The Arabic Language in Chad During French Colonial Rule, 1900–1960: A Historical-Linguistic Study

Abstract

The study addressed the reality of the Arabic language in Chad during the period of French colonialism and highlights the transformations that occurred as a result of the colonial language policy. It aimed to identify the challenges represented in the marginalization of the Arabic language and the weakening of its presence in official and educational fields. The study also addressed the reality of the Arabic language in the pre-colonial era, which was the era of the Islamic kingdoms in Chad, and also demonstrated that its status in the three kingdoms was good. The study adopted the historical method and the descriptive-analytical method, and concluded that French colonialism in Chad was not merely political domination; rather, it developed a linguistic and cultural project aimed at reshaping Chadian identity. Despite the colonial pressures, the Arabic language maintained its presence, and the colonizer's attempts were not completely successful, as the majority of the Chadian people speak Chadian Arabic. Muslim scholars were able to thwart many of the plans aimed at weakening and eradicating the Arabic language, and the French colonizer was unable to exclude it from Chadian society. Although he succeeded during this period in making his language the official language of the country, he failed to Frenchify the language of the citizen. The study recommended the need to develop future solutions and plans based on standards for studying and developing Arabic, and to move it from the traditional state based on memorization and rote learning to modern interactive education based on thinking skills, as well as to pay attention to the study of the Holy Qur’an and develop Qur’anic schools (Khalwas), so that education therein would follow an educational methodology that keeps pace with the spirit of the age; that is, accompanied by recreational programs, and the establishment of vocational training centers within the Qur’anic schools (Khalwas).