An inquiry in the Arabized elite use of French language

Abstract EN

This paper addresses the theme of the Arabized elite use of French language in an attempt to answer the following questions: why does the Algerian Arabized elite use the French language? is it a proof for Arabization process failure, which has produced Arabized elite striving to speak French even in daily- life discussions? the study reveals that the French language in Algeria is a complex issue because of both the heavy colonial legacy, and the need for a national well-defined identity.

in fact, linguistic nationalism adopted by Algerian leaders since the beginnings of independence was a failure, and the unification of one nation under one language becomes a fallacy.

the failure in replacing French by Arabic is shown through the behavior of the Arabized Algerian elite that strives to show the mastery of French language, as a result of the absence of strategic planning when dealing with issues related to identity, and the ignorance of the multilingual characteristics of the Algerian society which needs a real coexistence of the different existing languages.