The Linguistic Representations of the Moroccan Outstretched Hand Policy in Diplomatic Relations with Algeria in Light of Fairclough’s Model

Abstract

Morocco and Algeria have shared a long historical relationship of honest fraternity and friendship; however, there have been times when this comradery has resembled the brotherhood of Cain and Abel, fraught with tensions and characterized by tragic turning points. Throughout the history of the countries’ interaction, particularly at the level of diplomacy as well as military, official political speeches of Morocco-Algeria political representatives always reflect subliminal ideologies that can be revealed within a critically systematic scrutiny of a political discourse, relying on a solid theoretical framework. Such methodological examination enables the study to create a logical link between the linguistic properties used by those politicians and some social and geopolitical consequences. In pursuit of this, this paper examines the linguistic choices used by King Mohamed VI in approaching Algeria diplomatically, specifically those mirroring the Moroccan monarch's policy of ‘outstretched hand.’. The samples to be put under scrutiny are chosen based on a simple purposive sampling, and they will be analyzed in accordance with Fairclough’s three-dimensional model. Not only do the findings show consistent lexical choices made expressible by the Moroccan king, but they also reveal a register of words that is characterized by a tone of fraternity. Over and beyond, this call for unity and reconciliation exhibits a ubiquitous continuity, pointing the speeches toward the use of symbolism, metaphors, and references to bond the Moroccan-Algerian connection so rigidly. On the other hand, unexpectedly, the Algerian state has abstained from the Moroccan initiative. 

Keywords: Linguistic Representations, the King Mohamed VI, Morocco, Algeria, the Outstretched Hand Policy, and Fairclough’s Three Dimensional Model.