French is an administrative language and commonly used, though not on an official basis, in the Maghreb states of Mauritania, Algeria, Morocco and Tunisia. The language was introduced to the region during French colonial rule in the 19th and 20th centuries. The majority of the population in the Maghreb speak either a Semitic Arabic vernacular (see; Maghrebi Arabic, Darija, Algerian Arabic, Moroccan Arabic, Tunisian Arabic) or a Berber language natively. Classical Arabic, spoken natively by no one, is the official language of all the Maghreb states.
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Algeria
Algeria was a part of the French colonial empire for 130 years, see; French rule in Algeria. Algeria was the home to about one million pieds-noirs which later were relocated in France. French is still the most studied foreign language, and is widely spoken. Since independence, the government has pursued a policy of linguistic Arabisation of education and bureaucracy, with some success, although many university courses continue to be taught in French. French is also commonly used in media and commerce. Algeria has the second largest French speaking population in the world[citation needed]. Most of french speakers are in fact kabyles, where arabs are less (even if many of them use a mixture of French and Arabic in daily conversation, which is not the case for kabyle speakers).
French is the native language of upper classes's kabyles, and also some arabs. It's a second language for the rest of the population.
See also: languages of Algeria
Morocco
French serves as Morocco's primary language of commerce and economics. It is taught universally and is widely used in government and communication.
Tunisia
The situation in Tunisia is similar to that of Morocco. French is used widely in education (for example being the medium of instruction in the sciences in secondary school), the press, and in business, and most educated Tunisians are able to speak it. Many Tunisians mix Tunisian Arabic with French.
Mauritania
French is the administrative language of Mauritania, but in fact only educated people can speak it.
See also
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