Language conflict in Algeria: from colonialism to post-independence

摘要

There is little recent work on language conflict in Arab countries (Suleiman's A War of Words: Language and Conflict in the Middle East, published in 2004, being a notable exception). Benrabah's book breaks this silence. The author provides a compelling documented analysis of language conflict in Algeria, tracing the situation from French colonisation in 1830. Language and cultural identities in Algeria are marked by the use of standard Arabic, Algerian Arabic, Berber and French, which makes for complex language policy. However, it has always been a proxy for political conflict brought about through 'top-down' planning.