Languages of Morocco

Kingdom of Morocco. al-Mamlaka al-Maghrebia. National or official language: Standard Arabic. 27,377,000 (1998 UN). Literacy rate 30% to 50%. Also includes French 80,000. Information mainly from C. Coon 1931; Y. Zavadovskii 1962; D. Cohen 1963, 1985; J. Applegate 1970; J. Chetrit 1985. Sunni Muslim. Blind population 35,000 (1982 WCE). Deaf institutions: 1. Data accuracy estimate: B, C. The number of languages listed for Morocco is 11. Of those, 9 are living languages and 2 are extinct. Diversity index 0.47.

Spoken living languages

ARABIC, HASSANIYYA

[MEY] 40,000 in Morocco (1995).  Southern Morocco, from Laayoune on down. Alternate names: SAHRAWI, MAURE, MAURI, MOOR, SULAKA, HASANYA, HASSANI.  Classification: Afro-Asiatic, Semitic, Central, South, Arabic. 
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ARABIC, JUDEO-MOROCCAN

[AJU] 4,000 to 6,000 speakers in Morocco, including 90% in Casablanca (1997 World Jewish Congress).  Casablanca. Classification: Afro-Asiatic, Semitic, Central, South, Arabic. 
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ARABIC, MOROCCAN SPOKEN

[ARY] 18,800,000 in Morocco (1995), 65% of the population (1991). Perhaps another 20% speak it as second language. Population total all countries 19,542,000.  Alternate names: MAGHREBI ARABIC, MAGHRIBI COLLOQUIAL ARABIC.  Dialects: RABAT-CASABLANCA ARABIC, FEZ. MEKNES, TANGIER ARABIC, OUJDA, JEBLI (JEBELIA, JBALA), SOUTHERN MOROCCO ARABIC, MARRAKECH ARABIC.  Classification: Afro-Asiatic, Semitic, Central, South, Arabic. 
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ARABIC, STANDARD

[ABV]    Classification: Afro-Asiatic, Semitic, Central, South, Arabic. 
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SPANISH

[SPN] 20,000 in Morocco (1993 Johnstone).  Melilla and scattered across the north coast. Classification: Indo-European, Italic, Romance, Italo-Western, Western, Gallo-Iberian, Ibero-Romance, West Iberian, Castilian. 
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TACHELHIT

[SHI] 3,000,000 in Morocco (1998). Population total all countries 3,500,000.  Alternate names: TASHILHEET, TACHILHIT, TASHELHIT, TASOUSSIT, SHILHA, SUSIUA, SOUTHERN SHILHA.  Classification: Afro-Asiatic, Berber, Northern, Atlas. 
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TAMAZIGHT, CENTRAL ATLAS

[TZM] 3,000,000 in Morocco (1998). Population total all countries 3,500,000.  Alternate names: CENTRAL SHILHA, MIDDLE ATLAS BERBER, SHILHA.  Dialects: CENTRAL ATLAS, SOUTH ORAN.  Classification: Afro-Asiatic, Berber, Northern, Atlas. 
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TARIFIT

[RIF] 1,500,000 in Morocco (1991). Population total all countries 2,000,000 (1991).  Alternate names: RIFI, RIFIA, NORTHERN SHILHA, SHILHA.  Dialects: URRIGHEL, BENI IZNASSEN.  Classification: Afro-Asiatic, Berber, Northern, Zenati, Riff. 
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Extinct languages

GHOMARA

[GHO]   North and west of Tamazight, a small region near Chechaouen, western Rif mountains, Oued Laou Valley. Classification: Afro-Asiatic, Berber, Northern, Zenati, Ghomara. 
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SENHAJA DE SRAIR

[SJS]   Northern, west of Tarifit. Alternate names: SANHAJA OF SRAIR.  Classification: Afro-Asiatic, Berber, Northern, Zenati, Riff. 
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Deaf sign languages

MOROCCAN SIGN LANGUAGE

[XMS]   Used in Tetouan and other cities. Classification: Deaf sign language. 
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