اللغة العربية والهوية الوطنية في الجزائر خلال الفترة الاستعمارية

Arabic Language and National Identity in Algeria During the Colonial Period

Abstract

For centuries, the language that was confined to the Arabian Peninsula was destined to spread far beyond its original bounds, both east and west. This spread was not because it was linked to a digital, industrial, or even intellectual renaissance, but rather because it was the language of the last divine religion. Naturally, it would become as entrenched in the tongues of the followers of this new religion as it had in their hearts, eventually leading to the association of Arab identity with Islam in many countries of the Islamic world today. Like many of those countries, Algeria followed this rule, adopting the Arabic language as a symbol of its identity and nationalism. It found it crucial to care for and preserve the language as much as it cared for the land and the Islamic religion. The French colonizer, who understood this reality, began from the moment he set foot in Algeria to explore ways to eradicate the Arabic language. For more than a century, he endeavoured to enact laws that would fulfil his goal and enable him to achieve his aim. However, the Algerian's refusal to relinquish his identity made him stand against the various French campaigns launched against his Arabic language. This is evident in the methods he adopted and the strategies he employed to preserve it, as vigorously as his enemy sought to combat it. Therefore, it is of great importance to highlight the various challenges that the Algerian people faced in preserving their identity and preventing the erasure of their Arabness.