Navigating Multilingualism among Moroccan Diaspora Communities in Europe

Abstract

Multilingualism has become an increasingly common feature of migrant communities across Europe. Among these communities, Moroccan diaspora populations navigate diverse linguistic environments that require the use of multiple languages in everyday life. Living between heritage and host-country cultures often involves managing complex linguistic demands across family, educational, professional, and social settings. Despite the growing presence of Moroccan communities throughout Europe, relatively limited research has focused on the multilingual challenges they encounter in their daily lives. This study investigates the challenges of multilingualism among Moroccan diaspora communities in Europe. Using a quantitative research design, data were collected through an online questionnaire distributed via Moroccan diaspora social media platforms and WhatsApp groups. A total of 189 participants residing in different European countries took part in the study. The questionnaire explored language use, multilingual challenges, intergenerational communication, and strategies employed to manage multilingual environments. The findings reveal that participants regularly use multiple languages, particularly Darija, French, English, and the language of the host country, across various social contexts. The results further indicate that heritage language maintenance, intergenerational communication, language proficiency differences, and language choice are among the most common challenges experienced by participants. At the same time, respondents reported using a variety of strategies to manage multilingual communication, including language switching, family language practices, digital language resources, and community support networks. The study highlights the dynamic nature of multilingualism within Moroccan diaspora communities and demonstrates that multilingual communication involves both opportunities and challenges. It emphasizes the need for greater support for heritage language maintenance and multilingual practices while contributing to ongoing discussions on multilingualism, migration, and language use in contemporary European societies.