Tamazight language in Morocco: Is standardization possible?

By Majid Dardour- Rabat- Some people say that Tamazight is a language. Others say that Tamazight is a dialect. Nowadays, there is a movement among speakers of Tamazight language varieties to unite them into a single standard language. This enables, Tamazight to include all the indigenous related dialects.

The national charter of Moroccan education was the turning point in the standardization of Tamazight. Furthermore, political and cultural factors might be crucial to determine the state of any language or language varieties. So, to what extent has the national charter contributed to the standardization of Tamazight and unified its varieties into a single language?

Any language can contain many dialects. One of the main characteristic of Tamazight that has confused Tamazight linguists and Tamazight speakers themselves is that there are many dialects. Tamazight has three major varieties. Tashlhit, Tamazight and Tarifit. And each of these dialects consists of many sub-dialects. For example, within the geographical area of Tarifit, there are Tagznayt, Takhlfit and so on and so forth. However, geographical proximity facilitates mutual understanding, as the case of Amazigh and Chleuh shows. They understand each other with almost no difficulty.  Structurally, there are similarities between Tamazight dialects. So, the diversity of dialect is superficial rather than essential. Let’s now examine the possibility of standardizing the Tamazight language through the national charter.

The concept of standardization is a necessary and vital process in any language. A language must be codified by standardizing its phonology, morphology, syntax, spelling and vocabulary. For this reason, the national charter gave a paramount value to Tamazight in terms of its existence within educational institutions. Tamazight has shifted from a predominantly oral system to a written one and has gained a wider acceptance by speakers throughout Morocco. Ahmed Chafik claims 80 per cent of Moroccans are Berber. Besides, Tamazight gets a particular identity when it is fixed and codified in written form. A modernized form of the Tifinagh alphabet was made official in Morocco in 2003. Before this point Tamazight did not have a literacy tradition, and it has only recently developed a strong literary tradition.

In the past, Tamazight in Morocco was neglected and marginalized by political decisions. So, the standardization of Tamazight cannot be achieved if there are no legal and political initiatives to protect it. Due to the rising Berber cultural and political activism, the popularity of the term Tamazight made it known and recognizable by every citizen. On June 17, 2011 King Mohammed VI announced in a speech about constitutional reform that Tamazight would become an official language of Morocco, alongside Arabic, and will be used in all the administrations in the future.

In conclusion, Tamazight, due to the national charter, is now ubiquitous in Morocco.  You can hear it and find it in schools, universities, media, and in the government. Nonetheless, Tamazight cannot achieve a purely standardized status that is understood by all Imazighen because, in reality, such a single standard does not exist.

The views expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect Morocco World News’ editorial policy

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Maradona: “we should not blame Messi for not winning the World Cup”

Rabat - Football legend Diego Armando Maradona  said that Barcelona star Leo Messi is not the one to blame if Argentina does not win the 2014 World Cup next summer. 

Speaking to Argentine television, Maradona noted that the World Cup is not a burden Messi has to shoulder on his own and that the squad’s captain cannot be held responsible solely for the results of the Albiceleste during the competition.

“The one thing that I can say is that if we do not win the World Cup, we should not blame Messi for it,” Maradona said.

“I am convinced that Leo will play well at this summer’s tournament.”

Messi had been subject to harsh criticism for his inability to perform for Argentina the way he does with FC Barcelona.

Argentina relies on the winner of the Ballon D’Or in the last four editions to bring back the sought-after trophy to the land of Tango.

Argentina won the World Cup in two occasions: 1978 and 1986.

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Ancelotti: “The January transfer window is closed for us”

Rabat – Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti said Thursday that he is not interested in signing any new players during the winter transfer window and that none of his players will be allowed to leave, according to Spanish sports newspapers MARCA.

Following the friendly clash against Paris Saint-Germain in Doha, Qatar , the Italian manager said that the market is closed for Real Madrid.

“I have nothing to add in that area. No players are leaving and we aren’t going to sign anyone,” Ancelotti said.

Asked about the situation of Casillas who had admitted earlier that he would consider leaving the Merengue in January if not given more playing time, Ancelotti said that he would continue with his policy of goalkeeping rotation with Casillas playing in the Champions League and La Copa Del Rey while Diego Lopez playing in la Liga.

Regarding Jesé, who scored Real Madrid’s first goal in 2014 against PSG and their last goal in 2013 against Valencia, the Italian said that “The players are pleased with the minutes they’re given on the pitch.

They all want to play more, but it’s important for us that he plays well when given the chance and he’s doing just that.”

Regarding Thursday’s friendly match against French giants of PSG, which the Los Blancos won 1-0, Ancelotti said that “it wasn’t easy playing after the week long Christmas break. Real Madrid put in a good performance and PSG played well in a game that was worth watching.”

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Benkirane and Istiqlal clash in debate on corruption, more to come in 2014

Tafraout- Abdelilah Benkirane’s last intervention at the House of Representatives in 2013 was marked by a clash between him  and the members of the Istiqlal party.

 ”We are not like some parties whose members own apartments in Paris and have millions of dirhams in their bank accounts,” Abdelilah Benkirane said.

This accusation provoked some members of the Istiqlal party to immediately respond to the head of the government. With this provocation, a clash between the Istiqlal party and Benkirane’s Party of Justice and Development(PJD) is growing more intense than ever before.

The outbreak of the clash between the two parties forced Abdelilah Benkirane to name the parties that benefited from the state funds and make more clarifications on the issue. Yet, Benkirane chose not to name anyone regarding the issue of corruption among political representatives.

“ I will not say anything more, “ added Benkirane.  The head of the PJD, who is infamous for his temper, has appeared calmer and more composed of late. The debate between Benkirane and the Istiqlal members became so heated that  the President of the House of Representatives, Karim Ghellab, intervened to restore order.

It is worth noting that Hamid Chabat, secretary-general of the Istiqlal Party, and Abdelilah Benkirane, the current head of the government, have been at odds since the PJD came to power in 2011.

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Messi, Ronaldo and Sarkozy to Join other Celebs in Marrakech for New Year

Casablanca- Hats down to Marrakech! The Red City is now officially “international celebs’ Mecca” par excellence.

 Celebs and influential figures from all corners of the world have picked up Morocco’s “Southern Pearl” as their New Year destination.  

Madrid’s Benzema along with his friend the star kickboxer Badr Hari will share the magic of the red city with other star athletes, namely FC Barcelona’s Messi and Christiano Ronaldo, Real Madrid’s super star.

In addition, the glamorous Moroccan city will also host some of France’s most influential politicians. France’s ex-President, Nicloas Sarkozy, is one of them.  

According to Le360 news outlet, Sarkozy along with France’s ex-first lady, Carla Bruni-Sarkozy, have opted for Marrakech, out of numerous world destinations, as the ideal place to celebrate New Year.

A very close friend of the kingdom, Sarkozy visited Morocco several times after the end of his term.

Another influential French politician lured by the Southern Pearl’s magic is Dominique Strauss-Kahn, ex-Minister of Economy and ex-Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund.

Marrakech has gone international by all measures. An epitome of the kingdom’s tolerance, diversity and stability, the Southern Pearl is increasingly stealing the spotlights from other world destinations known for being the favorite go-to places for international celebs.

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In Pictures: Marrakech, the favorite city of international celebrities

Marrakech- Marrakesh, the first African tourist destination, attracts  several international celebritiesevery year. This year a number of international stars, such as Reald Madrid’s Cristiano Ronaldo, Karima Benzima, FC Barcelona’s Lionel Messi, as well as Moroccan star Badr Hari, are expected to spend the New Year eve in the red city.   

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13 scorpion-related deaths in Morocco in 2013: Ministry

In 2013, the Moroccan Center of Pharmacovigilance and Anti-Intoxication (CAPM), which is affiliated to the Ministry of Health, recorded 2,900 scorpion stings from January 2013 to July 6, including 13 deaths.

Based on a previous press release by the Ministry of Health, Mr. El Hossein El Ouardi, Minister of Health, had already given the green light to “the national initiative against intoxication induced by venomous animals and insects last June.”

The initiative was launched in collaboration with the provinces of Marrakech and Rehamna, under the slogan, “a multi-sectoral fight against intoxication caused by scorpion stings and snakebites.”

According to the same source, the Ministry of Health affirmed that after launching the first national initiative against intoxication, the number of deaths caused by scorpion stings and snakebites decreased significantly, shrinking from 400 deaths yearly to only 50 deaths, recorded over the last 5 years.

The CAPM recorded 13 deaths caused by scorpion stings this year, compared to 65 deaths last year.

The Ministry of Health also substantiated all inaccurate data and misinformation about scorpion stings in Morocco, one of which is that the use of serum is still a key medical element in healing scorpion stings.

The Ministry affirmed that Moroccan health centers no longer use anti-intoxication serums simply because they proved ineffective. Medical rehabilitation is the only effective way to save a person stung by a scorpion.

According to the same source, the Ministry also ensured to provide all health centers with materials and facilities necessary for the medical rehabilitation of intoxicated patients, as well as train medical staff on how to deal with such cases.

According to online Jeune Afrique, there are over 50 species of scorpions in Morocco, among which 22 are extremely venomous and dangerous. Marrakech is one of the regions where most scorpion stings are recorded. 

The alarming number of scorpion stings and deaths are imputed to the Kingdom’s climatic characteristics, which are scorpion-friendly in most regions, as well as Morocco’s diversity in scorpion species.

 Scorpions are very adaptive and enduring arthropods that can live with very little oxygen and feed on a single insect a year. Though they are typically found in deserts and very dry locations, scorpions are also attracted to urban habitats with scorpion-friendly conditions.

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