Multiculturalism in a Multilingual Society: Could That Be Possible?

Abstract

Morocco is the land of multiculturalism. From childhood people are exposed to more than one language. However, this exposure brought loads of questions related to the nation's identity. Douglas Brown believed in his article Learning a Second language that 'second language learning in some respect involves the acquisition of a second identity'. In this respect, one wonders about the situation of learners who are exposed to more than two languages. Does this entail that they will have multiple identities and that they can function in multiple cultures? Learning languages is a double-edged sword. On the one hand, it enables students to function in different societies and cross the boundary of language that could be for some a real trap. It helps them get exposed to other cultures and thus challenge some of their limited mono-cultural views and be citizens of the world. On the other hand, it could be the major factor behind having people who do not know how to fit in their own society. In addition, learners may have serious issues related to their own identity. Researchers in most parts of the world feel the need to challenge traditional educational approaches and come up with new ones that promote cultural awareness. It is commonly known that language and culture are interrelated; yet they often lack explicit understanding of this interrelationship. The lack of a clear concept of this interrelationship explains why there is a general dearth of appropriate techniques to teach language-culture, except through often old-fashioned and trivial activities.In this respect, how can we deal with cultures in a multilingual society? And how can we get our students to think locally but work globally?