Morocco - Languages

Languages

One thing I learned - you don't get far with classical Arabic or even with French.

The main language spoken is Moroccan Arabic, also called ad-Dariga, and the Berber language, Tamazight. In Wikipedia there are still other designations. Nevertheless, the Berber language has fundamentally the same roots and Berbers always understand each other. There are individual deviations depending on the region, just as everywhere dialects have grown regionally different. I remember the differences of the Swiss language in each canton. Nevertheless, all Swiss understand each other (except for the Valaisans maybe ;-)).

The official languages of the country and the authorities are French and classical Arabic. Both are taught in schools. Both can be found on the town signs. Whether it has to do with the old occupation forces that very few Moroccans like French? Who knows. I could speak a few words of French from time to time (mostly only the policemen had a good vocabulary ;-)), but most Moroccans quickly switched to English or even German.

A third font can be found on most of the signs: Berber script (a third official language since 2011). Unfortunately, it is not taught everywhere. However, school children are probably asked to learn it on their own. This is a pity, because the Tifinagh script used testifies to an ancient culture that existed before the immigration of the Arabs and Islamization (7th century). According to the name, one suspects a derivation from Phoenician. What about the Phoenicians, who had already bred purple snails in Essouira/Magador?  

From Wikipedia: "The texts known from the pre-colonial period mostly consist only of short inscriptions on rocks (names or messages) and names and formulaic blessings on leather amulets or jewelry. The blades of Takouba swords in particular were often decorated with Tifinagh symbols, which were thought to bring good luck to the warrior. In Morocco, Tifinagh signs are traditionally painted on the skin with henna or other dyes for magical purposes. In newborns, they are supposed to make evil spirits and begrudging people or their "evil eye" harmless."

Even today, this script is used for magic. Thus, one occasionally comes across buried photos or personal items with these characters, which are supposed to bring about either evil spells or good ones. Officially, of course, this is forbidden.

It reminds me of our Germanic/Celtic runes, which are and were used both as characters, but also for magic.