Maghreb: English is More Loved than French

John Battenburg on the decline of French vs. Arabic and English in Tunisia:

Today, Arabic, of course, is the official language.  In Tunisia, as in other neighboring countries, the status of Arabic is clearly stated.  Article One of the Tunisian Constitution, for example,  proclaims:  "Islam is its religion, Arabic is its language."  

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  The French language and culture have continued to permeate North Africa long after the withdrawal of the French as a colonial and protectorate power, yet they are slowly losing their prominence due to Arabization in education and Islamization in society at large.  ... The gradual decline in the use and status of French is subtle yet significant.  

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English is gradually being adopted into sectors of society.  I was particularly interested in examining the issue of second languages in competition--or the continued use of French versus the spread of English.  My research activities focused on language in education, government, the professions, and mass media.  

  Sociolinguist Joshua Fishman (1983: 20) has observed concerning language choice and loyalty, "English is less loved but more used; French is more loved and less used."  In North Africa, however, various researchers have discovered the opposite--while French is more used; English is more loved.  A gap exists, of course, between language preference and language use.  However, it is significant that while English is slowing gaining prominence in former francophone territories, French has been unable to make inroads in anglophone territories.   

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 In Morocco, I visited the first anglophone university--Al Alkawayne (the two brothers).  This institution, created in 1995 with financial support from King Fahd of Saudi Arabia and King Hassan II of Morocco, is already viewed as one of the finest universities in North Africa.  In Algeria, parties such as the Islamic Salvation Front have pushed for the adoption of Arabic internally and the use of English as a lingua franca externally.  If French provides a window to the outside world, they argue English offers an even larger window.  

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Perhaps the most recent and significant example of English gaining prominence over French in the Arab World is in Lebanon.  Although such a shift must be viewed in terms of the conflict between Muslims and Christians and the resulting civil war, it is also apparent that Tunisia and Lebanon possess certain common traits.  U.S. Ambassador Parker (1987: 53) writes,   

Both countries are the smallest in their respective regions both have limited natural resources, both have catered to  Mediterranean tourism with considerable success   

and both are marked by a practical approach, trying to avoid letting  ideology get in the  way of making a living, but not always succeeding. 

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Dorian (1982: 47) writes, "language loyalty persists as long as the economic and social circumstances are conducive to it, but is some other language proves to have greater value, a shift to that other language begins."