[18] Is Moroccan Arabic *Actually* Arabic?

In this episode, I talk about Moroccan Arabic and address its similarities and differences compared to other Arabic dialects.

Is it accurate to call it ‘Arabic’?

Summary:

• It’s common to hear people say that Moroccan Arabic is like a completely separate language.
• Moroccan is the most ‘geographically limiting’ dialect.
• Even native Arabic speakers struggle with it.
• While speaking Moroccan may not be important to you, it’s important to be able to grasp the dialect (listening comprehension).
• Consonant clusters and vowel variation take time to adjust to.
• Moroccan syntax is actually only slightly different to other dialects.
• Moroccan is full of Berber, French and Spanish influence.

Related blog post:

I talked about Moroccan at length in this article.

Resources:

Check out TalkInArabic.com which covers Moroccan and Algerian Arabic (which is very similar).