A Sociolinguistic Profile of French in Algeria: The Case of Tlemcen Speech Community

Abstract

The present research work revolves around the sociolinguistic situation in relation to the French language in Algeria. The emphasis is on the significance of French in various domains in the Algerian speech community. In fact, although the Algerian government has promoted monolingualism through the Arabization policy, it has been proved that French still has a crucial position in the Algerian society. This work aims at explaining the dual relationship between Algerian Arabic and French, and to test the degree of competence in Algerian bilingualism in relation to socio-cultural factors. The attitudes of Algerians towards French are also touched upon in this study.