Linguistic Borrowing in Moroccan Arabic: A Sociolinguistic Study

Abstract

The aim of this paper is to examine the phenomenon of linguistic borrowing as a topic within sociolinguistics. We applied this linguistic phenomenon to a dialectal variety—Moroccan Arabic—focusing specifically on the language of youth. Our study approaches linguistic borrowing both as a linguistic theory and as an observable linguistic reality manifested in the Moroccan dialectal model. Language, in general, is among the matters to which every individual finds themselves compelled to submit to its established norms. Any deviation from its system, even if due to error or ignorance, encounters resistance that works to restore matters to their proper order.
This consideration prompted us to analyze and describe this emerging phenomenon in the Moroccan linguistic environment. We began by defining linguistic borrowing and outlining the mechanisms through which borrowed items are formed in general. We then introduced the dialectal model under study—Moroccan Arabic—before identifying the specific borrowings used by Moroccan youth. We provided examples for each type of borrowing drawn from various linguistic systems. The study concludes by highlighting certain borrowed forms and the mechanisms underlying the process of linguistic borrowing. It is our hope that this work will serve as an open gateway for future research on borrowing mechanisms in dialects within the appropriate linguistic framework.