A Desperate call for process approach in writing

2021

Algeria has always been a multilingual country, due to its rich history of being colonized for centuries by different colonizers from the Romans to the Phoenicians to the French and many others. However, the French were the predominating colonizer in Algeria, since they adopted a nationalizing process to impose their language on the people. That has greatly influenced the spoken language in the country, and French was established for a long time as an official language in Algeria. The linguistic situation in Algeria has become quite complex, due to the mentioned reasons. As a result, many languages are spoken and coexist in the country. Standard Arabic, Algerian Arabic or as it is called "Darja", Berber which is the language of the indigenous people of Algeria. It is also called Tamazight and is still spoken in many areas in the country. French, which coexists with all the spoken Algerian dialects, is heavily present in the Algerian territory and plays a significant role i...

2013

Dr. Boukereris Louafia, I greatly appreciate your excellent assistance and guidance. Thank you for your efforts and time you spent to correct all the chapters of my dissertation. Dr Benali-Mohamed Rachid, I wish him prompt recovery; we are all looking forward to having him back amongst us. Pr. Bouamrane, may he rest in peace, I acknowledge his guidance and useful teaching. I would like also to thank my jury members: Dr. Moulfi Leila, Dr. Lakhdar Barka Ferida and Dr. Abdel Hay Bakhta, whose valuable comments will certainly help improve this thesis. My debt of gratitude must go to my family, my mother Fatiha, my father Abderrahmane, my sister Asmaà , my brother Abdelmadjid, and my grandparents for their love, support, encouragement and understanding in dealing with all the challenges I have faced.

The paper is bi-pillared: first is an allowance for the Algerian sociolinguistic panorama; then follows an account for the status of English in the Algerian sphere of schooling. Education, history, geography and ethnicity are the four quintessential factors underlying the Algerian involved linguistic situation. As a meeting ground for a multiplicity of tongues, Algeria is by and large regarded as an intricate plurilingual country. Indeed, plurilingualism, in the Algerian context, is organized in essence around three linguistic spheres consisting of Arabic (with its two varieties), Tamazight and foreign languages. The other pillar upon which rests the present paper concerns the status and image of English as a foreign language in didactic subjects, i.e. teaching/learning English in Algeria, and more specifically in its consideration of added value. The effort lies in tracking down whether this state could have taken a place of choice (privileged) as a whole with reference to its teaching/learning within the contextualized linguistic chessboard. The idea of the didactic dimension of English clarifies its weight and sheds light on academic conceptions installed in Algeria.

Rowaq Arabi, 2024

Language policy in education is often a site of struggle for equality and identity, especially for minorities and Indigenous peoples.1 This paper focuses on Amazigh language policy as it relates to, and sits in tension with, the advocacy of Indigenous Amazigh activists and language practitioners in Algeria. While the country has made some progress at a policy level concerning Tamazight teaching in schools over the past thirty years, this progress has often come at a high price for Amazigh activists and has been accompanied by socio-political tensions. Hence, the slow rollout of Tamazight teaching on the ground cannot be analysed without looking at the structural discrimination faced by the community and the overall shrinking of civil society space. The paper employs a human rights framework, particularly an Indigenous peoples’ rights lens, while borrowing concepts from decolonial linguistics. Drawing on desk based research of existing policies and targeted interviews with Tamazight speakers, the paper concludes that state-sponsored measures must be supported by genuine civil society participation, especially of representatives of concerned communities, through a human rights-based approach to language planning. It identifies priority areas for Amazigh language policy in multilingual education to advance equitable and inclusive education in Algeria.

European Journal of Language and Literature

The Arabic language and education in Algeria faced hard times under the French occupation and witnessed the dramatic decline of literacy rate among the Algerian population up to independence (1830-1962). Indeed French determined and well-planned history of domination, systematic illiteracy, linguistic and cultural alienation and socio-economic deprivation had a significant impact on the form, pace, direction and purpose of educational strategy options in post-independence Algeria. Accordingly, the planned objectives of Algerian policy were to regain identity, ensure personality growth of the young Algerian generations and lay the ground for the learning of modem technologies in order to participate in the national development and cope with economic demands of the modem world.

Explorations linguistiques et traductionnelles , 2024

Algeria, a Mediterranean region exposed to various conquests, was deeply influenced by French colonization from 1830 to 1962. The French aimed to erase Arabic identity, making French the dominant language through military, political, judicial, and educational measures. This led to widespread illiteracy and the marginalization of Arabic. Post-independence, despite efforts to revive Arabic, French maintained a strong presence. Post-1962, Algerian leaders sought to promote Arabic, facing challenges in a society still influenced by French. Initial efforts under President Ben Bella were modest, increasing Arabic hours in primary schools. Boumediene’s era saw forceful Arabization, yet students favored French for higher education. Bendjedid continued Arabization, but Tamazight faced neglect. Zeroual and Bouteflika’s tenures highlighted ongoing tensions, with some progress for Tamazight. Despite governmental efforts, French remained dominant in education and daily life. The 2019 protests underscored a desire to replace French with English, reflecting a shift in public sentiment against colonial remnants. Keywords Colonial legacy, French language, Arabization, Independence, Language policy

2017

The presence of English in the former French colony of Algeria has been dramatically increasing. The impact of the language in Algeria has fluctuated due to sociopolitical instability in the late 1980s and 1990s. Prior to describing the impact of English, some general background about the country is provided, along with a brief historical overview of the linguistic diversity. Historical highlights of the spread of English in Algeria are also described. A profile of the users of English in the Maghreb nation is detailed as well, before discussing the various uses of English in various domains. The competition between English and French for linguistic territory is also discussed. 1 2 BELMIHOUB problem of lack of research on, for example, the context of the Middle East and North Africa (MENA). The Middle East and North Africa region is particularly under-represented in world Englishes research. Berns's (2005: 91) proposed research agenda includes, for instance, 'drawing profiles of countries and regions where none have yet been done.'

The presence of English in the former French colony of Algeria has been dramatically increasing. The impact of the language in Algeria has fluctuated due to sociopolitical instability in the late 1980s and 1990s. Prior to describing the impact of English, some general background about the country is provided, along with a brief historical overview of the linguistic diversity. Historical highlights of the spread of English in Algeria are also described. A profile of the users of English in the Maghreb nation is detailed as well, before discussing the various uses of English in various domains. The competition between English and French for linguistic territory is also discussed. 1 2 BELMIHOUB problem of lack of research on, for example, the context of the Middle East and North Africa (MENA). The Middle East and North Africa region is particularly under-represented in world Englishes research. Berns's (2005: 91) proposed research agenda includes, for instance, 'drawing profiles of countries and regions where none have yet been done.'

مجلة إشكالات في اللغة و الأدب, 2019

French in Algeria still dominates many aspects of the educational system, though English today dominates the globalized pedagogy. The aim of the current paper is to give an overview of the language policy in Algeria especially the English language; as well as to investigate deeply the teachers' standpoints regarding the obstacles that hinder the promotion of English in Algeria. Based on the teachers' responses to the questionnaire, the obstacles that limit the scope of English in Algeria are historical, political, pedagogical, economic, and sociocultural. Keywords: Sociolinguistic profile of Algeria, the policy of teaching English in Algeria, obstacles of promoting English, Teachers' beliefs.