Moroccan Colloquial Arabic (MCA), or Darija, is the spoken language of all Morocco and the most widely understood Arabic dialect in North Africa, the Middle East and the Gulf. With our communicative approach, and our focus on small classes, students can progress through the levels, accomplish everyday tasks, chat with Moroccans and even exchange opinions on current issues with native speakers.
Course duration:
Classes are from Monday to Thursday for 2 hours each.
MCA Course Dates :
Programs will begin on the following dates:
1 June 2008
6 July 2008
10 August 2008
14 September 2008
19 October 2008
16 November 2008
Moroccan Arabic (also known as Darija) is the variety of Arabic spoken in the Arabic-speaking areas of Morocco, as opposed to the official communications of government and other public bodies which use Modern Standard Arabic, as is the case in most Arabic-speaking countries, while a mixture of French and Moroccan Arabic is used in Business. It is within the Maghrebi Arabic dialect continuum
Native speakers typically consider Moroccan Arabic a dialect because it is not a literary language and because it lacks prestige compared to Standard Arabic (fuṣḥa). It differs from Standard Arabic in phonology, lexicon, and syntax, and has been influenced by Berber (mainly in its pronunciation, and grammar), French and Spanish. Like Arabic colloquials in general, its grammar is simpler than that of Standard Arabic.
Moroccan Arabic continues to evolve by integrating new French or English words, notably in technical fields, or by replacing old French and Spanish ones with Standard Arabic words within some circles.
It is worth mentioning that Darija (which means dialect) can be divided into two groups:
The pre-French protectorate: when Morocco was officially colonized by France in 1912, it had an accelerated French influence in aspects of everyday life. The pre-French Darija is one that is spoken by older and more conservative people. It is an Arabic dialect with Berber influences that can be found in texts and poems of Malhoun, and Andalusi music for example. Later, in the 1970's, traditionalist bands like Nass El Ghiwane and Jil Jilala followed this course, and only sang in "classical darija".
The post-French protectorate: after the coming of the French, any word, whether a verb or a noun, could be thrown into a sentence. This was more a habit of the young educated generations of the cities.
Textbooks used
The textbook used in our Darija courses is the Peace corps book for Learning Moroccan Arabic.
Salamou aalaykoum, an introductory Course in colloquial Moroccan Arabic (For students with a background in MSA), I.L.L, 2008.
Moroccan Arabic, a competency based curriculum for beginning and intermediate students Peace Corps Morocco.
Moroccan Arabic textbook, go in peace organization , 2006.
And much more !!
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