Algeria - Algérie - الجزائر (DZ)

1. Language information / Données sur les langues

1.1 Languages spoken / Langues parlées/ áÛÇÊ ãÊßáøãÉ

a) Official / Officielle(s) :

Standard Arabic as stipulated in the constitution. (French has no official status, but is still extensively used in administration and bureaucracy despite numerous efforts to shift these to Arabic. Berber's status is officially as below.) (Aménagement linguistique)

b) National, indigenous / Nationale(s), indigène(s) :

Tamazight/Berber (officially considered "national" following the constitutional amendment of May 8, 2002.) It is to be taught in all schools starting September 2005. For educational purposes, it is divided into Kabyle, Chaouia, Chenoua, Mzabi, and Tuareg; smaller dialects (such as the Zenati varieties of Touat and Tidikelt) are not so far considered.

Algerian Arabic - has no official status, but is overwhelmingly the dominant language of oral communication in most of the country, and is generally learned as a second language by speakers of other languages.

Korandje - a heavily Berberized Songhay language spoken only at a single small oasis near the Moroccan border, on the old caravan route from Timbuktu to Sijilmassa.

Ethnologue lists 18 languages at http://www.ethnologue.com/show_country.asp?name=DZ

c) Relevant pages in the Major Languages section of this report / Pages appropriées dans la section de ce rapport sur les Langues principales :

Arabic, Berber

1.2 Language policy / Politique de langue/ ÓíÇÓÉ ÇááøÛÉ

a) Laws/legislation / Lois/législation :

The site L'aménagement linguistique dans le monde has a page on Algeria at http://www.tlfq.ulaval.ca/axl/afrique/algerie.htm

b) Agencies / Agences :

c) Languages in education/literacy / Langues dans l'éducation/l'alphabétisation :

UNDP (2006) gives a literacy figure (without reference to which language[s]) of: 69.9%

1.3 Writing in national/indigenous languages / Ecriture en langues nationales/indigènes

a) Orthographies / Orthographes :

Arabic is of course written in the Arabic script. The Berber languages can be written in a modified Latin script, the Arabic script, or in Tifinagh.

b) Print publications / Editions imprimées :

The principal languages of print publications are standard Arabic and French (in nearly equal proportions.) Berber publications, generally in Kabyle in the Latin script, are increasing (including a novel and several poetry collections, as well as a grammar and textbooks), but remain relatively minor so far, with most Berber authors using French or more rarely Arabic. Dialectal Arabic is marginal, though used in some plays and in collections of popular poetry or lyrics; no significant movement to extend its use exists. (Aménagement linguistique)

1.4 Other comments / Autre commentaire/ ÊÚáíÞÇÊ ÇÎÑì

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2. ICT situation / Situation des TIC

2.1 Infrastructure / Infrastructure

a) Telephones / Téléphones :

• Fixed lines:
  • Telephone mainlines per 1000 people, 61 (APC)
  • Telephones - main lines in use: 2.572 million (2005) (CIA)
• Mobile subscriptions:
  • 1,447,000 (4.6/100 people) (ITU 2004 cited in Vodafone 2005)
  • Telephones - mobile cellular: 13.661 million (2005) (CIA)
  • GSM companies & coverage : http://www.gsmworld.com/roaming/gsminfo/cou_dz.shtml

b) Radio stations / Stations de radio :

Radio broadcast stations: AM 25, FM 1, shortwave 8 (1999) (CIA)

c) Connectivity / Connectivité :

• International internet bandwidth / Bande passante internationale d'internet :
• ISPs / FSI : 30 (2005) (Wikipedia)
• Internet hosts : 1,202 (2006) (CIA)
• Geographic coverage / Couverture géographique :

2.2 Computer & internet access / Accès aux ordinateurs et à l'internet

a) Computers & points of access / Ordinateurs et lieux d'accès :

• Number of computers / Nombre d'ordinateurs: 7.1 per 1000 people (APC)
• Cybercafés / Cybercafés:
• Project telecentres / Télécentres de projets:

b) Internet / Internet :

• Dial-up subscribers / Abonnés par ligne téléphonique :
• Internet users / Utilisateurs de l'internet : 1,920,000 internet users as of Sept/06, 5.7% of the population, per ITU (Internet World Stats)

c) Other / Autre :

• Digital Opportunity Index (DOI): 0.39 (ITU 2006)

2.3 ICT policy / Politique de TIC

The APC page, "ICT Policy in Algeria" has information and links:

• In English: http://rights.apc.org/africa/en.shtml?apc=s21803e_1
• En français: http://afrique.droits.apc.org/index.shtml?apc=s21803e_1

Information on Algeria's NICI (National Information and Communications Infrastructure) policy is available at http://www.uneca.org/aisi/nici/Algeria/algeria.htm & http://www.uneca.org/aisi/nici/country_profiles/Algeria/algerab.htm

"DOT-COM Activity: Assisting the Internet in Algeria"

• Funder(s): Internews Network, US Department of State, USAID/EGAT/IT
• Short Description: Stakeholder consultations are being held to discuss specific policies that can increase affordable Internet access. A national Internet strategy will be developed as a result of these consultations. The Algerian Government will be assisted in using this strategy as part of its presentation at the World Symposium for the Information Society (WSIS 2) in November 2005.
• Start date: December 20, 2004 End Date: December 31, 2005
• http://www.dot-com-alliance.org/activities/activitydetails.php?activity_id=88

2.4 ICT4D/E & ICT training / TIC pour le développement/éducation, et formation en TIC

The Ministry of Education has apparently been pursuing a program of equipping schools with computers and internet access. (WikiEducator)

2.5 Resources / Ressources

ICT info http://www.emich.edu/ict_usa/ALGERIA.htm

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3. Localisation situation / Situation de localisation

3.1 Country web content / Contenu web du pays

3.2 Web content in indigenous languages / Contenu web en langues indigènes

(See also specific language pages.)

3.3 Software localisation / Localisation de logiciel

(See also specific language pages.)

3.4 Projects & organisations / Projets et organisations

3.5 Localisation policy / Politique de localisation

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4. References / Références

APC, "ICT Policy in Algeria" Africa ICT Policy Monitor, http://rights.apc.org/africa/en.shtml?apc=s21803e_1 ("Politiques de TIC en/au Algérie," Observatoire des politiques des TIC en Afrique, http://afrique.droits.apc.org/index.shtml?apc=s21803e_1

International Telecommunications Union (ITU). 2006. World Information Society Report 2006. Geneva: ITU. http://www.itu.int/osg/spu/publications/worldinformationsociety/2006/wisr-web.pdf

______. 2004. African Telecommunication Indicators 2004. Geneva: ITU.

Internet World Stats: Africa. 2007. http://internetworldstats.com/africa.htm

Leclerc, Jacques. L'aménagement linguistique dans le monde, "Algérie," http://www.tlfq.ulaval.ca/axl/afrique/algerie.htm

SIL International, Ethnologue: Languages of the World, "Languages of Algeria," http://www.ethnologue.com/show_country.asp?name=DZ

Souag, Lameen, "Writing Berber Languages," http://www.geocities.com/lameens/tifinagh

UNDP. 2006. ''Beyond scarcity: Power, poverty and the global water crisis. Human Development Report 2006.'' New York: United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). [Human development index Adult literacy rate (% ages 15 and older) (HDI) http://hdr.undp.org/hdr2006/statistics/indicators/3.html ]

U.S. Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), "The World Factbook: Algeria," https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/ag.html

Vodafone. 2005. "Africa: The Impact of Mobile Phones." The Vodafone Policy Paper Series, Number 3, March 2005. http://www.vodafone.com/assets/files/en/GPP%20SIM%20paper.pdf

WikiEducator, "ICT4Africa/Country Report Algeria," http://www.wikieducator.org/ICT4Africa/Country_Report_Algeria

Wikipedia, "Algeria," http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Algeria

______, "Algérie," http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Algérie

______, "Communications in Algeria," http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Communications_in_Algeria

______, "Languages of Algeria," http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Languages_of_Algeria

______, "Langues d'Algérie," http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Langues_d'Algérie

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