Arabic Language Usage In A Moroccan Medical Setting: A Literature Review And Personal Account

Abstract

With an ever-diversifying global community, it comes as no surprise that many societies are becoming increasingly bilingual, and even multilingual. Especially in the region of North Africa, the effects of European colonialism have left a linguistic footprint on countries which still endures several decades after independence. One of the most evident examples of this is the use of French in the Moroccan medical field in a society that predominantly uses Arabic and/or Amazigh as its native languages and French as the language of science, medicine, communication. Interactions in healthcare settings reveal a dichotomy between an elite, educated French-speaking class (namely Moroccan doctors) and the regular patients they serve, many of whom are working class with a limited education. This thesis looks at the multi-layered facets of language policy, culture, and history in the context of Moroccan society and the dynamics of language in its healthcare system. The report takes the shape of a literature review in the first part and a qualitative account of my linguistic observations interning at a local private health clinic in the second part.