According to infoplease.com there 6500 languages spoken throughout the world. In the Algeria, the number of languages spoken drops to a handful. Officially, the national language of Algeria is Arabic and is spoken by almost the entire population. The news comes printed in Arabic, restaurants print their menus in Arabic and school is taught in Arabic so for families that aren't natural Arabic speakers, the language is picked up simply by living in the area and also by pursuing an education (Languages). Besides Arabic, Algerians also speak a language referred to as Berber. As of 2002, Berber was also put into the category of Algeria's national language along with Arabic. More recently, on February 6th, 2016 a vote was put up regarding Berber. The bill, which has now received a passing vote, will make Berber an official language of Algeria. This mean that it will appear, along with Arabic, on administrative documents (BBC). This was a power move by the Algerian Government. The language barrier can be the most difficult obstacle to overcome when moving to a new area. It is hard enough trying to find the way from one place to another in an unfamiliar territory but not being able to read road signs, or really any signs for that matter, makes the task one hundred time more difficult. Those that come in speaking only Berber will now feel more comfortable and at home seeing their native language around them.
Algeria did not only win gain its independence back in 1962, that year also marks the occasion of another big event in the countries history. On the 8th of November, 1962 Algeria was admmited into the United Nations. The United Nations, as you hopefully already know, is a group consisting of 193 countries around the world all committed to co-existing peacefully and achieving prosperity for all (UN). Being a new, young country, joining the United Nations so quickly after gaining independence was a smart choice. When trying to build up infrastructre, public health, defense, and an economy the United Nations would be the best place to seek help and guidance considering almost all of the world powers are members of the group.
Besides from joining the United Nations, Algeria has been on the ball for becoming part of the connected world. Although not a full member of the International Monetary Fund, Algeria has accepted their terms and completed the tasks required for membership. Once accepted, Algeria will belong to a group of 188 countries dedicated to create a global economy that promotes world trade while growing each member's economic wealth and works to prevent recessions (IMF). Again, Algeria made a very intelligent move getting involved in the IMF early in its short history. Establishing a solid economy that a young nation can grow on is vitally important to growth and its success in the future. Currently, the World Trade Organization is in the final stage of admiting Algeria. Once the Draft Working Party Report is approved by the General Council, Algeria will be full members. Belonging to the largest trading organiziation on the planet can be nothing but good for a rising nation (WTO). It seems that Algeria has been taking all the correct steps towards healthy growth. Only time will tell how it handles the bumps along the road.
Written by Tom Sanders
Bibliography
http://www.infoplease.com/askeds/many-spoken-languages.html
http://www.algeria.com/languages/ (Languages)
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-35515769 (BBC)
http://www.un.org/en/index.html (UN)
http://www.imf.org/external/np/sec/memdir/members.aspx#3 (IMF)
https://www.wto.org/english/thewto_e/acc_e/a1_algerie_e.htm (WTO)
http://www.visualphotos.com/photo/1x9961822/road-sign-pointing-to-algerian-frontier-on-desert-road-near-chebika-tunisia.jpg (Picture)
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