Between standardization and diversity: a critical study of the polynomic approach in planning Amazigh languages in Morocco

Planning Amazigh (Berber) languages in Morocco reveals a significant discrepancy between language ideology and language practice. Ideologically, the Moroccan authorities and the Royal Institute of Amazigh Culture (IRCAM), the official body responsible for planning Amazigh, emphasize the concept of a standardized “Moroccan Amazigh” to foster a homogeneous Moroccan identity that absorbs “Amazighness,” aiming to prevent the ethnic-based politicization of the Amazigh issue. Practically, however, three main Amazigh varieties exist in Morocco. To address this contradiction, IRCAM adopted a “polynomic approach” to language planning, which allegedly aims to “give full rights to plural uses,” modeled after the concept developed in the Corsican context. Upon closer examination, however, the actual planning efforts in Morocco may suggest otherwise, exposing contradictions with the polynomic language ideology. This article examines IRCAM’s planning efforts in three key areas – lexical planning, language teaching, and morphological planning – where the “polynomic approach” is purportedly applied. It analyzes what this “polynomic” planning practically means and entails, as well as how it functions as a mediation for the gap between language ideology and language practice.