For example, Maltese is least used in websites, while English is mainly used in most print media and the internet. Maltese is one of the official languages and is also the national language in the country. Maltese is a Semitic language of the Afro-Asiatic family. The first speakers of the language occupied Malta in the 11th century, and the language developed through the influence of Siculo Arabic, Sicilian, Italian, and French, and currently has many loanwords from these languages.
While English has had little influence on the language, Maltese is increasingly borrowing from English. The language uses the Latin alphabet in writing. Besides its use for official purposes, Maltese is also used in mass media, especially in broadcasting and print media. However, the use of Maltese on the internet is limited. The use of English in Malta grew from the influence of British colonialism. Maltese and English are both used in official government business and education.
This perhaps ensured its survival. With the arrival of the British in , English was introduced and quickly absorbed by the Maltese. Today, a considerable portion of the population prefer to speak English, or were raised as English-speaking primarily.
Both English and Maltese are compulsory academic subjects in schools. Although the vast majority of the population speak English, most prefer to speak Maltese with fellow-countrymen. Even though English is an official language, the language of the people remains Maltese, which is very much part of the Maltese identity and important to most. Take the hassle out of planning your trip to Malta and be an informed traveller! This influence has multiple facets — since ancient times, people crossed from Italy and Sicily to inhabit the island or to trade.
The Romans for example, spent a long while cultivating olive trees and vines. In , Italian was declared the official language by the Knights of St John , and remained so until Every year, a growing number of books are published by a handful of local authors and publishers.
Quality has increased greatly in recent years with a number of Maltese publications winning prestigious international awards. A number of Maltese books have also been translated in foreign languages, such as Pierre J. There are two major literature events in Malta. Both events are held over a span of days and include plenty of activities related to literature.
The exact origins of the Maltese language are difficult to determine. Others argue that the closest form of Semitic language to Maltese is Tunisian. Another popular theory is that Maltese is a Siculo-Arabic an Arabic dialect of Sicily derivative that has continued to evolve undisturbed. What one can easily determine is that the Maltese language today has a definite Semitic platform into which words from English, Italian and French have plugged themselves, making it a hybrid language written in Latin script.
In , a 15th century poem written in Maltese was discovered by two renowned Maltese researchers. The earliest Maltese dictionary was compiled by Agius de Soldanis in — however it was only published in Learning Maltese the proper way can only be achieved by staying in Malta for a while, attending a few courses and practising.
However, there are also some online resources for the traveller who just wants to learn a few quick words to impress while on holiday. Available online resources will only get you as far as learning some commonly used words and expressions such as basic numbers, greetings and simple questions. Here are some good online sources:. For foreigners living in Malta there are courses available every year. All of them start at the very basic, building up vocabulary as they go along and are intended for those who would like to learn how to communicate using the Maltese language in everyday life situations:.
Below is a list of phrases and their pronunciations in English that may be helpful when traveling to Malta and Gozo. Can you take me to the airport please? Where is the nearest bathroom? Feyn qeda ilkamra talbanyu. Where can I get something to eat? Books that help you learn Maltese exist, and here we have listed a selection of popular titles available from Amazon and other sites:. For the tech savvy tourists, there are a couple of apps that can help you articulate yourself around the Maltese language.
Check out these apps for Android and Apple phones and tablets:. Get the best travel tips from Malta Uncovered delivered to you in bite-sized chunks by email.
Unsubscribe at any time! Be ready for some expensive prices though for takeaway and restaurant food. One of the more expensive parts of Malta. Comino — A small middle island nestled between the north and south islands. Has some minor attractions like a chapel and some buildings left over from WW2.
Despite the very widespread prevalence of English, Maltese is still very very widely spoken and read in Malta, being co-taught in schools alongside English. Maltese for example takes prevalence in broadcast media, with the vast majority of TV and radio stations in Malta broadcasting in Maltese, with some in Italian and a few in English. English is the preferred language for books and magazines, and most internet sites in Malta do actually publish in English. The influence of the Italian language is obvious, since Malta lies just south of Italy, and being not far from Sicily, has distinct Sicilian influences.
Around two thirds of the population in Malta can speak Italian, and it was actually the official language of the country from until , when English took over. However, the actual Maltese language can look peculiar in written form, also displaying some clear Arabic influences as well as Italian ones. Here is a good summary of the different influences on Maltese, taken from the video below:.
The spoken dialect can sound very much like Italian to those familiar, with some Arabic and even English bits thrown in there. I remember personally riding on a bus in Malta, listening to the automated messages on the next stop, and briefly thinking I was in Italy, such was the similarity between the Maltese dialect and intonation, and that spoken in Italy.
However, despite sounding similar to Italian at parts, the written language and grammar rules are often very different to standard Italian. See the next section below for some examples of written Maltese — very interesting! See also the interesting video just below for more on how the Maltese language was formed.
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