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Tell us about Moroccan Arabic Wikipedia

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Moroccan Darija Wikipedia

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Questionnaire

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Contributors

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  • Wikimedia Statistics can be difficult to interpret. What is your impression, how many steady contributors do you have?
  1. I would say 10-15 overall, including administrators, top 5 contributors in the last 30 days (not including admins) that are always listed on the first page, and other contributors who edit less, or not as regularly (there are some who write a huge amount for a short time, then disappear for weeks or months). The stats always show more than 30 contributors who made at least 1 edit in the last month.--Ideophagous (talk) 00:01, 22 October 2022 (UTC)[reply]
  • Are your contributors mostly native speakers?
  1. Mostly yes. Moroccan Darija is not a standardized language, and learning material exists but not in large quantity, so few foreigners actually learn it to proficiency. Algerians, whose dialect is mutually intelligible with ours to an extent, also contribute sometimes, especially on Algeria-related topics. Though we often have to correct the spelling, wording and grammar to match the general conventions within Moroccan Darija.--Ideophagous (talk) 00:01, 22 October 2022 (UTC)[reply]
  • Where do your contributors live (regions/country)?
  1. Mostly Morocco and Western Europe (and sometimes Algeria, as already mentioned).--Ideophagous (talk) 00:01, 22 October 2022 (UTC)[reply]
  • How common is it that your contributors meet in real life?
  1. Some administrators met and will meet again, but not very frequently. It's hard to know as far as other contributors are concerned.--Ideophagous (talk) 00:01, 22 October 2022 (UTC)[reply]

Other Wikipedias

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  • Do you have special contacts with other Wikipedias (maybe in related languages)?
  1. Except Tashelhit Wikipedia (also based in Morocco), not particularly.--Ideophagous (talk) 00:01, 22 October 2022 (UTC)[reply]
  • Do you translate a lot from other Wikipedias? Which ones?
  1. Mainly from English, French, and Arabic.--Ideophagous (talk) 00:01, 22 October 2022 (UTC)[reply]

Organization and support

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  • Is there a Wikimedia chapter in your country? How does your language relate to it?
  1. There's Wikimedia Morocco, but it's not yet recognized as a Wikimedia chapter.--Ideophagous (talk) 14:23, 22 October 2022 (UTC)[reply]
  • Are there work groups in other organizations about Wikipedia?
  1. Wikimedia Morocco.--Ideophagous (talk) 14:23, 22 October 2022 (UTC)[reply]
  2. Update: the Reading Network in Morocco شبكة القراءة بالمغرب are also heavily involved in Wikimedia projects.--Ideophagous (talk) 17:09, 25 April 2023 (UTC)[reply]

Your Wikipedia and the linguistic community

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  • Is there a language institution for your language, like an Academy, or a club of people interested in your language? Do you have contact with them?
  1. There are no official institutions since the Moroccan State does not officially recognize Moroccan Darija as a language. Various scholars, both Moroccan and foreign have been involved in preserving the language, compiling glossaries and dictionaries, documenting folk stories and proverbs, and analyzing the grammar, phonetics and structure. Some of this Academic work was state-sponsored. "Clubs" interested in Moroccan Darija are mostly online, though events of poerty and theater written in Darija do exist as well.--Ideophagous (talk) 17:53, 23 October 2022 (UTC)[reply]
  • Who (else) supports you?
  1. Individual Moroccans, and foreign language enthusiasts, who support the standardization and writing of Moroccan Darija.--Ideophagous (talk) 17:53, 23 October 2022 (UTC)[reply]
  • What does the public outreach for your edition look like? Do you have flyers, give lectures, training etc.?
  1. Currentlty, not much, but we have regular talks on discord for instance.--Ideophagous (talk) 17:53, 23 October 2022 (UTC)[reply]
  2. Update: Pretty much the discord meeting have stopped as well. There's certainly still much to do to create more contact with the general public.--Ideophagous (talk) 16:18, 12 October 2023 (UTC)[reply]
  • Do you get feedback from readers?
  1. Yes, not all of this is favorable though, especially regarding spelling rules. More work needs to be done in this direction, both in terms of negotiating the rules to reach a satisfying format, and also explaining the, linguistic reasons for certain choices.--Ideophagous (talk) 17:53, 23 October 2022 (UTC)[reply]
  • What other encyclopedias exist in your language?
  1. None, as far as I know.--Ideophagous (talk) 17:53, 23 October 2022 (UTC)[reply]

Content

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  • Does your edition concentrate on certain topics, like your region and language, or Latin Wikipedia on Roman history and Christianity?
  1. In principle, Moroccan Darija Wikipedia a generic encyclopedia, so anyone can write about any topic. But since the vast majority of editors and readers are Moroccan, there's a heavier focus on Morocco-related topics.--Ideophagous (talk) 16:25, 12 October 2023 (UTC)[reply]
  • Did your edition enjoy text donations, for example from older encyclopedias?
  1. Since written texts in Moroccan Darija have historically been limited, there are limited opportunities for such donations.--Ideophagous (talk) 16:25, 12 October 2023 (UTC)[reply]

Language

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  • Is there a generally accepted norm about your language (spelling, dictionary, pronunciation)?
  1. No. There are still debates among linguists about this topic, and many spelling conventions used for writing, whether in literature, dictionaries or social media.--Ideophagous (talk) 16:40, 12 October 2023 (UTC)[reply]
  • How do you deal with different spellings, dialects etc. (like B.E. lift and A.E. elevator)?
  1. We focus on the most important point: information in the articles should be clear and understandable to readers. If variations in spelling or grammar rules or vocabulary do not hinder that, they are tolerated. If not, we either have to come to an agreement (we have a page for grammar/spelling rules the community agreed upon), or we have to explain the variation in a footnote (e.g. an obscure word, neologism, etc). If an official standard appears, the situation might change, provided the community accepts the new standard.--Ideophagous (talk) 16:40, 12 October 2023 (UTC)[reply]

See also

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