The Kingdom of Morocco is a country suitable. For any kind of holiday. Tourists expected here and spacious beaches on the Atlantic coast. And the exotic charm of ancient cities. And excellent Maghreb cuisine. Even a ski resort in the Great Atlas Mountains. The official languages in Morocco are Arabic and Tamazight. The most popular foreign language in the kingdom is French.
Moroccan arabic
The official Arabic language of Morocco is literary. But the inhabitants of the country. Prefer the usual local spoken dialect. In the vocabulary, many borrowings. From French and Spanish and from Berber dialects are noticeable. Versions of spoken Arabic are slightly different. Depending on the region of the country.
Some statistics and facts
- Of the 32 million people living in Morocco. 60% are Arabs and about 40% are Berbers. There are no more than 60 thousand Europeans among the citizens of the country.
- About 12 million Moroccans speak Berber, which spans three dialects.
- In northern Morocco, in the Gibraltar region, you can hear Spanish.
- French, although not the official language of Morocco. It nevertheless the main language in business and economics. And used in scientific and education fields.
- Spoken Arabic in Maghreb countries. Differs from Arabic literature. It adopted in the kingdom as the state language.
Originally from the Atlas Mountains
At least 5 million citizens of Morocco are fluent in Tamazight. Officially recognized as the state language. It belongs to the Atlas group. And distributed in the northern regions of Morocco. For writing in Tamazight, the Arabic alphabet used a long time. Until the ancient Libyan letter Tifinagh officially adopted.
Tourist notes
English in Morocco is not common. Even in tourist and resort areas it is difficult to meet hotel staff. Or a waiter in a restaurant with knowledge of English. The years spent by the kingdom. Under the protectorate of France affect everything. It is better to enlist the support of a professional guide-translator. For trips to Moroccan sights. In the country’s major travel agencies. You can even find a Russian-speaking guide.
