ-uy-xrˤoʒy-xerˤʒ-uka-y-xrˤoʒka-y-xerˤʒ-uɣa-y-xrˤoʒɣa-y-xerˤʒ-u
femininexerˤʒ-ette-xrˤoʒka-te-xrˤoʒɣa-te-xrˤoʒ
= Regular verb, form II, feʕʕel/yfeʕʕel

=

Example: beddel/ybeddel "change"

Tense/MoodPastPresent SubjunctivePresent IndicativeFutureImperative
PersonSingularPluralSingularPluralSingularPluralSingularPluralSingularPlural
1stbeddel-tbeddel-nan-beddeln-beddl-uka-n-beddelka-n-beddl-uɣa-n-beddelɣa-n-beddl-u
2ndmasculinebeddel-tibeddel-tiwt-beddelt-beddl-uka-t-beddelka-t-beddl-uɣa-t-beddelɣa-t-beddl-ubeddelbeddl-u
femininet-beddl-ika-t-beddl-iɣa-t-beddl-ibeddl-i
3rdmasculinebeddelbeddl-uy-beddely-beddl-uka-y-beddelka-y-beddl-uɣa-y-beddelɣa-y-beddl-u
femininebeddl-ett-beddelka-t-beddelɣa-t-beddel

Boldfaced forms indicate the primary differences from the corresponding forms of kteb, which apply to many classes of verbs in addition to form II strong:

= Regular verb, form III, faʕel/yfaʕel

=

Example: sˤaferˤ/ysˤaferˤ "travel"

Tense/MoodPastPresent SubjunctivePresent IndicativeFutureImperative
PersonSingularPluralSingularPluralSingularPluralSingularPluralSingularPlural
1stsˤaferˤ-tsˤaferˤ-nan-sˤaferˤn-sˤafrˤ-uka-n-sˤaferˤka-n-sˤafrˤ-uɣa-n-sˤaferˤɣa-n-sˤafrˤ-u
2ndmasculinesˤaferˤ-tsˤaferˤ-tiwt-sˤaferˤt-sˤafrˤ-uka-t-sˤaferˤka-t-sˤafrˤ-uɣa-t-sˤaferˤɣa-t-sˤafrˤ-usˤaferˤsˤafrˤ-u
femininet-sˤafrˤ-ika-t-sˤafrˤ-iɣa-t-sˤafrˤ-isˤafrˤ-i
3rdmasculinesˤaferˤsˤafrˤ-uy-sˤaferˤy-sˤafrˤ-uka-y-sˤaferˤka-y-sˤafrˤ-uɣa-y-sˤaferˤɣa-y-sˤafrˤ-u
femininesˤafrˤ-ett-sˤaferˤka-t-sˤaferˤɣa-t-sˤaferˤ

The primary differences from the corresponding forms of beddel (shown in boldface) are:

= Regular verb, form Ia, ttefʕel/yttefʕel

=

Example: ttexleʕ/yttexleʕ "get scared"

Tense/MoodPastPresent SubjunctivePresent IndicativeFutureImperative
PersonSingularPluralSingularPluralSingularPluralSingularPluralSingularPlural
1stttexleʕ-tttexleʕ-nan-ttexleʕn-ttxelʕ-uka-n-ttexleʕka-n-ttxelʕ-uɣa-n-ttexleʕɣa-n-ttxelʕ-u
2ndmasculinettexleʕ-tittexleʕ-tiw(te-)ttexleʕ(te-)ttxelʕ-uka-(te-)ttexleʕka-(te-)ttxelʕ-uɣa-(te-)ttexleʕɣa-(te-)ttxelʕ-uttexleʕttxelʕ-u
feminine(te-)ttxelʕ-ika-(te-)ttxelʕ-iɣa-(te-)ttxelʕ-ittxelʕ-i
3rdmasculinettexleʕttxelʕ-uy-ttexleʕy-ttxelʕ-uka-y-ttexleʕka-y-ttxelʕ-uɣa-y-ttexleʕɣa-y-ttxelʕ-u
femininettxelʕ-et(te-)ttexleʕka-(te-)ttexleʕɣa-(te-)ttexleʕ
Sample Paradigms of Weak Verbs

Weak verbs have a W or Y as the last root consonant.

= Weak, form I, fʕa/yfʕa

=

Example: nsa/ynsa "forget"

Tense/MoodPastPresent SubjunctivePresent IndicativeFutureImperative
PersonSingularPluralSingularPluralSingularPluralSingularPluralSingularPlural
1stnsi-tnsi-nane-nsane-nsa-wka-ne-nsaka-ne-nsa-wɣa-ne-nsaɣa-ne-nsa-w
2ndmasculinensi-tinsi-tiwte-nsate-nsa-wka-te-nsaka-te-nsa-wɣa-te-nsaɣa-te-nsa-wnsansa-w
femininete-nsa-yka-te-nsa-yɣa-te-nsa-ynsa-y
3rdmasculinensansa-wy-nsay-nsa-wka-y-nsaka-y-nsa-wɣa-y-nsaɣa-y-nsa-w
femininensa-tte-nsaka-te-nsaɣa-te-nsa

The primary differences from the corresponding forms of kteb (shown in) are:

= Weak verb, form I, fʕa/yfʕi

=

Example: rˤma/yrˤmi "throw"

Tense/MoodPastPresent SubjunctivePresent IndicativeFutureImperative
PersonSingularPluralSingularPluralSingularPluralSingularPluralSingularPlural
1strˤmi-trˤmi-nane-rˤmine-rˤmi-wka-ne-rˤmika-ne-rˤmi-wɣa-ne-rˤmiɣa-ne-rˤmi-w
2ndmasculinerˤmi-tirˤmi-tiwte-rˤmite-rˤmi-wka-te-rˤmika-te-rˤmi-wɣa-te-rˤmiɣa-te-rˤmi-wrˤmirˤmi-w
feminine
3rdmasculinerˤmarˤma-wy-rˤmiy-rˤmi-wka-y-rˤmika-y-rˤmi-wɣa-y-rˤmiɣa-y-rˤmi-w
femininerˤma-tte-rˤmika-te-rˤmiɣa-te-rˤmi

This verb type is quite similar to the weak verb type nsa/ynsa. The primary differences are:

Verbs other than form I behave as follows in the non-past:

Examples:

Sample Paradigms of Hollow Verbs

Hollow have a W or Y as the middle root consonant. Note that for some forms (e.g. form II and form III), hollow verbs are conjugated as strong verbs (e.g. form II ʕeyyen/yʕeyyen "appoint" from ʕ-Y-N, form III ʒaweb/yʒaweb "answer" from ʒ-W-B).

= Hollow verb, form I, fal/yfil

=

Example: baʕ/ybiʕ "sell"

Tense/MoodPastPresent SubjunctivePresent IndicativeFutureImperative
PersonSingularPluralSingularPluralSingularPluralSingularPluralSingularPlural
1stbeʕ-tbeʕ-nan-biʕn-biʕ-uka-n-biʕka-n-biʕ-uɣa-n-biʕɣa-n-biʕ-u
2ndmasculinebeʕ-tibeʕ-tiwt-biʕt-biʕ-uka-t-biʕka-t-biʕ-uɣa-t-biʕɣa-t-biʕ-ubiʕbiʕ-u
femininet-biʕ-ika-t-biʕ-iɣa-t-biʕ-ibiʕ-i
3rdmasculinebaʕbaʕ-uy-biʕy-biʕ-uka-y-biʕka-y-biʕ-uɣa-y-biʕɣa-y-biʕ-u
femininebaʕ-ett-biʕka-t-biʕɣa-t-biʕ

This verb works much like beddel/ybeddel "teach". Like all verbs whose stem begins with a single consonant, the prefixes differ in the following way from those of regular and weak form I verbs:

In addition, the past tense has two stems: beʕ- before consonant-initial suffixes (first and second person) and baʕ- elsewhere (third person).

= Hollow verb, form I, fal/yful

=

Example: ʃaf/yʃuf "see"

Tense/MoodPastPresent SubjunctivePresent IndicativeFutureImperative
PersonSingularPluralSingularPluralSingularPluralSingularPluralSingularPlural
1stʃef-tʃef-nan-ʃufn-ʃuf-uka-n-ʃufka-n-ʃuf-uɣa-n-ʃufɣa-n-ʃuf-u
2ndmasculineʃef-tiʃef-tiwt-ʃuft-ʃuf-uka-t-ʃufka-t-ʃuf-uɣa-t-ʃufɣa-t-ʃuf-uʃufʃuf-u
femininet-ʃuf-ika-t-ʃuf-iɣa-t-ʃuf-iʃuf-i
3rdmasculineʃafʃaf-uy-ʃufy-ʃuf-uka-y-ʃufka-y-ʃuf-uɣa-y-ʃufɣa-y-ʃuf-u
feminineʃaf-ett-ʃufka-t-ʃufɣa-t-ʃuf

This verb class is identical to verbs such as baʕ/ybiʕ except in having stem vowel /u/ in place of /i/.

Sample Paradigms of Doubled Verbs

Doubled verbs have the same consonant as middle and last root consonant, e.g. ɣabb/yiħebb "love" from Ħ-B-B.

= Doubled verb, form I, feʕʕ/yfeʕʕ

=

Example: ħebb/yħebb "love"

Tense/MoodPastPresent SubjunctivePresent IndicativeFutureImperative
PersonSingularPluralSingularPluralSingularPluralSingularPluralSingularPlural
1stħebbi-tħebbi-nan-ħebbn-ħebb-uka-n-ħebbka-n-ħebb-uɣa-n-ħebbɣa-n-ħebb-u
2ndmasculineħebbi-tiħebbi-tiwt-ħebbt-ħebb-uka-t-ħebbka-t-ħebb-uɣa-t-ħebbɣa-t-ħebb-uħebbħebb-u
femininet-ħebb-ika-t-ħebb-iɣa-t-ħebb-iħebb-i
3rdmasculineħebbħebb-uy-ħebby-ħebb-uka-y-ħebbka-y-ħebb-uɣa-y-ħebbɣa-y-ħebb-u
feminineħebb-ett-ħebbka-t-ħebbɣa-t-ħebb

This verb works much like baʕ/ybiʕ "sell". Like that class, it has two stems in the past, which are ħebbi- before consonant-initial suffixes (first and second person) and ħebb- elsewhere (third person). Note that /i-/ was borrowed from the weak verbs; the Classical Arabic equivalent form would be *ħabáb-, e.g. *ħabáb-t.

Some verbs have /o/ in the stem: koħħ/ykoħħ "cough".

As for the other forms:

Sample Paradigms of Doubly Weak Verbs

"Doubly weak" verbs have more than one "weakness", typically a W or Y as both the second and third consonants. In Moroccan Arabic such verbs generally behave as normal weak verbs (e.g. ħya/yħya "live" from Ħ-Y-Y, quwwa/yquwwi "strengthen" from Q-W-Y, dawa/ydawi "treat, cure" from D-W-Y). This is not always the case in standard Arabic (cf. walā/yalī "follow" from W-L-Y).

Paradigms of Irregular Verbs

The irregular verbs are as follows:

Tense/MoodPastPresent SubjunctivePresent IndicativeFutureImperative
PersonSingularPluralSingularPluralSingularPluralSingularPluralSingularPlural
1stkli-tkli-nana-kolna-kl-uka-na-kolka-na-kl-uɣa-na-kolɣa-na-kl-u
2ndmasculinekli-tikli-tiwta-kolta-kl-uka-ta-kolka-ta-kl-uɣa-ta-kolɣa-ta-kl-ukulkul-u
feminineta-kl-ika-ta-kl-iɣa-ta-kl-ikul-i
3rdmasculineklakla-wya-kolya-kl-uka-ya-kolka-ya-kl-uɣa-ya-kolɣa-ya-kl-u
femininekla-tta-kolka-ta-kolɣa-ta-kol

Social features

Evolution

In general, Moroccan Arabic is one of the least conservative of all Arabic languages. Now, Moroccan Arabic continues to integrate new French words, even English ones due to its influence as the modern lingua franca, mainly technological and modern words. However, in recent years, constant exposure to Modern Standard Arabic on television and in print media and a certain desire among many Moroccans for a revitalization of an Arab identity has inspired many Moroccans to integrate words from Modern Standard Arabic, replacing their French, Spanish or otherwise non-Arabic counterparts, or even speaking in Modern Standard Arabic while keeping the Moroccan accent to sound less formal[28]

Though rarely written, Moroccan Arabic is currently undergoing an unexpected and pragmatic revival. It is now the preferred language in Moroccan chat rooms or for sending SMS, using Arabic Chat Alphabet composed of Latin letters supplemented with the numbers 2, 3, 5, 7 and 9 for coding specific Arabic sounds, as is the case with other Arabic speakers.

The language continues to evolve quickly as can be noted by consulting the Colin dictionary. Many words and idiomatic expressions recorded between 1921 and 1977 are now obsolete.

Code-switching

Some Moroccan Arabic speakers, in the parts of the country formerly ruled by France, practice code-switching with French. In parts of northern Morocco, such as in Tetouan and Tangier, it is common for code-switching to occur between Moroccan Arabic, Modern Standard Arabic, and Spanish, as Spain had previously controlled part of the region and continues to possess the territories of Ceuta and Melilla in North Africa bordering only Morocco. On the other hand, some Arab nationalist Moroccans generally attempt to avoid French and Spanish in their speech; consequently, their speech tends to resemble old Andalusian Arabic.

Literature

Although most Moroccan literature has traditionally been written in the classical Standard Arabic, the first record of a work of literature composed in Moroccan Arabic was Al-Kafif az-Zarhuni's al-Mala'ba, written in the Marinid period.[29]

There exists some poetry written in Moroccan Arabic like the Malhun. In the troubled and autocratic Morocco of the 1970s, Years of Lead, the Nass El Ghiwane band wrote lyrics in Moroccan Arabic that were very appealing to the youth even in other Maghreb countries.

Another interesting movement is the development of an original rap music scene, which explores new and innovative usages of the language.

Zajal, or improvised poetry, is mostly written in Moroccan Darija, and there have been at least dozens of Moroccan Darija poetry collections and anthologies published by Moroccan poets, such as Ahmed Lemsyeh[30] and Driss Amghar Mesnaoui. The later additionally wrote a novel trilogy in Moroccan Darija, a unique creation in this language, with the titles "Ta'arurut", (the Wind's Crutch), and (The Town's Luck).[31]

Scientific production

The first known scientific productions written in Moroccan Arabic were released on the Web in early 2010 by Moroccan teacher and physicist Farouk Taki El Merrakchi, three average-sized books dealing with physics and mathematics.[32]

Newspapers

There have been at least three newspapers in Moroccan Arabic; their aim was to bring information to people with a low level of education, or those simply interested in promoting the use of Moroccan Darija. From September 2006 to October 2010, Telquel Magazine had a Moroccan Arabic edition Nichane. From 2002 to 2006 there was also a free weekly newspaper that was entirely written in "standard" Moroccan Arabic: Khbar Bladna ('News of Our Country'). In Salé, the regional newspaper Al Amal, directed by Latifa Akherbach, started in 2005.[33]

The Moroccan online newspaper Goud or "ݣود" has much of its content written in Moroccan Arabic rather than Modern Standard Arabic. Its name "Goud" and its slogan "dima nishan" (ديما نيشان) are Moroccan Arabic expressions that mean almost the same thing "straightforward".[34]

See also

References

  1. Book: Manbahī . Muḥammad al-Madlāwī . al-ʻArabīyah al-Dārijah : imlāʼīyah wa-naḥw . منبهي، محمد المدلاوي. . 2019 . 978-9920-38-197-0 . 1st . Zākūrah . ar:العربية الدارجة : إملائية ونحو . 1226918654.
  2. Book: Abdel-Massih, Ernest Tawfik . An Introduction to Moroccan Arabic . 1973 . Center for Near Eastern and North African Studies, University of Michigan . 9780932098078 . en.
  3. Web site: Yabiladi.com. Darija, a lingua franca influenced by both Arabic Tamazight and. 2020-06-04. en.yabiladi.com. en.
  4. Web site: RGPH 2014.
  5. A. Bernard & P. Moussard, « Arabophones et Amazighophones au Maroc », Annales de Géographie, no.183 (1924), pp.267-282.
  6. D. Caubet, Questionnaire de dialectologie du Maghreb, in: EDNA vol.5 (2000-2001), pp.73-92
  7. The dialects of Ouezzane, Chefchaouen, Asilah, Larache, Ksar el-Kebir and Tangiers are influenced by the neighbouring mountain dialects. The dialects of Marrakech and Meknes are influenced by Bedouin dialects. The old urban dialect formerly spoken in Azemmour is extinct.
  8. S. Levy, Repères pour une histoire linguistique du Maroc, in: EDNA no.1 (1996), pp.127-137
  9. L. Messaoudi, Variations linguistiques: images urbaines et sociales, in: Cahiers de Sociolinguistique, no.6 (2001), pp.87-98
  10. A. Zouggari & J. Vignet-Zunz, Jbala: Histoire et société, dans Sciences Humaines, (1991)
  11. Web site: Glottolog 4.6 - Judeo-Moroccan Arabic . 2022-09-27 . glottolog.org.
  12. François Decret, Les invasions hilaliennes en Ifrîqiya
  13. K. Versteegh, Dialects of Arabic: Maghreb Dialects, teachmideast.org
  14. J. Grand'Henry, Les parlers arabes de la région du Mzāb, Brill, 1976, pp.4-5
  15. M. El Himer, Zones linguistiques du Maroc arabophone: contacts et effets à Salé, in: Between the Atlantic and Indian Oceans, Studies on Contemporary Arabic, 7th AIDA Conference, 2006, held in Vienna
  16. Caubet (2007), p. 3
  17. Book: Gottreich, Emily . Jewish Morocco . 2020 . I.B. Tauris . 10.5040/9781838603601 . 978-1-78076-849-6. 213996367 .
  18. Web site: الخطاب السياسي لدة العامة في مغرب العصر المريني - ملعبة الكفيف الزرهوني نموذجا . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20191205231337/http://www.hesperis-tamuda.com/2/data/2014/arabe/3.pdf . 2019-12-05 . هيسبريس تمودا العدد XLIX، 2014، ص 13-32.
  19. Web site: الملعبة، أقدم نص بالدارجة المغربية . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20180627005942/http://zamane.ma/ar/%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%85%D9%84%D8%B9%D8%A8%D8%A9%D8%8C-%D8%A3%D9%82%D8%AF%D9%85-%D9%86%D8%B5-%D8%A8%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%AF%D8%A7%D8%B1%D8%AC%D8%A9-%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%85%D8%BA%D8%B1%D8%A8%D9%8A%D8%A9/ . 2018-06-27 .
  20. Web site: Farouk El Merrakchi Taki, professeur de physique en France, s'est lancé dans la rédaction de manuels scientifiques en darija.. French. November 26, 2013. April 8, 2021.
  21. Book: Multilingualism, Cultural Identity, and Education in Morocco. 5 Dec 2005. Springer Science & Business Media. 2019. Moha Ennaji. 20 January 2005 . 9780387239804.
  22. Web site: À propos de la darija. fr. Valentina Ferrara. 2017.
  23. Book: Martin Haspelmath. Uri Tadmor. Loanwords in the World's Languages: A Comparative Handbook. 22 December 2009. Walter de Gruyter. 978-3-11-021844-2. 195.
  24. Book: Elimam . Abdou . Du Punique au Maghribi : Trajectoires d'une langue sémito-méditerranéenne . Synergies Tunisie . 2009.
  25. Web site: Helpful Moroccan Phrases with pronunciation - Moroccan Arabic. Morocco-guide.com.
  26. Web site: Learn Moroccan Arabic with uTalk . 2024-04-09 . utalk.com . en.
  27. Book: Boujenab, Abderrahmane. Moroccan Arabic. 2011. Peace Corps Morocco. 52.
  28. The Arabic Language: A Latin of Modernity? . 11 March 2024 . Tomasz . Kamusella . Journal of Nationalism, Memory & Language Politics . 11 . 2 . 10.1515/jnmlp-2017-0006 . 117–145 . December 2017.
  29. Web site: الملعبة، أقدم نص بالدارجة المغربية. 27 May 2018. 2 March 2020. 27 June 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180627005942/http://zamane.ma/ar/%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%85%D9%84%D8%B9%D8%A8%D8%A9%D8%8C-%D8%A3%D9%82%D8%AF%D9%85-%D9%86%D8%B5-%D8%A8%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%AF%D8%A7%D8%B1%D8%AC%D8%A9-%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%85%D8%BA%D8%B1%D8%A8%D9%8A%D8%A9/. dead.
  30. Web site: Publications by Ahmed Lemsyeh. 25 September 2021. ary,ar.
  31. Web site: رواية جديدة للمغربي إدريس أمغار المسناوي. A new novel by Moroccan (writer) Driss Amghar Mesnaoui. 24 August 2014. 11 July 2022.
  32. Web site: Une première: Un Marocain rédige des manuels scientifiques en…. Medias24.com. 26 November 2013.
  33. Web site: 9 June 2006. Actualité : La "darija" ou correctement la langue marocaine sort ses griffes. fr. lavieeco.com.
  34. Web site: كود. Goud.

Bibliography

External links