Is the mother tongue an issue?

Hello, you might have noticed that this topic is posted in Serious Matter, it is due to the fact that I firmly believe that it's dead serious. I would like to ask some questions to be discussed and I strongly beg your contribution, your opinion is much important. First can the one learn his mother tongue from books and lessons? What's Algeria's mother tongue? What's the difference between a dialect and a language?

I would like to start the topic by a quotation of Othman Amine in his book the philosophy of Arabic, he stated:The ground is for you now...

Hello,
In fact this topic is in its adequate place since the issue of language in Algeria is serious…

First's let's explain the language situation in Algeria and what makes it a hot issue and a source of conflict and debate among Algerians.
As we've studied in linguistics, Algeria is a multilingual country where we have at least three languages : Arabic, French and Berber.
Along with multilingualism, there's also a diglossic situation in Algeria. Diglossia has been defined as a situation where varieties of one language exist side by side. In Algeria for instance, Arabic is a diglossic language. We have both Standard Arabic ( High variety, constitutionally declared as the official and national language of Algeria). And Dialectal Arabic, also known as Colloquial or Algerian Arabic which is the low variety spoken by the majority of the population.

All these diversities brought a language conflict in Algeria. But before talking about the conflict, Hush asked a question concerning the difference between language and dialect. I'll try to answer though probably it'll be wrong. A Dialect is defined as any regional, social or ethical variety of a language. So language varieties are called dialects rather than languages. For example, Standard English is but one variety of the different varieties of 'English', it is a dialect of the English language. The difference is that it's has been standardized and codified to function as the language of education, and government. So we can say that making the distinction between dialect and language is not easy, but we can draw the conclusion that it's the government's intervention which decides. For example, Berber was not a national language nor it was mentioned in the constitution. However, in 2001 it was recognized as Algeria's second national language.

Now, let's talk about the issue of our mother tongue… I think since Standard Arabic and Algerian Arabic are varieties of the same Arabic so they are our mother tongue, and each one has it's own social function. The former is used in formal situations like in school, and the latter is used in everyday situations like chatting…
But I recognized that some consider speaking Standard Arabic daily is something silly. I mean in informal situations like talking to friends, or saying "3assir" instead of "jus" will make you look funny!
I do like Mr. Othmane Amine's quotation; it reflects the opposite situation in Algeria. Many people are ashamed to use Arabic and prefer French thinking that it's more prestigious
I think it's a matter of awareness, we should be aware that our native tongue is Arabic because we are Algerians not French or English, moreover, Arabic is the language of Islam and as Ibn Badis said '
شعب الجزائر مسلم والى العروبة ينتسب***من قال حاد عن اصله اوقال مات فقد كدب

As for French, it's Algeria's second language, and French colonization is part of a history that we can't change, so for me rejecting the use of French is not nationalism, but I consider it a second language part of our education just like English and part of an admiration for languages.

That's just my opinion!

Hello Hush I really have to thank you for the topic and for your posts. I've learnt many new things.
That's what we need topics and issues to discuss and argue. So I'd like to tell my mates that this topic and other ones are not open just for Hush and Ezinma...Ok, so please give us your opinions, and don't tell me you don't have ones because that's nonsense. Anyway, I'm fed up with the same old song

Let's get back to our topic. Yes, it's the influence of politics which determines what's a language and what's a dialect, and it's said that "a language is a dialect with an army and a navy"
Hush, I didn't understand your question . What do you mean???
Please don't give me the answer!

Hello mates.Any given country is characterized or IDENTIFIED by several features.The currency,the Religion and the language are the most important ones.Arabic is the official language in Algeria.It's used in schools,newspapers,books and so on.The funny thing is that it is rarely;we can say never, used in everyday life.Does this fact help to revive our mother tongue?

I believe that counting on lessons and books isn't sufficient to properly learn a language,especially as a complex language as Arabic.A linguist once said:"There are rules of use without which rules of Grammar are usless".The lack of performance would create many difficulties in speacking Arabic.An obvious proof for that is the fact that many Algerians,especially politicians,find it difficult to speak in Arabic when asked by the media for example.It's the other way around in many other Arabian countries.The language they use is closely to be called standard Arabic unlike our "Derja" which is a mixture of many other languages.

The presence of many dialects in Algeria makes it even harder to use Arabic in our daily speech.We have been adopted to the "norm" which says using "Derja" is more reasonable than using Standard Arabic.It's become awkawrd to hear someone talking in Arabic unless that person was our teacher of Arabic.

rejecting one's mother tongue is loosing one's identity.It's quiet obvious the causes that are making our mother tongue an issue.It requires a lot of work and iron spirits to change this situation.

PS: I'm sorry if I'm out of topic;that's all I could say.

Hello Hush, thank you for clarifying the question. Thank you too W_ch for your contribution, you said things I didn't find proper words to say.

Hush I'll attempt to answer, though I'm really out when it comes to discussing serious issues.

Language and identity are closely interwind , and constantly under discussion in Algeria. In addition to the place (region) we belong to which is an important component of our identity, it's the way we speak, i.e. the language or the dialect we use which gives us a sense of belonging to a community and not to nowhere.
I believe that what Algeria is witnessing nowadays is an identity crisis. The language which is normally tied up to our identity is a hybrid of different languages. We are 'in between' Algerian Arabic, Standard Arabic, French and Berber.

I think the identity crisis is the result of our colonial history and experience. The colonizer brought a rupture, and launched a cultural imperialism against the indigenous languages. For example the French policy of assimilation aimed at eliminating the Algerian identity and culture by expanding the French culture and language.
But in the 196os, the government launched a policy of Arabization by establishing a set of measures to re-Arabize the country, and to reconstruct the identity. The result was that Arabic replaced French in all sectors, i.e. education, media…However; the Berber rejected this policy claiming that it eliminates Berber (language) for the sake of national unity.
The problem of Berber was settled by making it a national language.

Today the cure is to "brainwash" the Algerians to make them feel proud of their identity, ethnic diversity and different languages and dialects. This means proud of being Algerians, native speakers of Arabic, Berber and with a native-like competence in French.
The restoration of the true status of Standard Arabic can be realized only by education, education, education as Mr. Blair said. The interference of Algerian Arabic in schools is what hinder our proper mastery of Standard Arabic, and as I remember my teacher of Arabic used to talk in Colloquial Arabic in class. So maybe the government should select teachers who really master Arabic especially in primary schools.
That's my opinion, I'm really out and paralysed in front of serious issues.

Hi mates, I want to thank you Hush for this important topic, also Ezinma and W-ch for their benefit contribution; all what I can say is that our mother tongue is in a horrible situation-my opinion- because it is not clear if it's Arabic or French or a mixture;sometimes one knows the word in French but not in Arabic...??.

According to your questions Hush,I don't think that one learns his mother lge from books or lessons because children in Age of 5/6 speak it very well-this if it is our daily lge"derja", and if it is the standard one I think he has to take lessons-
And as you said, Algeria is multi-cultures, many cultures, so many lges; and that's great.

But the mesry case of our mother lge is not good at all.......
once,I talked to my teacher for th 1st time out of the class, I started talking in English, he said:Hi, wach ça va???? English+Arabic+French...new lge, great... no?

that's my opinion...thanks again and pliz don't stop posting these great topics, really you are shining here guys...

read you soon

Hello mates...
I believe that dealing with the issue takes much time and needs devoted persons to change the situation;or at least improve it.It's a problem,as already mentioned by Huch,conserns both the state and the individual at the same time.

"Where there is a will,there is a way".Unless individulas are intrested in using their mother tongue, the stiuation will remain the same and here comes the state's role.It's a matter of identity,a matter of being;therefore,governement should make people aware of the importance of having a mother tongue of our own.The first step would be to limit, or eliminate if possible,the existance of illitracy in Algeria.Nobody would deny that illitracy has created defferent problems to the country.Another thing the state could do is to orgenize meetings,lectures and lessons just to make it clear that our mother tongue defines who we are.

On the other hand,the individual play the major part in improving the state of our mother tongue.His contrabution would be the most needed and the most helpful as well.The government can't do any thing if people themselves don't want to have anything to do with Arabic.She could through meetings,but no one will attend if they are still not intrested.Therefore,people should contrabute at least by showing to the meeting if it was held;it would be cosidered as a first step towards success.Intellectualls are the category on which we rely on.they would be a great help if they decided to fight for the icause.If every intellectual engages himself with the "fighting group",I assure you that things will change,for the better of course.

"The mother tongue issue"of ours should be clasified on the top list of "things to be taken care of".As I've already wrote,it's a problem which requires everyone's intention.From the humble worker to the most intellectual man,ending up with the government ofcourse,should be involved and should contrabute.There is one thing that must be shared by all people mentioned and which is ...DEVOTION

Thank you all and read you soon

I think the word "define" in itself doesn't mean simply to give a definition, that’s to say to state the precise meaning of a word. Therefore, defining a language (i.e. explain the meaning of the word language) is difficult because we know well that language is not merely a tool of communication or a set of signs and sounds.
But we can define a language and it defines us at the same time.
To define a language that’s to say to give it form and meaning, or make it noticeable, I think we can define a language by using it, by preserving it books… The Berbers for example desired to elevate the status of their language because it gives them an identity, and a culture. This is a way to define a language, to be proud of it and call it ones’ own.
So of course language defines us; it reveals who we are and where we come from (origin, country, or social status like in the UK). And as I said it gives us a sense of belonging to a community and not to nowhere.
If we recall what we studied in our courses of Arabic, we said that Kuraych was a prominent tribe in the entire Arab peninsula, primarily because of the trade of the Kurachi people but also because of their language. For instance Kuraych was famous for "سوق عكاظ" (a market place and a scene of a great literary contest were great poets recited their poems) which contributed not only in giving prominence to Classical Arabic but also giving Kuraych a cultural identity throughout history.

Again, this is my viewpoint.

Hello everyone!
At the outset, let me congratulate and thank all the staff and the members of this outstanding forum and I wish it will be lucrative for everyone.
I am a new member, indeed, and once I have heard about it, I signed up right off the bat because that exactely the kind of site I am looking for.I wish I will be accepted!

In fact, we can never get a clear picture of the on-
going language situation in Algeria without making a
recourse to the history of north Africa which has seen
many and diffrent civilizations, Berber
(autochthonos),Vandal,Roman,and then Arabic,turkish and
in the end French.Indisputibly, It is a real cultural
melting pot. This is a peace of evidance that vouch for
the plurality of Algeria, a fact that should not be
ignored. Unfortunately, we still hear many people
questioning this historical and cultural legacy.
It is said that diversity is a wealth and a source of
strength or so I have heard. Actually, the Algerian
diversity(ie. plurality) is not, as the overwhelming
magority of our fellows think, the origin or the cause
of the linguistic problem. Once again, we should review
are hitory. The APP(The Algerian People Party), in 1949,
is the first who opened the Pandora's box claiming the
linguistic plurality of Algeria and insisting on the
recognition of the Amazighe demension in the Algerian
culture. This claim was strongly and immediately
regected for fear that this would beget discord and
division. Since, no other party dared to reclaim the
linguistic plurality. During the post-colonial era,
however, this issue was always politicized even though
it is a matter of the national indentity and our
history! That is due to the fact that the Algerian elit
is devided in two camps: the defenders of the Arabic and
the defenders of the French; both of them have, in this
connection, interests to be protected. Therefore, that
delimma is not racial nor cultural; it is purely and
simply political. Nowdays,if we want to resolve the
delimma, we have get rid of the ideologisation, in other
words, we should treat the issue out fo any political
adherence or influence.
In Algeria, there are many devided linguistic
environments: home, school, university, work, street,
and so forth; and to make things more complicated, these
environments are conspicuously different from a region
to an other.Add to thit, the state of the public
services and the institution of education.For instanse,
a lot of newly qualified students destabilized because
the Arabic is the language of studies and the French,
however, sills the prevailing language in the labour
market. The contitution is written in French, thus there
are major problems relationg to the application of the
laws due to a misconstruction or a false translation.
The same problem exists in the daily life specially for
chilren. A pupil of six year old, for example, is in two
minds whether he should answer in the Arabic of his
mother(colloquial arabic) or in the Arabic of his/her
teacher. According to a scientific research, this
particular bilingualism disrupts the psychological
growth of children.
Many people think of the Arabic is solely the language
of literature, poetry and religione...etc. That is
wrong! The Arabic is a living language which can
perfectly interact with all the realms of life. Thus, we
should stress the role that the school, the mass media
and the intelligentsia must take.
Ultimately, if this problematics endure in Algeria, that
is simply because all the issues in connection with the
national identity and history have never been solved.

Hey clear-headed..wellcome to our forum..i hope you'll enjoy your time among your new friends

Hello Clear-Headed and you're welcome. I do like your post thanks a million, it's really good.

this is a second to none topic i have read recently, and i would love to thank all the participants for the marked plurality of opinions. In a nutshell, it really tickled my fancy..

i expect more

cheer up Clear-Headed and don't batten down your spirits, after having read this artcile, i could tell that you have stashing capacities that you will burst out on the days to come..

have a great day all

Hello mates,I would like to bid the new members a warm welcome.I want to apologize that I did not abide by the quetions.


The Algerian society is not bilingual nor bicultural,it's rather a multilingual so a multicultural society.And more precisely it's quadrilingual ,that is to say,there are four co-existing languages:the academic Arabic,recognized officially as the national language and used in the education sector and the public sevices;the Algerian Arabic which is used in the daily life by most of the social classes;the Amazight,known as the Berber and spoken by a many ethnic groups;and the french language which is used in some scientific studies and recognized as to be the second national language.
This facts are contrary to the official thesis which gives no linguistic nor cultural recognition to those ethnic groups other than the recognition given by the contitution of 2002 as a national language not an official one.The Berber language knows a constellation of many regional dielects:Kabyle;Chaoui;Chenoui;Mouzabit;Chelha;Zenet;Tagargrent;and Touareg.
After the independence,the political,social and educational scene didn't changed very much.There was also a huge need for training personnel specially for the education sector and that was obvious and very natural because the country had just got its freedom.The fisrt generations of the post-colonial era were almost french-speaking and the the then governors saw the need to restore those generations' language and culture by what is called the Arabization.In that aim, a significant number of Arab teachers from the Middle East countries was brought.Unfortunately,the majority of them were not equal to a such task.Consequently,the policy didn't fulfil its purpose and the french language ,therefore, took root and gained a stronger foothold in our society to the detriment of Arabic.
During those years,the linguistique sensitivity of the Algerian people became more intensive.

Ps. Please,if you notice any mistake as regards language,feel free to mention it using a PM.Thanks in advance.