Experiences and Testimonies of Linguistic Discrimination among Descendants of Moroccan Immigrants in Zaragoza (Spain)

Abstract

In this article, we analyze the language-based discriminatory attitudes of the non-Arabic-speaking population towards the Arabic language and accent, from the perspective of the descendants of Moroccan families settled in Zaragoza. The aim of the study is to shed light on these behaviors, identify the factors that foster rejection attitudes, and interpret them in light of prevailing language ideologies. This is a qualitative study based on 11 in-depth interviews and a focus group conducted between May 2022 and July 2024, within the framework of a broader research project on the linguistic and identity experiences of women of Moroccan descent in France and Spain. The study draws on the concept of glottophobia as defined by Blanchet (2019), and on the finding that this form of discrimination affects the Moroccan-origin population residing in the city of Zaragoza (Author, 2025a). The results, compared with those obtained from the aforementioned research involving the non-Arabic-speaking population of this city, reveal that the interviewees have a nuanced and detailed perception of the reactions that the Arabic language and accent provoke among the general population. Accordingly, we will present and analyse testimonies of situations of glottophobia experienced or observed by our participants, and then delve deeper into the elements that seem to amplify rejection attitudes among the non-Arabic-speaking population. This study contributes to the field of language attitudes in migration contexts and to the development of the notion of glottophobia, its causes, and its consequences.