Tunisia is a small country in the middle of North Africa. And yet, they speak French…. Why is that exactly? If you weren’t wide awake during those World History classes in school where they explained how European countries became involved in the affairs of African countries in the 1800’s, you may be a little fuzzy on why the Tunisia of today has such a French, European feel to it.
While French is not Tunisia’s first language, Tunisia is nonetheless a French-speaking country because it was a French protectorate for 75 years, and because Tunisians learn French in school and use it in the workplace.
For a little more context on how the French language became part of Tunisian culture, as well as what to expect when using French on your visit to the country, read on!
French in Tunisia: One Layer of the Cake
The mixture of languages you will hear when visiting Tunisia reflects the country’s rich history. Just about anywhere you go in Tunisia, you are likely to hear what is today the three major spoken languages. 1.) Tunisian Arabic, 2.) Standard Arabic, and 3.) French. If you spend time in the cities, you’ll probably also meet Tunisians that speak English. There are of course some well-traveled Tunisians who bring back some Spanish, German, Italian, etc. And, if you go to the southern parts of the country, you may also hear some of the ancient Berber languages.
This unique mixture of languages in Tunisia is like a multi-layered cake. As an English-speaker, I may be partial in saying that Tunisia’s recent interest in English courses makes it the icing on top. 🙂 The other languages are like layers of the cake. I’ll go from bottom to top, from most ancient to most recent, and explain each layer in turn, and how they got there.
The Berber and Arabic Layers
The oldest layer of the language cake that is still represented today is the Berber language. There are actually a handful of Berber languages, but they are closely related to each other. Indigenous inhabitants of North Africa spoke Berber. This was long before Islam came to the area in the 600’s. Today, there are many more Berber speakers in other countries in North Africa (Morocco, Algeria, etc.), but in Tunisia there are still places where people speak Berber.
Continuing our language cake analogy, the big, middle layer is Standard Arabic. Fifteen years after the death of the prophet Mohamed, from A.D. 647 – 709, Muslims began to take over North Africa, and they brought with them the Arabic language. Today, 98% of Tunisians are Muslim, which reinforces the Arabic language as part of their culture. According to the first article of the Tunisian Constitution, Arabic is the country’s official language.
The next layer is the Tunisian dialect of Arabic, called Derija. Derija is the common language that virtually all Tunisians speak in the home and on the street. It is their heart language. To stay with the cake analogy, the Derija layer is like a slice of marble or mixed cake because it mixes in loan words from several languages, including MANY French words.
The French Layer
Now we get to the delicious French layer of the cake. Before the mid-1700’s, there was little French influence in Tunisia. But today, just about every Tunisian can speak French. So how did they get from Point A to Point B? The big event that caused this change was when Tunisia became a French protectorate in 1881. This relationship lasted for 75 years until Tunisia’s independence from France in 1956.
Wait, what’s a protectorate? A protectorate is the weaker of two countries that is in a legal relationship with a stronger country. The stronger country takes part in governing the weaker one and also provides some benefits for it. When Tunisia and France signed a treaty of protection in 1881, it established France’s indirect rule over the country.
Disclaimer: It is hard to sound neutral when describing this relationship between France and Tunisia. The word “protectorate” suggests that France was being helpful and “protecting” Tunisia. However, if you were a Tunisian who was unhappy with French rule, the word “protectorate” may sound like a euphemism that disguises how France conquered Tunisia to exploit it. All we aim to do here is convey our layman’s understanding of how the French language entered Tunisia, without weighing in on how right or wrong this historical event was.
Becoming a French Protectorate
Long before the protectorate: For the 300 years before Tunisia became a French protectorate, it was part of the Ottoman (Turkish) Empire. Officially, Tunisia was an Ottoman province, but the Ottomans had very little control over the country.
The early 1800’s: European countries became involved in North Africa as they fought against pirates who sailed from the North African coast and raided European ships on the Mediterranean Sea. After the Napoleonic Wars ended in 1815, there was a lot more trade between Europe and Tunisia, and many Italian businesses and immigrants came to the country.
Decades leading to the protectorate: By 1830, France began ruling Algeria, Tunisia’s neighbor to the west. Five years later, the Ottoman Empire imposed direct rule on Libya, Tunisia’s neighbor to the east. So for about 50 years, Tunisia lived between two stronger powers. During this period, the country experienced a lot of internal, economic and governmental problems, including bankruptcy. Italy and Britain also had their eyes on Tunisia as a potential colony at this time.
France moves in: In 1878, during a large meeting of states from all over Europe called the Congress of Berlin, France and Britain agreed that France would take Tunisia while Britain took Cyprus. Then, in 1881, some Tunisian tribesmen allegedly went into Algerian (i.e. French) territory, and this gave France the occasion to invade Tunisia and impose the Treaty of Bardo. This treaty allowed France to occupy the country militarily. For the next 75 years, Tunisia would be under French control.
Making it official: Two years later in 1883, the “bey” or ruler of Tunisia signed the Convention of Al-Marsa, which officially made Tunisia a French protectorate. This document allowed France to service Tunisia’s debts. It also said that bey of Tunisia would undertake reforms that the French government deemed necessary.
Tunisia as a French Protectorate
France’s indirect rule: While Tunisia was a French protectorate, France was the supreme authority over the government. Still, France kept in place the form of government that had existed for hundreds of years. A Tunisian “bey” and Tunisian ministers still oversaw the government, and the government structure stayed the same, but France took over the country’s finances and foreign relations. The highest-ranking French authority in the country was the Resident-General.
France’s influence: Over time, France brought in more administrators to oversee projects that were important to the country. The French took on Tunisia’s debts and led it toward financial stability. They also oversaw new railroads, telegraph lines, ports, hospitals, schools, and phosphate mines. France invested in Tunisia’s agriculture and led them to export food. The number of French immigrants to Tunisia also increased dramatically over the decades.
After the Protectorate
For multiple reasons, the French language continued to be a part of Tunisian life after the country achieved independence in 1956. The first president after independence was Habib Bourguiba, and he worked to make sure Tunisia had a good relationship with France and the U.S.
You can see some of the French language’s influence in post-independence Tunisia just by looking at the names of the political parties. At the time of independence, the leading political party was Habib Bourguiba’s Neo-Destour Party. “Destour” means “constitution” in Arabic. This party changed in 1988 and took on a French name: Rassemblement Constitutionnel Démocratique, or RCD. In the 1980’s, an Islamist party formed, which, for a few years at least, also went by a French name: Mouvement de la Tendance Islamique, or MTI.
A major factor in the spread of the French language post-independence came in the 1990’s, when primary education became mandatory. This raised the literacy rate significantly, and, as we’ll explain below, public, primary school is where most Tunisians learn to speak French.
So there you have it: the delicious, multilayered cake that is language in Tunisia. Centuries of foreign influence have combined on top of the Berber “base” layer to create a unique and charming linguistic dessert!
French in Schools Today
While the historical background info above explains how the French language entered Tunisian culture, the simplest answer as to why Tunisians speak French today is that they learn it in school.
The public school system itself is based on the French model of education. In public, primary schools, Tunisians begin learning French as a second language in their third year, when they’re 8 years old. The instruction for most of their education is in Arabic. But by the time they get to secondary school, some of the science and technology courses are taught in French.
At the university level, the degree programs have a mix of French and Arabic instruction. There is also a very high number of students that go abroad and receive their whole university education in French. According to a report from the British Council in Tunis, over 19,000 Tunisian students in 2012-2013 studied abroad in French universities.
French in the Workplace
In Tunisian society, Arabic is definitely the dominant language. Article 1 of their current constitution says of the country, “its religion is Islam, its language is Arabic.” When we go out and interact with people in Tunis, it seems like 90% of the communication is in Tunisian Arabic. Still, there is a significant amount of French language influence in everyday life.
French and Arabic are both considered languages of commerce. Certain sectors of society use more French than others, but according to some Tunisian friends that I asked, every profession has a mixture of Arabic and French. In technical professions, the vocabulary that they learn in school is mostly French, so they are using a lot more French words at work. Still, they use Tunisian Arabic to communicate with each other.
From our experience, it seems that the more well-to-do and upper-class professionals in Tunisia have a lot more French in their normal conversations. We ran with a running club in Tunis several times, and the people in that club would switch back and forth between French and Arabic in their conversations. Even when we interacted with them on Facebook, half of a sentence would be in French, and the other half would be in Arabic!
How it Affects Your Visit to Tunisia
If you DO speak French, you will be able to communicate in Tunisia just fine! Virtually all of the signage in Tunisia is both in French and Arabic. And just about every person you meet will speak French.
As a visitor to Tunisia, you will find that Tunisians are very considerate and accommodating with their use of language. Usually when Tunisians see someone who looks European, they go into French mode. Since I (Andy) don’t speak French, I find that almost every day that I spend out and about, someone will start a conversation in French. So a lot of my conversations start with, “Sorry, I don’t understand French.”
If you DON’T speak French or Arabic, communication in Tunisia will be a challenge. Virtually nothing is written in English outside of the nicer beach resorts. If you want to explore the country, having a Tunisian friend with you who speaks English will make your experience much better. Of course, this isn’t possible for everyone. If you are going to venture out into Tunisia without French or Arabic, please check out the rest of our content on this blog!
The difficulty of navigating Tunisia without French or Arabic is a big reason we created this site. Tunisia is too cool of a country to pass up just because you don’t know the language! We are working hard to create resources that will help you get the most out of your Tunisian experience, even if you don’t speak French or Arabic. Stay tuned for some helpful articles and videos that will equip you to explore Tunisia with confidence!
