International Journal of Language and Linguistics

2017; 5(3-1): 15-23

http://www.sciencepublishinggroup.com/j/ijll
doi: 10.11648/j.ijll.s.2017050301.13
ISSN: 2330-0205 (Print); ISSN: 2330-0221 (Online)

Reflections on the Linguistic Landscape and the Prospects

of English Language Teaching in Algeria
Ghania Ouahmiche1, Abderrazak Beddiaf2, Abdelkader Beddiaf3
1
Department of Human Sciences and Islamic Civilization, University of Oran 1, Oran, Algeria
2
Department of English, University of Oran 2, Oran, Algeria
3
Department of Letters and Foreign Languages, University of Batna 2, Batna, Algeria

Email address:
[email protected] (Ghania O.), [email protected] (Abderrazak B.), [email protected] (Abdelkader B.)

To cite this article:

Ghania Ouahmiche, Abderrazak Beddiaf, Abdelkader Beddiaf. Reflections on the Linguistic Landscape and the Prospects of English
Language Teaching in Algeria. International Journal of Language and Linguistics. Special Issue: New Trends in Arabic Sociolinguistics.
Vol. 5, No. 3-1, 2017, pp. 15-23. doi: 10.11648/j.ijll.s.2017050301.13

Received: March 4, 2017; Accepted: March 6, 2017; Published: April 5, 2017

Abstract: The paper is bi-pillared: first is an allowance for the Algerian sociolinguistic panorama; then follows an account
for the status of English in the Algerian sphere of schooling. Education, history, geography and ethnicity are the four
quintessential factors underlying the Algerian involved linguistic situation. As a meeting ground for a multiplicity of tongues,
Algeria is by and large regarded as an intricate plurilingual country. Indeed, plurilingualism, in the Algerian context, is
organized in essence around three linguistic spheres consisting of Arabic (with its two varieties), Tamazight and foreign
languages. The other pillar upon which rests the present paper concerns the status and image of English as a foreign language
in didactic subjects, i.e. teaching/learning English in Algeria, and more specifically in its consideration of added value. The
effort lies in tracking down whether this state could have taken a place of choice (privileged) as a whole with reference to its
teaching/learning within the contextualized linguistic chessboard. The idea of the didactic dimension of English clarifies its
weight and sheds light on academic conceptions installed in Algeria.
Keywords: Language Conflict, Algerian Linguistic Landscape, Algerian Educational Reform,
English Language Teaching in Algeria, Languages and Interculturality

status and prevalent rank as the second language; actually, in

1. Introduction the face of today’s more Anglicized globe, it is important to
Algeria is a country with a very special linguistic situation. be inclined towards teaching and learning English more than
From independence, in 1962 and for years afterwards, this any time before. French (which has considerably lost its
country was “constitutionally” monolingual, with importance since independence) and English constitute the
classical/standard Arabic as the official language. But this did first foreign languages in Algeria: they are used in higher
not prevent the social presence of other languages. The latter technical and scientific education.
have long struggled for their survival. They have remained However, there is this one worthy of note question, which
present in the Algerian cultural heritage. These include serves right into the point: in the midst of the current
Algerian Arabic (which some tend to call it dialectal, Darija, compelling needs for foreign languages in the context of
or Elammiyya), Tamazight (which became, following a long today’s exponential increase of globalization influence, what
struggle, the national language from 2002) with all its linguistic-didactic status, weight, value, interest and prestige
variants, and French (French is, from a political standpoint, does English occupy from the teaching/learning process point
the first foreign language; from a linguistic viewpoint, it is a of view in Algeria?
second language that fulfills co-official tasks).
It comes into sight that preference for English is rising 2. The Algerian Sociolinguistic Scene
remarkably despite efforts to preserve French its prestigious
Obvious as it is, and according to Pillar (2016), depending
16 Ghania Ouahmiche et al.: Reflections on the Linguistic Landscape and the Prospects of English Language Teaching in Algeria

on the actions undertaken in special concern with its desert); for example, university education for the medical,
attendance, plurilingualism 1 , which characterizes every technical and scientific branches is largely provided in
society the world over today, can make for a constructively French.
compiled add-up or represent a destructively worrisome
burden. Algeria is legitimately considered as a multilingual 3. Specificity of French
and multicultural country.
For Djaout, "Algeria is a trilingual country. It has the Historically speaking, despite the various colonial
chance to open three windows on the world instead of one, to campaigns that targeted Arabic, the French colonialists failed
feed on three cultures instead of one. But this chance was to satisfy their striving for wiping out the language from its
confiscated from the outset" (1993). (« L’Algérie est un pays context of existence during their occupation of Algeria.
trilingue. Elle a la chance d’ouvrir sur le monde trois fenêtres Again, the 132 years of the French intense colonization and
au lieu d’une, de pouvoir s’alimenter à trois cultures au lieu its heinous crimes of oppression policy, seeking hard to strip
d’une seule. Mais cette chance a été dès le départ confisquée people of their linguistic identity and cultural affiliations
»). Again, according to Sebaa (2002), "Algeria is (Benrabah, 2014), have left their mark on the subsequent
characterized, as we know, by a situation of social generations of Algerians, notably through education, even if
quadrilinguity: conventional Arabic, French, Algerian Arabic, the Algerian elite was almost non-existent during the colonial
and Tamazight." (« L’Algérie se caractérise, comme on le era. The linguistic boom occurred after independence (1962),
sait, par une situation de quadrilinguité sociale: arabe with the introduction of compulsory schooling for all. The
conventionnel/ français / arabe algérien / tamazight.»). latter has played a major role in the teaching of languages,
The Algerian sociolinguistic situation, accordingly, including French, though the main aim was first to help
comprises a four-dimensional configuration: learners acquire some level of literacy. At that time, in its
Tamazight (vernacular): Also famous as the Berber vulnerable state with no characteristic solid infrastructural
language (though the natives prefer Tamazight over Berber), basis a newly independent entity it was, Algeria was still
it has been attributed the status of ‘National language’ since functioning in French: education, administration, economic
April 2002. The Tamazight-speaking population (Amazigh or sector, etc. Due to the development and spread of education
Imazighen) stands for about 35% of the Algerian population as well as the geographical proximity favoring the
in its entirety. Tamazight consists essentially, besides an displacement of Algerians towards France (a destination
array of yet other varieties, of Chaoui (concentrated mainly identified as the first country visited by Algerians, whether
in Khenchela, Batna, Oum Bouaghi, and Tebassa; with yet for study, family visits or tourism), the French language
lesser attendance in other regions like Soug Ahrass, Setif, occurred to gain more grounds on the Algerian linguistic
Annaba, and Biskra), Kabyle (spoken predominantly in Tizi scene. Be that as it may, along the years above the second
Ouazou, Béjaïa, and Bouira), Mozabite (of prevalent millennium, French witnessed a drastic deterioration in favor
appearance in Ghardaia) and Tuareg (nomadically scattered of an increasing desire to learning English among Algerians.
across the Sahara, or desert, but concentrated primarily in the In this vein, Hamzaoui (2017) notes that “… today’s younger
highlands of Tasssili and Ahaggar). generations show positive attitudes towards English for its
In an informal domain, Algerian Arabic (also known as association with progress and modernity as well as its
colloquial/ dialectal/ vehicular, al-āmmiyya, or ad-daridja), consideration as an important means of communication with
the language of the smashing majority of Algerians, is the the external world.” (p. 06)
primary tool of communication in use nationwide. From a Even if today, with the imperatives of an Arabization
sociolinguistic point of view, this daily language (Algerian policy, French is taught only as a foreign language, it remains
Arabic) has an association with other languages including comparatively paradoxically very present in the school
French and Tamazight; it contains words and structures system, especially university; at present, except in the human
grammatically drawn from Tamazight and French. sciences which are Arabized, university education tends to be
French is considered as the first foreign language of the francized (and apparently would, though not just yet, be of
country, but this language has a certain co-officiality, in progressively anglicized orientations): medical sciences and
virtue of its relatively widespread presence in the Algerian engineering sciences are still francized, as well as practically
society (this is so, exceptionally speaking, up in the state’s all technical and scientific branches at the post-graduation
northern coastal line of cities; with a considerably far much level.
less occurrence in smaller towns, in especially decreasing
order as we head north-south vertically across the country all
the way down towards the districts located in the deep 4. The Contextual Sociolinguistic
Realities of Languages in Algeria
1
Plurilingualism and multilingualism are contentious concepts in terms of their
The languages in question differ from the viewpoint of
ascribed definition(s) among researchers. Some take them as synonymous terms,
while others tend to attribute them slightly different significations. However, history, of their structures, of their degree of use and of their
generally, these two notions refer to a simultaneous presence of more than a sociolinguistic functions. In terms of classification, they
couple of languages. For all it is worth in our paper, however, we prefer taking belong to distinct linguistic families: Arabic is a Semitic
them as interchangeable labels.
 International Journal of Language and Linguistics 2017; 5(3-1): 15-23 17

language, Tamazight is a Chamito-Semitic (Afro-Asiatic) 5. A Conflictual Linguistic Background

language, French is a Romance (Indo-European) language,
and English is a Germanic (Indo-European) language. Algeria is an environment of a heterogeneous background
These languages vary in their degree of use and in the structure from a variety of perspectives. This heterogeneity is
number of their respective users. Arabic is mainly more of richness than itchiness. The linguistic legacy in
represented under two varieties, Modern Standard Arabic Algeria is consolidated by a profound cultural and religious
(MSA) and Algerian Arabic. Modern Standard Arabic as heritage, where the masses of the people have become
merely a modern simplified form of Classical Arabic (the polarized. In addition to religion and race, language is also
language of the Holy Quran), is the official language of the part of the factors of ethnic identity (Abu, 1995), it is one of
country as stipulated by the constitution since 1963. Besides the elements of the culture conveyed.
being the language of education in all schools and Towards the mid-sixties (and even afterwards) in the
universities except science faculties, it is of widely common newly reborn post French-colonial Algeria, there transpired
employment in formal contexts and media and such. In the dilemmic issue of realizing the characteristic linguistic
everyday practice, the Algerian dialectal Arabic, spoken by and cultural identity of the state and its population; the
the majority of the population and being the mother tongue of country was in a quandary, should it opt for the national
the largest part of Algerians remains the most widespread and language, i.e. Arabic, or should it preserve the language of
commonly shared tongue serving as a means of the former colonizer (French)? This state of indecision and
communication among Algerian speakers. In effect, this oscillation tore the nation between those in support of Arabic
dialect, of Algerian creation, is described as "a patch-work and those adhering to French. The supporters of the former
language, neither Arabic nor Berber nor French - to become side of the equation considered that the return to the Arabic
that of a large group of young Algerians" K. Taleb-Ibrahimi language is a national and religious objective; thus, for years,
(1998: 228) (« une langue patch-work, ni arabe, ni berbère ni the country has experienced a great movement of Arabization
français-devenir celle d’une large frange de jeunes algériens in all fields, educational and administrative strictly speaking.
» K. Taleb-Ibrahimi (1998, p. 228). As such, conveying a rich The partisans of the latter part of the equation, adherents of
and varied culture, Algerian Arabic is a language mix, foreign culture, nonetheless, relied on the relevant arguments
composed of a diversity of languages and dialects, namely of historical and academic weight.
Arabic, Tamazight, and French. In this regard, “the language It would be wrong, nevertheless, to hold any such claims
spoken at home and in the street remains a mixture of as that those who have endeavored to track down their
Algerian dialects and French words” (Maameri, 2009, p. 10) national language in pursuit of their ancestral linguistic and
These languages likewise have distinct functions: dialectal cultural identity aim at radically excluding foreign languages
Arabic and Tamazight are native vernacular languages, with from the scene. International relations and economic and
Tamazight being also a national language; standard Arabic is scientific development requisitely call for knowledge of at
the official language; French and English are foreign least another tongue besides the natively acquired and spoken
languages, French, in addition to being a school subject, is a language. A typically cognate case where favorability for
working tool in technical and scientific education, English is foreign languages learning is observably manifest is indeed
no more than a school subject in public education. English, the one in hand: Algeria; in this space of the world, the calls
the use of which is still rather restrained to education being for learning foreign languages find an auspiciously positive
of course a subject–in preference to a medium– of echo. Foreign languages for that matter turn out to be
instruction, is the second foreign language. Moreover, in the predictably inevitable school subjects in all educational
language practices of the speakers, these languages are systems.
related to diglossia.
This diversified and complex sociolinguistic situation 6. The Reform of the Algerian
characterizing the Algerian context is perceived as a richness
of the Algerian linguistic landscape. In practice, this richness Educational System
fructifies and nourishes plurilingualism. The status conferred In this regard and from a variety of other respects, on the
on these different languages, the social uses that are made of trails of human, cultural and scientific ends, the country's
them and their sociolinguistic functions concur in assigning socio-economic and scientific needs, safe in the knowledge
them unequal social and symbolic values. If this is the that they occur to be in pursuit of assuring secure and sound
sociolinguistic reality, to what extent then is it conceived and as well as sustainable development, are giving rise to new
managed by the policy of Algerian language teaching? demands and requirements for foreign languages learning.
Despite this complex sociolinguistic situation, Algeria has The linguistic asset is now sure enough perceived as a
adopted the policy of unilingualism which advocates a single requisite tool for an indispensable modernization. A reform
language on the political, legal, social and economic levels, of the country’s entire education system was on the call; and,
while progressively eliminating French and disqualifying therefore, the latter was subsequently launched in 2003.
popular languages. In their own right notwithstanding, the The history of educational reforms in Algeria includes a
Algerian dialects symbolize and testify to a resistance to the series of attempts to eliminate the French language for Arabic
uniformism that the powers that be advocate towards them. (Law No. 05-91 dated 16 January 1991) or to replace it with
18 Ghania Ouahmiche et al.: Reflections on the Linguistic Landscape and the Prospects of English Language Teaching in Algeria

English. This initiative has tackled a range of aspects and has English language learners remains a topical issue in dealing
enabled the implementation of new programs, the edition of with the various changes with an intercultural perspective.
new textbooks, and has especially introduced a new teaching
methodology based on the competency-based approach. It
was conceived in 2002 and implemented from the school 8. Interculturality and English Language
year 2003/2004, in order to break with the old method called Teaching: Intercultural Standpoint
the "objective approach".
As a matter of fact, the recent years to their credit witness Beyond the priorities assigned to the different strands
an unprecedented willingly steadfast readiness and eagerness targeted by the reform of the education system, initiated by
among Algerians for a favorable change with regard to Algeria, it is perhaps appropriate to rethink this intercultural
foreign languages teaching/learning. English is no longer the aspect first, among many others that are corollary to it. For
only second foreign language accepted in the Algerian school what we are interested in in our paper, what place can the
system; actually, besides French, German, Italian and English-related culture take in a configuration with multiple
Spanish are currently entering secondary school classrooms components like Algeria? And, essentially, what
(German, Spanish and Italian are option languages; while consequences might it yield for the training of teachers of
English and French are compulsory school subjects for all English?
streams). As a matter of fact, French scientists or researchers, just
It is to this very end indeed that the middle and secondary like their counterparts almost all over the world, are obliged
phases program of English has been revised in aspiration to to use English to be aware of new ideas or to communicate.
fulfill the new drawn educational and linguistic objectives, Even the French Academy of Sciences is increasing to
which themselves enjoy coherence with the new socio- publish its reports in English. In this fashion, French is in
economic and cultural situation of the country. However, this comparison to English ‘an outdated language’; maybe even
combination between vocational training and the learning of in its original context of existence, let alone in other spots of
English is not very well directed in orientation, it suffers the world, like Algeria, where it is taken as a foreign
several underlying inadequacies and pitfalls. The fact of the language.
matter is that it always encounters subjective and objective Relying on well-founded observations, both pragmatically
obstacles, due either to the linguistic tradition of the learners and theoretically, the majority of Algerian university students
or to the method used. are more inclined to learn English. Such academic value of
The programs of English, the foreign language in all the English is indeed progressively more enticing for students as
cycles combined, thus, ensure the continuity from one cycle a preference in the prioritized order of the wishes expressed,
to another. Stemming from the same problem and basing on through filling out a website university entrance form as per
the same theoretical principles, this program advocates the several constraints in terms of orientation and criteria of
competency-based approach. guidance.

7. Learning Considerations 9. Orientation and Criteria of Guidance2

The intervention of languages didactics is supposed to The variable "grades" obtained by the subjects in the test
manage the diverse language pathways and repertoires of of English in the national secondary school graduation
individuals, while encouraging the development of their diploma (i.e. Baccalaureate/ Baccalaureate exam) is decisive
plurilingual competence. The implementation of such a as to its orientation. The orientation towards higher education
didactic approach combines multiple methodologies, and training is classified according to the following three
pluralistic approaches (Candelier, 2008) and curricular parameters of orientation and registration:
restructuring, articulating the various language varieties and 1. The 10 wishes expressed by the secondary school
disciplines in a global language curriculum (Coste et al., leaving certificate holders,
2007). 2. The series is the baccalaureate exam results: general
The process of globalization, of which there is reason to average of the baccalaureate, mention, and grades of essential
believe that it is it that, more than anything else, subjects,
fundamentally alters the question of foreign languages 3. Capacity of reception of higher education and training
teaching, is accelerating. The challenges of teaching foreign institutions.
languages should be considered in the reforms because In order to participate in the ranking, certain fields of
foreign languages continue to occupy an important place in training, streams and common core academic curriculums
Algeria.
Foreign languages are irrevocably defined as a necessity if 2
According to Circular n° 01 of 26 Chaâbane 1437H Corresponding to 02 June
a synchronized evolution in a world in perpetual 2008 Relating to the Pre-registration and Orientation of the Baccalaureate Holders
metamorphosis is desired. It is undeniable that the English for the Academic Year 2016-2017 (Circulaire n° 01 du 26 Chaâbane 1437H
Correspondant au 02 Juin 2016 Relative à la Préinscription et à l’orientation des
language, the most commonly used tongue on an
Titulaires du Baccalauréat au Titre de l’année Universitaire 2016-2017).
international scale, is in vogue. In this context, the training of
 International Journal of Language and Linguistics 2017; 5(3-1): 15-23 19

require a minimum overall average of the baccalaureate. This needs of English language teachers the system came to
average does not automatically entitle students to a definitive dreadfully suffer. Recourse to contractual teachers remains
registration. This is done either on the basis of the general the only alternative out for the authorities while the latter
average obtained at the national final secondary school raise their sights for new teachers to graduate from the
examination (baccalaureate) or in recourse to the arithmetic universities.
mean between the general average of the baccalaureate
results and the marks obtained in certain subjects. In addition 11. Skills of Student Teachers
to the above conditions, access to certain streams/fields is
subject, as the case may be, to a competition, an aptitude test, The university curriculum, distributed over three years for
an interview with a jury, or an age requirement. the bachelor of art, and two further (i.e. five, overall) years
The pre-registration, orientation and appeal of new for the master of art, must offer students the knowledge they
national secondary school graduation diploma holders are need to better command spoken as well as written English.
exclusively fulfilled via Internet. To carry out these Convinced that any progress in the study of a living language
operations, three online sites are available to new graduates. begins with an awareness of the elements of the underlying
The national computerized treatment will take care of all the system, the designers of the university curriculum have given
wishes files of new national secondary school leaving great importance to the rules governing the English language,
certificate holders, entered and transmitted electronically. In be it grammar, phonetics, phonemics or spelling. Actually,
consideration of the above-mentioned three pre-registration the study of the various aspects of spoken language: tonic
and orientation parameters in unison, this process, or stress, rhythm, short forms, intonation, etc. should bring to
treatment, generally ends in satisfying either of the the students, who will examine it consciously, a real and
candidate’s ten choices arranged in descending order of definitive appropriation of the major difficulties of English
priority. speech. Through a series of modules that allow for the
To be enrolled in a bachelor's degree of English, the appropriate preparation of language proficiency acquisition
bachelor's degree should meet the following criterion: for the teaching profession, a syllabus and a rich model are
The mean of the total sum of the baccalaureate general developed: American literature and civilization, English
average plus the grade obtained in the module of English at literature and civilization, grammar, linguistics, oral
the baccalaureate, which should not be less than 11, divided expression, written expression, phonetics, etc.
by two should be equal to or greater than 11 out of twenty
(the general average + the grade of the test of English / 2 ≥
11). 12. Descriptions and Analyzes of the
Initial and Second Cycles (Bachelor’s
10. Orientation and Economic Degree and Master’s Degree)
Determinants Training Model
A fortiori, there lie behind students’ inclinations of opting To teach English (as a second foreign language) in Algeria,
for some university training in a certain field more than few prospective teachers must obtain a baccalaureate and have a
decisively effectual influences and factors, the sum of which minimum of three years of university training to become a
in the main owes much of a deal to economically-grounded middle school teacher, and have five years overall of
drives. Undergraduates, as such, set their sights on the university instruction to be able to teach in secondary
streams that guarantee provision of a certain job schools. The curriculum comprises modules of civilizations,
prospectively. literatures, linguistics, didactics, oral and written expression,
The influx of new baccalaureate holders into teaching is as among well many others. Part of it is designed to deepen,
well generally explained by the opportunities to get a job. refine and perfect the basic knowledge, namely syntactic,
The internal factors are those relating to the opportunities lexical and phonological.
offered by the education sector especially, and following a 12.1. Presentation of the Model of the Teaching Modules
policy of openness to learning foreign languages in a
perspective of openness to the world. Politico-educational Worth mentioning from the outset, in what is to proceed
choices opt for the compulsory mastery of at least two subsequently, attention will be due only to what has
foreign languages by learners, namely French and English. relevance to our main concern which lies in hunting down
Thus, English becomes the second foreign language, after considerations and reflections of pertinently direct relation to
French, taught from the middle schools first year. Of English teaching/learning. In this way, the account and
somewhat notoriously counterproductive effect from at least discussion to follow would make comprehensive allowance
one perspective, the lack of qualified human resources in the for teaching modules of English coupled with their hourly
aftermath of the new reforms proves of considerably much schedule distribution and the like. In a word, unless it is
weight and immediate action occurs of the essence. A absolutely necessary, we will eschew any mention of details,
recruitment effort had to be made by donors to meet the broad or slight, as regards the module of French (which is a
20 Ghania Ouahmiche et al.: Reflections on the Linguistic Landscape and the Prospects of English Language Teaching in Algeria

subject in the curriculum all the five years through, from the number of modules in Master’s Degree is 15. Master 1
bachelor’s degree first year to Master’s degree last year) for comprises 10 modules (same modules and schedule valid for
it occurs beside the point in this very regard and in this both semesters) with a weekly volume of 21 hours, and
particular section. But for reasons of consistency, we would Master 2 (i.e. third semester) covers 4 modules with a 9-hour
like here to quickly point out that the weekly volume for weekly schedule; thus, the Master curriculum is covered in
French, a compulsory module for all students during the five an hourly volume of 840 hours (588 hours for both the first
years, is 1h30 in lectures; its annual (28-weekly) volume is and second semester plus 252 hours for semester three), with
42 hours (1h30 x 28 = 42h), which makes a total of 126 a total coefficient of 16 for Master 1 and 14 for Master 2
hours (42 h x 3 = 126 h) for the three Bachelor’s Degree (third semester). The courses are instructed in lecture theaters
years, and a sum of 63 hours for the further three semesters or lecture halls (i.e. lectures completely take over tutorials).
of Master courses; all in all, 189 hours are reserved for the
module of French all throughout the five years of the first 12.3. Analysis of the Training Curriculum
and second cycle of higher education. By studying the Bachelor's Degree of English, spanning
12.2. Model of Teaching Modules per Year/Semester three years of study at a rate of 28 weeks per year, we note
The model of the modules for the preparation of Bachelor's that the latter comprises 28 modules and is covered in an
and Master’s Degrees of teaching in the initial and second overall hourly volume of 1722 hours. And by completing the
trainings of student teachers of English is constructed in the Master’s Degree of English, lasting for three more semesters,
subsequent fashion; again, just for the record, French as a besides the fourth semester dedicated for dissertations, after
teaching module, though in the scene all along, is here the Bachelor’s Degree (i.e. five years in totality inclusive of
excluded from the count: the Bachelor’s Degree three years) at a rate of 14 weeks per
On the face of the page is the initial cycle of higher semester, students further study 15 other modules covered in
education studies. The structure of the curriculum for the a sum of 840hours.
three Bachelor’s Degree years is designed as follows: As to the Bachelor’s Degree, courses are taught in lectures
With respect to the first year, the number of teaching and tutorials as follows:
modules is 9 with a weekly volume of 21 hours, 18 hours in In the first year of the bachelor’s degree, the curriculum
tutorials (supervised works) and 3 hours in lectures; so the comprises 9 modules divided into lectures and tutorials.
curriculum of the first year is covered in 588 hours (evenly Lectures benefit from an overall weekly schedule of 3 hours,
divided between the two semesters, with the same nine that is, an hourly volume of 84 hours per year. Then again,
modules persisting for both). The total coefficient of the the tutorials are divided into a weekly schedule of 18 hours,
modules is 15. that is to say an annual volume of 504 hours. This leads to
In respect of the second year, likewise, the number of the forgone conclusion that the first year syllabus consequent
modules is 9 with an hourly volume of 21 hours per week, hourly volume is for the most part reserved for the tutorials
19h30 hours in tutorials and 1h30 hours in lectures; therefore, (504 /588 hours). Noteworthy, of the 9 teaching modules of
the second year curriculum is covered in an annual volume of the first-year English-language curriculum, 7 focus on the
588 hours. The total coefficient is 15. basic knowledge of the language with a weekly volume of
As regards the third year, end of cycle, the number of 16h30 per 21 hours. The coefficient of these units is 12 out of
modules is 10 with a total schedule of 19h30 hours a week, 9 15. It may very likely be the case, it sure enough we believe
hours in tutorials and 10h30 hours in lectures. So the overall is, that the design of the curriculum thus is basically meant,
third year curriculum is covered in an hourly volume of 546 first, to guarantee a smooth transition from the secondary
hours. The total coefficient is 20. education cycle into the higher education phase (university),
Overleaf, indeed, is the second cycle of university studies. then, to adequately correct, remedy and tame the
The Master Degree is brought to fruition through three deficiencies, with the purpose of consolidating, deepening
successive semesters of lectures, accompanied by a and securing the achievements. However, in terms of
compulsory dissertation in partial fulfillment of the competences, such a curriculum targets both linguistic
requirements for the degree of Master realized along and (linguistics, grammar and phonetics) and pragmatic (oral and
submitted towards the end of the last (fourth) semester. The written expression) skills. The linguistic component is
first couple of semesters together (i.e. first year) make up induced by the nature of the tasks and communication
Master 1, while the last two (i.e. second year) stand for the situations, it relates to the knowledge and know-how of
completion of Master 2. While the last semester (fourth) is lexicon, syntax and phonology; while the pragmatic
reserved for dissertation accomplishment, the structure of the component is of special concern to the action-oriented
three Master’s degree semesters program is planned as approach and to the choice of discursive strategy for the
follows: fulfillment of a particular goal (establishing and
Overall, apart from the Master’s degree dissertation systematizing, organizing and adapting, as well as
accomplished throughout the fourth semester and the constructing and structuring discourse), it draws the speaker-
practical training that comes into play either in middle or situation interconnectivity.
higher schools of choice –spanning a fortnight to a month, In the second year, the 9 modules are distributed over a
weekly volume of 21 hours. This schedule is exclusively
 International Journal of Language and Linguistics 2017; 5(3-1): 15-23 21

reserved for tutorials (19h30 hours a week; thus, 546 hours and in writing, both in reception and in production. Thus, it is
yearly) with a very faint attendance of lectures (1h30 hours apparent that the modules, which target the acquisition of
per week; hence, 42 hours annually). Yearly, the 9 modules language proficiency, benefit from an hourly volume of 924
are carried out in an overall schedule of 588 hours. Similarly, hours, or 78% of all the teaching. In addition, the modules
the second year curriculum focuses on disciplinary that target the acquisition of a good mastery of Anglo-Saxon
knowledge: grammar, translation, oral and written culture are carried out in a 168-hour schedule, 14%.
expression, phonetics and linguistics and such. In addition to In the Master’s degree, the courses are exclusively taught
the reinforcement of linguistic and pragmatic skills, the in lectures. The syllabus of Master 1 has 10 modules. These
second year curriculum covets sociolinguistic and cultural are distributed in a 21-hours-weekly schedule of lectures,
competences by introducing culture and civilization (an with no tutorials. In Master 2, only the third semester is
alternation between the British and American civilizations) devoted to courses attendance; the last semester is the time
and literary texts (an alternation between the British and period throughout which students pursue their obligation of
American literatures). Of the 9 modules, 6 relate to the realizing a dissertation, with no classes taken. Worthy of
knowledge of the English language spread over a weekly note, of all the units covered throughout the Master’s degree
schedule of 16h30/ 21 hours, with a coefficient of 11 out of cycle, there strikingly is no room left for disciplinary
15. It is obvious that the curriculum designers aim at mastery knowledge modules (even that of translation is a great deal
of the language. about aspects transcending mere disciplinary knowledge
In the third year of the bachelor’s degree, the weekly frames). The curriculum completely switches to so-called
volume of the 10 modules is 19h30 hours. This schedule is Anglo-Saxon cultural and literary aspects, sociolinguistic
divided into 10h30 hours of lectures and 9 hours of tutorials. dimensions and language teaching methodologies. Put
Annually, the 10 modules are realized in a total time of 546 another way, the Master’s degree curriculum focuses on
hours. While in the first and second year curricula, six units socio-pragmatic competence (via British and American
deal with disciplinary knowledge (linguistic and pragmatic civilizations and literatures along with intercultural
skills): phonetics, grammar, written and oral and linguistic communication), and on the introduction of didactics,
comprehension, with the remaining four modules being educational psychology and methodology of language
devoted to cultural competences by introducing culture and teaching modules. What is more, the trainee teachers enroll in
civilization (a combination between the British and American a traineeship of varying hour periods per week over couple of
civilizations), literary texts (a combination between the few weeks as soon as they start taking courses in the TEFL
British and American literatures), methodology as well as module. Students attending whole 840 hours in the three
human and social sciences module; the third year curriculum semesters of Master, added to the dissertation, in pursuit of
consists of 10 modules, divided into a 19h30-hour weekly accomplishing a Master’s degree, finally obtain their diploma
schedule. This third year curriculum schedule is relatively so long as their general average equals 10 out of 20 at the
balanced between tutorials (9 hours/week) and lectures very least.
(10h30 hours/week). Modules targeting disciplinary
knowledge have a weekly schedule of only 7h30/19h30 hours 12.4. Deliberations on the Training Curriculum in Both
and an overall coefficient of 10 out of 20. Thus, the Cycles (Bachelor’s Degree and Master’s Degree)
curriculum in the third year rather shifts sides from We note that the bachelor’s degree curriculum of English
disciplinary-knowledge-concentrated dimensions of the is divided into two distinct parts. The first two years focus
English language to the cultural, civilizational, and literary much more on knowledge of the language "disciplinary
aspects of it (interculturality), as well as the introduction of knowledge": grammar, written and oral expression,
the cognitive psychology and didactics modules (taking phonetics, linguistics and suchlike. All these modules total a
psychological, pedagogical and didactical factors into weekly schedule of 12 hours/21 hours in the first year, and
account in the educational process). 19.30 hours/21 hours in the second year.
Thus, after having completed an overall hourly volume of All the modules mentioned previously, apart from TEFL3
1722 hours in three years, bachelors in English will and psycho-pedagogy, contribute to the acquisition of
ultimately be able to get hold of national Bachelor’s degree communicative competence which comprises three linguistic
(diploma) provided that they obtain a general average equal components and which is divided into several competencies:
or superior to 10 out of 20. It should be noted that the lexical, grammatical, semantic, phonological, and discursive
tutorials are accorded high importance as they consume or pragmatic. Lexical, syntactic, morphological and
almost the entire schedule (1344/1722 hours), that is to say phonological aspects are at least easier to acquire than those
78% of the curriculum. In fact, the majority of the work is related to the culture of the target language, knowing that the
integrated into the tutorials from a perspective of socializing mother tongue (Arabic) and the target language (English) are
practice; what Lahire (1997) refers to as "silent socialization not isomorphic.
of students" by the rhythms of academic work and the On the other side of the table, in the third year, the
timetable. The modules are organized according to a system curriculum focuses on the literary and civilizational aspects
which, during the first two years, seems to give a great
importance to the command of the English language orally 3
Teaching English as a Foreign Language.
22 Ghania Ouahmiche et al.: Reflections on the Linguistic Landscape and the Prospects of English Language Teaching in Algeria

of the language. This being said, the aim is to teach cultural successive theories in the history of foreign languages
competence to future teachers, by exposing them to social teaching/learning. Is it possible, in the light of what is being
and sociolinguistic norms; that is to say, knowledge and undertaken during the TEFL sessions, to make future
appropriation of social rules and standards of interaction teachers aware of the parameters involved in the
between individuals and institutions, knowledge of cultural teaching/learning of English as a foreign language? Does this
history and relationships between social objects. The theoretical content allow learners to acquire the required
question that arises is "does it suffice to acquire this skills and desired competences in the field? It is to mention
sociolinguistic competence only by exposing the student as well that lectures score a full rate of 100% of the courses
teachers to the literary and civilizational aspects of the target provided during the Master’s degree.
language/culture? This said, sociolinguistic competence, Doubtless, it is interesting to call attention to the fact that
defined in (Leech 1983)’s terms as "the sociological interface English at the university level, unlike middle and secondary
of pragmatics" (p.10) and which is a fundamental component schools where it represents merely a subject of instruction for
of communication competence, remains hard to penetrate for learners, is taken as a medium of instruction where students
teachers and difficult to teach for the trainee teachers. It immerse into anglicised classes and syllabi. According to the
cannot, as Ellis (1992) has it, be acquired and developed forgoing detailed account for the structure of the university
sufficiently in the school context. As a result, the trainee curriculum, what is essential appears to be reduced into a
teachers, according to Dewaele (1996, 2001, 2002), are likely ‘perfect’ knowledge of the linguistic forms and rules that
to remain ‘mono-stylistic’ in the target language (English). govern the English language.
In fact, this sociolinguistic competence does not seem to
be perfectly acquirable for the student teachers in several 13. Conclusion
respects: lack of authenticity (interaction only in vitro in
situations close to "authentic"); non-integration, rather non- As things stand, four languages characterize the Algerian
effective use of ICTs in teaching; lack of immersion training linguistic landscape: Arabic, which is subdivided into two
(lack of in vivo interaction); and the like. However, in varieties, standard Arabic (the national and the sole official
tutorials, teachers, to improve teaching of sociolinguistic and language of the country) and dialectal (Algerian) Arabic;
pragmatic norms, should use authentic material such as video Tamazight (an indigenous language that has been recognized
documents (documentaries, debates, videos, etc.), means of and promulgated as national since a decade and a half, and
communication via the Internet (Computer mediated has thus been taught in public schools as an optional subject
discourse) via chat sites (synchronous speech), e-mails ever since) which is made up of several geolects; and French,
(asynchronous speech), and videoconferences that remain an the ex-colonizer’s language. However, these are not the only
important source of linguistic bath for learners whose languages present in the scene. The Algerian linguistic
chances of interacting with target-language natives are rare or panorama consists of quite an array of languages varying in
almost nonexistent. The exploitation of this authentic their degree and commonness of use; these are: English,
material would allow them to link morpho-lexical and German, Spanish, Italian, Turkish, Russian, and Chinese.
semantic information in explicit memory to conceptual French has significantly been losing reputation paving the
representations in implicit memory, and to adapt their way for a gradual taking over of English. On its own right,
schemas and scripts in the target language in order to produce education is now turning a soft cheek towards English; even
a socio-linguistically appropriate discourse. It is in this way the domains which have long been dominated by French are
that teachers could raise awareness of student teachers to the of prospective changes to making a turn of events in favor of
sociolinguistic rules. By making them aware of and exposed English as a language of science and technology. Students in
to the different oral and written registers, this consciousness the technical, scientific and medical fields (which are
would allow them to better exploit the didactic materials instructed in French) occur more inclined towards using
contained in textbooks or that they themselves choose in their references of an English language production. One
teaching. auspicious case in point indeed is the noteworthy fact that the
In the absence of such cultural competence in the teaching module of French that was taught independently in virtually
of the English language, teachers focus on the language every stream and specialism in higher education has along
taught and tame it by neglecting this cultural component, in the recent years progressively been substituted for a unit of
particular the ‘cultural behavioral component’ in Galisson English, mainly ESP4.
(1994)’s own terms. To compensate for the obvious
dissymmetry between the teacher agent and the language
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