This study aims to provide a comprehensive reading of the Algerian linguistic situation as a model of a multilingual society. It describes the components of the Algerian sociolinguistic map and its forms of multilingualism, particularly diglossia and bilingualism; analyzes the concept of Arabization among classical and modern scholars; proposes the model of “Arabization supported by functional multilingualism” as an alternative to unequal bilingualism; and considers comparative experiences in language and development planning. The study adopts a descriptive-analytical approach based on a desk survey and an analysis of sociolinguistic literature addressing the linguistic situation in Algeria and the Arab world. A comparative perspective is also used to consider selected international experiences in language planning. The study shows that the Algerian linguistic scene consists of four major components: Classical Arabic, vernacular Arabic, Amazigh, and French, distributed across different functional domains and forms of linguistic contact. It further shows that bilingualism involving French, unlike the internal functional differentiation between Classical Arabic and vernacular Arabic, constitutes a major challenge to the status of Classical Arabic. The study also demonstrates that neither an entirely exclusionary nor an entirely assimilationist model of Arabization adequately responds to the complexity of the contemporary Algerian linguistic situation. The most appropriate alternative is therefore Arabization supported by functional multilingualism, which strengthens Arabic internally and externally while allowing the selective use of foreign languages as complementary tools rather than alternatives to the national language. The study concludes that the advancement of Arabic in Algeria requires a flexible and integrated language-planning policy that combines the empowerment of Arabic across major institutional domains with recognition of the country's linguistic diversity and a clear distinction between complementary and competitive forms of multilingualism.