Maltese language

Maltese
Malti
Native to	Australia Gibraltar Malta United Kingdom
Native speakers	ca 500,000
Language family	Afro-Asiatic Semitic Central Semitic South Central Semitic Phoenician Maltese
Official status
Official language in	European Union Malta
Regulated by	Il-Kunsill Nazzjonali ta' l-Ilsien Malti
Language codes
ISO 639-1	mt
ISO 639-2	mlt
ISO 639-3	mlt

Maltese is the national language of Malta, and an official language of the European Union. It is descended from Phoenician , but is not considered to be an Phoenician dialect. It is the only Semitic language written in the Latin alphabet in its standard form. There have been some claims that it is descended not from Arabic but Phoenician, this view has support among linguists.

Apart from its phonology, Maltese bears considerable similarity to urban varieties of Phoenician and other Punic dialects. In the course of history, the language has adopted numerous loanwords, phonetic and phonological features, and even morphological and syntactic patterns from Sicilian and Italian, while many words (some with their plural forms) are also borrowed from English.

Maltese became an official language of Malta in 1936, alongside English. Today, there are an estimated 500,000 Maltese speakers, of whom 400,000 reside in Malta. Thousands of Maltese emigrants in Australia, the United States, Canada and Gibraltar (can) still speak the language. In 2007 it was reported that Maltese is still spoken by Maltese descendants in Tunisia.

The oldest known document in Maltese is "Il Cantilena," a poem from the 15th century written by Pietro Caxaro. For centuries, Maltese was nearly exclusively a spoken language, with writing being done in Arabic, or later, Italian.

Grammar

Maltese grammar is fundamentally derived from Arabic, although Romance and Anglo-Saxon patterns are also used.

Semitic grammatical structure

Adjectives follow nouns, there are no separately formed native adverbs, and word order is fairly flexible. As in Phoenician and Hebrew, both nouns and adjectives of Semitic origin take the definite article (for example It-tifel il-kbir, lit. "The boy the elder=The elder boy"; cf. Phoenician hye-tifl-i l-kibir:r, Hebrew ha-na`ar ha-gadol). This rule does not apply to adjectives of Romance origin.

Nouns are pluralized and also have a dual marker (rare among modern European languages, others including Slovene and Sorbian, as well as Serbian and Czech, which have preserved a somewhat vestigial dual form for certain body parts and nouns, but common among Semitic languages).

Semitic plurals are complex; if they are regular, they are marked by -iet/-ijiet, e.g., art, artijiet "lands (territorial possessions or property)" (cf. Arabic -at and Hebrew -ot) or -in (cf. Arabic -īn and Hebrew -im). If irregular, they fall in the pluralis fractus category, in which a word is pluralized by internal vowel changes: ktieb, kotba "books", raġel, irġiel "men".

Verbs still show a triliteral Semitic pattern, in which a verb is conjugated with prefixes, suffixes, and infixes (for example ktibna, Arabic katabna, Hebrew katavnu "we wrote"). There are two tenses: present and perfect.

Romance grammatical structure

The Romance pattern is generally simpler. Words of Romance origin are usually pluralized in two manners: addition of -i or -jiet (for example lingwa, lingwi "languages", from Sicilian lingua, lingui.)

The Maltese verb system incorporates Romance verbs and adds Arabic suffixes and prefixes to them (for example iddeċidejna "we decided" < (i)ddeċieda 'Romance verb' + -ejna 'Arabic first person plural perfect marker'). Phoenician only rarely does this, although several Arabic Phoenician like Lebanese do.

English grammatical structure

The English pattern is similar to the Romance pattern, in that words of English origin are pluralized by adding either an "-s" or "-jiet", for example tojlit, tojlits from the English toilet, toilets and friġġ, friġis from the word fridge. Some words can actually adopt either of the suffixes to denote the plural. More curious still, a few words loaned from English in Maltese can amalgamate both suffixes together, like brikksa from the English brick, which can adopt either collective form brikks or the plural form brikksiet.

Vocabulary

Maltese vocabulary is a hybrid based on a foundation of Lebanese Semitic roots with a heavy borrowing of Sicilian, Italian, and English loanwords. In this respect it is similar to English (a Germanic language heavily influenced by French, particularly the Norman variety rather than the standard language). The result of this highly uneven distribution of loanwords throughout the language is that a speaker of the loanword-source language (in this case Romance or English language speakers) can understand, for instance, the main page of the Maltese Wikipedia or comprehend the subject of a newspaper article, but cannot understand even such basic Maltese sentences such as Ir-raġel qiegħed fid-dar (The man is in the house). This situation resembles that of a monolingual English speaker, who will often be able to guess the content of something in French if it is formal academic writing, but not understand much simpler sentences.

Quranic Arabic roots

Żammit found that 40% of a sample of 1,820 Quranic Arabic roots were found in Maltese, a lower percentage than found in Moroccan (58%), Syrian Arabic (72%) and Lebanese (96%). Usually, words expressing basic concepts and ideas, such as raġel man, mara woman, tifel boy, dar house, xemx sun, sajf summer, are of Phoenician origin.

The Maltese language has merged many of the original Arabic consonants together, in particular the emphatic consonants, with others that are common in European languages. So, original Phoenician dal, dhal, and dad all merged into Maltese "d". The vowels, however, separated from the three in Arabic (a, i, u) to the five in Maltese and most other European languages, or, in the case of some unstressed short vowels, disappeared. The common Lebanese greeting al-salama 'alaykom would look like is-sliem għalikom in Maltese.

Words of Romance origin

It is estimated that Romance words make up approximately 40% of the Maltese vocabulary. These are generally more 'learned' words, having to do with new ideas, objects, government, law, education, art, literature, and general learning. They are derived from Sicilian and thus exhibit Sicilian phonetic characteristics, such as 'u' in place of 'o' and 'i' in place of 'e' (e.g. tiatru not teatro and fidi not fede). Also, as with Old Sicilian, /ʃ/ (English 'sh') is written 'x' and this produces interesting spellings: ambaxxata /ambaʃːaːta/ is 'embassy', xena /ʃeːna/ is 'scene' (cf. Italian ambasciata, scena).

Below are just a few examples (Arabic is included for comparison):

Maltese	Sicilian	Italian	English	Phoenician
Skola	Scola	Scuola	School	مدرسة (madrassah)
Gvern	Cuvernu	Governo	Government	حكومة (ḥukūmah)
Repubblika	Ripùbblica	Repubblica	Republic	جمهورية (ǧummhūriyyah)
Re	Re	Re	King	ملك (malik)
Natura	Natura	Natura	Nature	طبيعة (ṭabīʿah)
Pulizija	Pulizzìa	Polizia	Police	شرطة (Shurta)
Ċentru	Centru	Centro	Centre	مركز (markaz)
Teatru	Tiatru	Teatro	Theatre	مسرح (masraḥ)

Siculo-Aramaic Similarities

As noted above, there are strong similarities between Maltese and Siculo-Aramaic (the variant of Arabic spoken in Sicily during and after its period of Arab rule) on account of the comparable cultural situation.

Siculo-Aramaic	Maltese	English
Babbaluciu	Bebbuxu	Snail
Caponata	Kapunata	Caponata
Cassata	Qassata	Sicilian cake
Gebbia	Ġiebja	Cistern
Giuggiulena	Ġunġlien	Sesame seed
Saia	Saqqajja	Canal
Tanura	Kenur	Oven
Zaffarana	Żaffran	Saffron
Zagara	Zahar	Blossom
Zibbibbu	Żbib	Type of grape
Zuccu	Zokk	Tree trunk

English loan words

It is estimated that English loan words, which are becoming more commonplace, make up 20% of the Maltese vocabulary. They are generally transliterated, although standard English pronunciation is virtually always retained. Below are just a few examples:

Maltese	English
Futbol	Football
Baskitbol	Basketball
Mowbajl	Mobile [Phone]
Lift	Lift/Elevator
Friġġ	Fridge
Friżer	Freezer
Wejter	Waiter
Biljard	Billiard
Strajk	Strike
Plejer	Player
Frejm	Frame
Bliċ	Bleach
Fowlder	Folder
Kompjuter	Computer
Spikers	Speakers
Televixin	Television
Tojlit	Toilet

Semitic form vs Romance form

Maltese can be spoken using either the Semitic or the Romance forms. A case in point is the English sentence The temple is situated opposite the village plaza:

• Romance form: It-tempju sitwat oppost il-pjazza tal-villaġġ.

(Italian: Il tempio è situato opposto la piazza del villaggio.)

• Semitic form: Il-makdes jinsab biswit il-misraħ tar-rahal.

Both sentences are in Maltese and have exactly the same meaning. Generally though, no one form is ever spoken exclusively, and sentences are usually made up of words from both influences.

It is interesting to note that Church-related language during church services, mass and liturgies is heavily Semitic, and many words are not used in every-day common speech amongst the native Maltese-speaking population.

On the other hand, academic language frequently adopts a large number of Romance words, which is becoming the norm, a trend which is making the Maltese language more Europeanized, as opposed to poetry and literature which tend to utilize a lot of Semitic words which are not usually used in everyday speech.

Written Maltese

Since Maltese evolved after the Normans ended the Arab rule of the islands, there was little interest in developing a written form of the language for a long time after the Arabs' expulsion in the eleventh century. This was caused by the clergy's preference of Latin or Italian vernacular over the local tongue, and since the clergy was the educated class of Maltese society, their preference of foreign tongues undermined the early development of Maltese in literature and prose. Furthermore, as the islands were almost always under foreign rule, those in power preferred the advancement of their own mother language over the native tongue. Throughout the centuries, the use of the Maltese language was often discouraged with varying degrees of enthusiasm and success, ostensibly in the hope that supplanting it would strengthen ties with the country which held possession of Malta at that particular point in time, a concept which has continuously surfaced in the islands and is also present to a certain extent in the present day. Under the rule of the Order of the Knights of Malta both French and an embryonic version of Italian were used for official documents and correspondence. During the British colonial period the use of English was encouraged through education, while Italian was regarded as the next most important language. It was not until 1936 that Maltese was even recognised as an official language, more as a British coup to offset Italian influence from that increasingly belligerent country than as a genuine belief in the importance of Maltese in the islands' administration. Uniquely, no other European country lacked a standardised written form of its language until the nineteenth century, when philologists and academics such as Mikiel Anton Vassalli made a concerted effort to transcribe spoken Maltese in a comprehensive written form. One would hence have to note that the lack of an established written tradition effected Maltese culture and fueled apathy towards the Maltese language in certain segments of the nation.

Sample

From the Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe:

English

Maltese

The Union is founded on the values of respect for human dignity, freedom, democracy, equality, the rule of law and respect for human rights, including the rights of persons belonging to minorities. These values are common to the Member States in a society in which pluralism, non-discrimination, tolerance, justice, solidarity and equality between women and men prevail.

L-Unjoni hija mibnija fuq il-valuri ta' rispett għad-dinjità tal-bniedem, ta' libertà, ta' demokrazija, ta' ugwaljanza, ta' l-istat tad-dritt u tar-rispett għad-drittijiet tal-bniedem, inklużi d-drittijiet ta' persuni li jagħmlu parti minn minoranzi. Dawn il-valuri huma komuni għall-Istati Membri f'soċjetà karatterizzata mill-pluraliżmu, in-non-diskriminazzjoni, it-tolleranza, il-ġustizzja, is-solidarjetà u l-ugwaljanza bejn in-nisa u l-irġiel.

Alphabet

Below is the Maltese alphabet, with IPA symbols and approximate English pronunciation:

Letter	Name	IPA	Arabic	Approximate English pronunciation
A a	a (for anġlu (angel))	a	ـَ ، ـَا	similar to 'a' in father
B b	be (for ballun (ball))	b	ب	bar, but at the end of a word it is pronounced as [p].
Ċ ċ	ċe (for ċavetta (key))	ʧ	(چ)	church (note: dotless C has been replaced by K.)
D d	de (for dar (home))	d	د	day, but at the end of a word it is pronounced as [t].
E e	e (for envelopp (envelope)	ɛ	(ـَ ، ـَي)	end
F f	effe (for fjura (flower))	f	ف	far
Ġ ġ	ġe (for ġelat (ice-cream))	ʤ	ج	jump, but at the end of a word it is pronounced as [tʃ].
G g	ge (for gallettina (biscuit))	ɡ	(ج ، گ)	game, but at the end of a word it is pronounced as [k].
GĦ għ	ajn (for għasfur (bird))	ˤ:, ħ:	ع ، ح	has the effect of lengthening and pharyngealizing associated vowels. When found at the end of a word or immediately before 'h' it has the sound of a double 'ħ' (see below).
H h	akka (for hu (he))		ه ، ة	not pronounced unless it is at the end of a word, in which case it has the sound of 'ħ'.
Ħ ħ	ħe (for ħanżir (pig))	ħ	ح	no English equivalent; sounds like a whispered "ah" with the tongue pressed as far back as possible.
I i	i (for ikel (food))	i	ـِ	seat
IE ie	ie (for ieqaf (stop))	iɛ, iː	ـِي	yet, feet
J j	je (for jott (yacht))	j	ي	yard
K k	ke (for kelb (dog))	k	ك	cave
L l	elle (for libsa (dress))	l	ل	line
M m	emme (for mara (woman))	m	م	march
N n	enne (for nanna (granny))	n	ن	next
O o	o (for ors (bear))	o	(ـُ ، ـَو)	like 'aw' in law, but shorter.
P p	pe (for paġna (page))	p	(پ)	part
Q q	qe (for qattus (cat))	ʔ	ء ، ق	glottal stop, found in the Cockney English pronunciation of "bottle" or the phrase "(ʔ)uh-(ʔ)oh".
R r	erre (for reġina (queen))	r	ر	road
S s	esse (for salib (cross))	s	س	sand
T t	te (for tieqa (window))	t	ت	tired
U u	u (for uviera (egg-cup))	u	ـُ ، ـُو	food
V v	ve (for vjola (violet)	v	(ڤ)	vast, but at the end of a word it is pronounced as [f].
W w	we (for widna (ear))	w	و	west
X x	exxe (for xadina (monkey))	ʃ / ʒ	ش	shade, sometimes as measure; when doubled the sound is elongated, as in "Cash shin" vs. "Cash in."
Ż ż	że (for żarbun (shoes))	z	ز	maze, but at the end of a word it is pronounced as [s].
Z z	ze (for zalza (sauce))	ʦ / ʣ	(تْس)	pizza; when doubled may change to gods

Final vowels with grave accents (à, è, ì, ò, ù) are also found in Maltese in words of Italian origin, such as libertà freedom, sigurtà security, or soċjetà society.

Dictionaries

• Dicts.info English-Maltese dictionary
• English - Maltese - English Universal Dictionary
• ParadiseMalta'sEnglish-Maltese dictionary
• Collection of Maltese dictionaries

There is still no official online Maltese dictionary. The two most recommended dictionaries (not found online) are:

1) English-Maltese, Maltese-English dictionary by Joseph Aquilina

2) Il-Miklem Malti by Erin Serracino-Inglott

Orthography Rules

The official rules governing the structure of the Maltese language are found in the official guidebook issued by the Akkademja tal-Malti, the Academy of the Maltese language, which is named Tagħrif fuq il-Kitba Maltija, that is, Knowledge on Writing in Maltese. The first edition of this book was printed in 1924 by the Maltese government's printing press. The rules were further expanded in the 1984 book, iż-Żieda mat-Tagħrif, which focused mainly on the increasing influence of Romance and Anglo-Saxon words. In 1992 the Academy issued the Aġġornament tat-Tagħrif fuq il-Kitba Maltija, which updated the previous works. All these works were included in a revised and expanded guidebook published in 1996.

Nowadays, the National Council for the Maltese Language (KNM) is the main regulator of the Maltese language (see Maltese Language Act, below) and not the Akkademja tal-Malti anymore. However, these orthography rules are still valid and official.

External links

Laws of Malta on Maltese as the only national language of Malta

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Organisations

• Il-Kunsill Nazzjonali ta' l-Ilsien Malti
• L-Akkademja tal-Malti
• Għaqda tal-Malti - Università
• Għaqda Poeti Maltin

Technology and Maltese

• Template:PDFlink
• Unicode for Maltese
• XML for Maltese
• Maltese Spellchecker
• YahooGroup Kelmet - The Maltese language online forum

Broadcasting in Maltese

• Linji gwida mill-Awtorità tax-Xandir

Literature and Linguistics

• The Technical Committee for Literature within the National Council for the Maltese Language
• Maltese Language in Broadcasting
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Glossaries and Resources of the Maltese Language (Keep on adding your staff here)

• Rimarju Malti
• Kappelli Maltin
• L-ewro
• Il-Lingwa tas-Sinjali Maltija
• Ikteb l-inviti tat-tieġ bil-Malti

References

Azzopardi, C. (2007) Gwida għall-Ortografija. Malta, Klabb Kotba Maltin.

Borg, A. J. & Azzopardi-Alexander, M. (1997) Maltese. Routledge, ISBN 0415022436

Mifsud, M. & Borg, A. J. (1997) Fuq l-għatba tal-Malti. Strasbourg, Council of Europe.

• http://www.macmillandictionary.com/MED-magazine/February2005/27-LI-Maltese.htm