A nuanced understanding of Languages in Morocco

In my mind, I've thought this for the past 8 months:

ARABIC, ARABIC, ARABIC....

Seeing the video from the PC blogger below-- available here:

http://arielinmorocco.wordpress.com/--

I came to a realization as she was talking about the dialect she speaks. The idea was that they have several very important dialects... including Moroccan Arabic. It's a dialect. Just because it has Arabic in the name, doesn't mean that anyone except someone from Morocco will be able to speak it. Therefore, I shouldn't be prejudiced against learning the other dialects. Learning the one with Arabic in the name won't help me in situations with anyone from any other country. So I shouldn't care so much, or put so much weight into a preference for learning Morocco Arabic. And if I focus on that, I may miss out on living in a very unique place, something that PC offers.

See, part of this reason I thought that way before was because I compared it to Bolivia. Learning Bolivian Quechua, I can't speak it to anyone except those people in the area where I lived. Even between regions, there'd be a communication breakdown. But if you live in the communities where everyone speaks Spanish, then you can take that and go to another place, Costa Rica, and they'll understand you there.

But it's not so with Moroccan Arabic. It's relegated to Morocco. And if that's the case, then it's on equal footing with the other dialects. So, if that is so, then I shouldn't be so preoccupied, hoping for a site that speaks Arabic. Because they don't, they speak Moroccan Arabic.

And if I restrict myself to the ones that speak that dialect, then I'll maybe lose out on a site better for me that doesn't speak it. In all likelihood, as well, it seems to me that Moroccan Arabic is a western word, made up by people who don't know better, and so calling it the Darija--it's real name--is more accurate. I say this because I'm sure that all of the dialects have some French words and have some Arabic loan words. Some more than others.

Language will always be a big question mark until it really happens. And who's to say that I won't be able to learn two dialects, Moroccan Arabic and Berber? One thing I need to do is contact Oxford U in England, and see if their M.St program accepts Moroccan Arabic as a form of Arabic for entrance/acceptance purposes.

I'm impressed with her video blogging, and hope to do the same. This is part of the girl's blog, that helped me come to this conclusion:

"Je crois en l’amour. Ou que menent ses caravanes, car l’amour est ma religion et mafoi.”

“I believe in love and where it can take me, because love is my religion and my faith. “

-Ibn Arabi (1165-1240) Moroccan Philosopher

“Never take anything at face value, everyone has a story to tell.” -Ariel Delaney

I have to express that “I’m in love.” This country has transfixed me to see with green lenses. There was a story that a man was from a village where every one had yellow eyeglasses. This man wanted to travel to distant lands. He traveled to a land where everyone had blue lenses. When he returned to his village they asked him, “How where the people?, What was there culture like?” He responded, “It was green.”

I hope everyone understands that we will always see with our yellow lenses yet we can still see the green ones. Ourzazarte is 8 hours and a world away from Rabat. Here the real Peace Corps begins. I receive my training. At the moment we are all learning Darija which is Moroccan Arabic. Interesting fact: Moroccans can understand all types of Arabic but other Arabic speaking countries cannot understand Darija. I had 6hours of it today. My days are very planned over the next 10 weeks. Language is the most important aspect because we cannot work without it. I washed my clothes by hand today during a break while practicing Darija. After I got out the lesson people would just continue speaking. Even though I was lost, smiling helped to ease things. After all I’ve been here less than a week.

The main goal of Peace Corps and my favorite is to promote Peace and Friendship in the world. Peace Corps wants to define Peace. Peace is not the absence of war but the absence of the conditions leading to war.

Rabat was very packed jam and even though we are living out of our suitcases time is flying. I feel as though we have been here a year.

Darija:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moroccan_Arabic

This website has many useful phrases and the history and evolution of darija.