Morocco # English board

I know the importance of teaching your kids the mother tongue, but how many actually talk Moroccan once their kids are home from school? My parents used to talk to us in Moroccan and we would answer in dutch if we didn’t know the meaning of some words.

Too, if we fail to teach our kids Moroccan, is there a danger that the next generation of Moroccan children abroad will have forgotten how to talk in Moroccan and opt to speak in foreign languages

what is ur option about it

Well, Moroccan is not a language, so the only way of teaching is through speech. Considering that depending on the region, province, or even city the dialect (moroccan) can be very different. I am sure this is one of the most difficult things parents face. If both parents are from moroccco, it is a bit less difficult. But when we talk about a mixed marriage, then it becomes tough. If there is a large moroccan comunity, it can help, if there isn't a moroccan community, that's a challenge. Are both parents working. is the education outside home (i.e. school) stronger than inside. Then comes the aspect of whether the child wants to learn another language.
In summary, it is a difficult subject... however as one greek philosopher once said: "you are as many men as you speak languages".
In my case, I don't speak darija with my child. we only travel to morocco every 2-3 years and spend a few days, unfortunately.

I'll not be preparing my kids to live in Morocco.
I'll not teach them moroccan that I don't speak well neither,
Neverthless, I'll make whatever possible to have them accessing arabic language tuition, as well as spanish, english and any other ones they may choise to learn.

Do it and say it good, in whatever langage.

Don't have them yet, but I'll teach them darija and chel7a. It's a heritage that must be passed on as well as our culture. Our culture of openness and our languages is something that I cherish.
Besides, I've noticed that speaking both darija and chel7a has helped me in the pronunciation of other languages, the vocal cords are highly trained once you speak our languages, most sounds are incorporated in there.

You mean mother mother mother mother tongue, so you better get a moroccan wife and the problem is solved.

Teaching darija to my little one and am strongly encouraging my husband to teach his own language as well. Research studies have shown that in mixed marriages the best solution is that each parent addresses his/her child in his/her own language. French she is already learning very fast from daycare and TV and I do hope for her that she will be fluent in English as well.

You are absolutely right Shireen. In my case, my 2 boys are growing up with german and english.
I had to switch from darija to english so they can catch up easly at school. I hope by the time all moroccans will be speaking english instead of french hahahahahahahahahah what a joke having in mind the illeterate fraction.

If you have not read it yet I refer all you to a very good book by Tracey Tokuhama-Espinosa called "Raising Multilingual Children" which addresses this very issue of being married to a foreign husband and speaking a language that is not used in the country you live in. My conclusion is that I do not need to speak to my daughter in French to help her progress, society will take care of that, since we live in France anyway. However, if I do not uses Arabic with her then she will not learn it at all and I would feel very bad if she could not communicate with friends and family back home in the local language. That will also cut her off from the culture and probably the religion as well, hence my focus on darija and inshaallah am looking to teach her read and write in classical Arabic as well.

Thank-you all for your interesing ideas! My kids speak english, and am I am tryign to teach them french and arabic so they have their heritage as well, inshallah. It's difficult though as my arabic is not very good, and I am in an english speaking country! Any ideas? So far I have found a french speaking playgroup, and a school specialisingin arabic for primary school.... I really welcome any other ideas??

Keep on keeping on, I think the world needs more multilinguals.

my parents have decided to teach us only tarifite , so we don't speek arabic at home
when you live abroad, it 's very difficult to teach your kids the mother tongue and the darija
because kids still used to speek the tongue of the country they live in.

Quote
laure21
Thank-you all for your interesing ideas! My kids speak english, and am I am tryign to teach them french and arabic so they have their heritage as well, inshallah. It's difficult though as my arabic is not very good, and I am in an english speaking country! Any ideas? So far I have found a french speaking playgroup, and a school specialisingin arabic for primary school.... I really welcome any other ideas??

Keep on keeping on, I think the world needs more multilinguals.

Hi Laure,

Have you thought about getting a Arabic speaking baby-sitter?

Best of luck with your kids!

Thanks Shireen, there aren't any around here, I have looked... any other ideas?

Hi Laure,

If your Arabic is not good enough and you cannot find any Arabic speaking nanny then I guess your other option would be to take your kids to Morocco for relatively long holidays every year. Once there they can be encouraged to speak Arabic with friends and relatives.I take it that you have looked at schools, private classes, cultural centres etc...

Fiste of all, sorry about my poor english.
Multilunguisme is more important than the luanguages you speak. It qives you a multidimension vision of societies.
Moroccans discovered Arabic less than 15OO years ago. Ancien Moroccan don't speak arabic, futur moroccan will perhaps not.
The more important is to give theme a positif image of their complex heritage.