In Australia they have this law which prohibits television and radio hosts from using American pronunciation on English vocabulary whilst they’re on air. This is of course done to preserve the Australian language from foreign influence namely American. Often it has to do with the “a” vowel, for example the word “Plant” should be exactly that and not “Plent” or “Chance” instead of “Chens” or “Cens” (as my name Vincent is pronounced in Maltese). So perhaps a more appropriate referendum question would therefore be, should television and radio presenters when speaking in Maltese be permitted to use anglicized vocabulary? After all, we’re often all influenced by the media at some stage or other.

The question(s) could be worded as such:

Is the Maltese language in danger of extinction? Are we, (advertently or inadvertently) choosing to communicate in a foreign language purely for the sake of convenience or perhaps, superiority? And could the benefits of such persistent use of the English possibly undermine, sabotage or even threaten a unity which can only be discerned through our cultural pride?

Who knows, perhaps it could one day be the question(s) that could give rise to the Pro-Maltese Maltese movement… but than again, for those that may oppose it, it could also be scrutinized as the movement of the Maltese with the chip on their shoulder!

(Daphne – This is an interesting debate, but referendums are not glorified opinion polls. They are decision-taking mechanisms. So in a referendum there is just one question, and it’s about a decision not an opinion. A referendum question would be ‘Should Maltese cease to be the national language of Malta? Yes (Box for tick) or No (box for tick). ‘Is Maltese in danger of extinction?’ is not a referendum question.)

Unbeknown to you, there is immense unity amongst the Aboriginal communities where great care is now given towards the preservation of the many number of surviving Aboriginal dialects. Aboriginal written language is still being mastered by the Aboriginal people which makes its use rather awkward in a developed country such as Australia. I would however support the Aboriginal community in making the language more accessible and it to be introduced within our schools. This plan is still in its infancy and I have no doubt that it will become reality one day; but will the non-Aboriginal citizens support such a language particularly when the English tongue has been practiced here for so many generations? Only time will tell! But for you to make a comparison between an ancient language (Aboriginal) which is still in its evolutionary stages therefore incapable of success in today’s era of education/commerce etc… with another language (Maltese) that has been established, recognised and practiced by the entire nation for more than two millennia is ludicrous. The Aboriginal languages/dialects are an estimated 700 and there still is no principal or universal Aboriginal language one at present. Your first paragraph has therefore been addressed. You raised a good point, but based on the circumstances its relevance is not conclusive!

Also, perhaps unbeknown to you, I live in an Australian city (located South, where it’s too cold for Aboriginals to inhabit) which became an English settlement after the English had colonized it somewhere around 1788. This country is governed under Australian rule and the language practiced at the time I arrived was English although as more Australian people prefer to call it “The Australian language”. And indeed it is, I doubt that any person from a foreign country would be able to read true Australian literature and successfully manage to understand its content without an Australian dictionary. The point I’m here making is that Australia has it’s own language, but the alternative (being the Aboriginal one) is currently inadequate in its structure and falls short of much used and needed terminology. Besides, the highest cultural population in Australia is the English and their descendants. Although Malta has had a number of overseas influences, to my knowledge, the land is occupied by a majority of Maltese of Phoenician and Carthaginian descent and not of Anglo-Saxon extraction.

Furthermore, having traveled to a few countries (namely the French, Italian, Greek and most Asian ones), I have never seen citizens who make continuous English references in their language like the Maltese. Understandably, they’re not all trying to be pretentious, but they’re also showing ignorance as well as a lack of ability towards their natural mother tongue. Australia has a huge diversity of cultures and I assure you that to the Greeks, the Greek language is superior, to the Italians, the Italian one and to the English, American and Australian, the English. I wish I could say the same of the Maltese who persist in bastardizing their language. Have we no pride? “What a confused nation”! was what an Australian friend of mine once exclaimed after being to Malta and noticing the incredible amount of English influences on Television, the media and the general public. And yes, he had a lot of lovely things to say about our hospitality and the things that we know us Maltese are good at, but cultural affection within our verbal communication was here reported as lacking. He was also an avid supporter of Joe Bjelke-Peterson of the former Nationalist party leaders (if that should at all be relevant). Do I think Maltese are confused? Perhaps, a little, so much discourse and journalism is done in English that we casually start using the English (instead of Maltese)for words which we can’t think of at the time instead of making an honest or thorough effort.

I would have thought that Nationalism was exactly that, a support for what is Nationalistic, culture and language being amongst the chief topics. Being a teacher and having a natural love for education, I view my interest about all that I have submitted so far as passionate, and to suggest that any of what I have had to say is a revelation of having a chip on my shoulder only reflects that perhaps you may be the one with a chip on your shoulder concerning the Maltese language and its right to its superiority amongst the languages within our homeland. Maybe I may need to relax a little, but certainly there’s no chip I’m aware of.

One other thing, my use of the Eurovision example was only inserted as a basic example (so as not to make a huge political case of anything) of how under the current leadership, positive influences from abroad are helping shape our music industry and that Malta’s contributions have increased significantly since 1991. In addition, music remains one of the most recognized and powerful tools available in demonstrating to the world that we have the technology and talent to contribute to the common good. Music is one of the few topics that is proclaimed by both the educated and the minimally educated, is a source of communication, does not discriminate in terms of race or culture and appreciated by young and old alike. Perhaps you should have also noted that I made absolutely no mention of Mintoff’s past successes so as not to appear a Labourist, which I might add is a party that probably to your greatest surprise, I haven’t voted for in almost 20 years.

In conclusion, if the majority of Maltese were given an opportunity to debate this topic within an acceptable period of time, and after all relevant matters were presented, and a referendum was taken and even than, perhaps the concept would thus be rejected, or you, Amanda Mallia, were to explain to me the significance and necessity of such persistent English use within our culture, I assure you, than, like you, I would rest my case.

Nobody called English people superior in any way, less so English-spekaing ones. With a chip as big as the one you appear to have on your shoulder, I’m surprised that you have not disappeared into the Australian outback.

As for your comment that Mintoff was “an exceptional leader” – especially the fact that you chose to pass it in tandem with one about the Eurovision Song Contest, of all things – only shows, Mr Difesa, that there is an enormous cultural gap between us. Any further attempt at discussion with you would thus only fall on deaf ears, so I rest my case.

I however do not or cannot understand what relevance political standing has with patriotism and my suggestion that we put a halt to this anglicized division within our community. Living in Australia has taught me that the Anglo Saxon culture is indeed an exceptional race of thinkers with an immense understanding of science and law (to name a few). A race which holds some of the most recognized universities world wide. They are also some of the greatest contributors towards technological developments, a race which I truly respect and admire.

We share a world where we need them and it seems that they need us since we often see them on Maltese shores. A perfectly co-habitable planet we live on indeed! Whether we do or don’t (need them) doesn’t alter the fact that they walk on two legs, like us, bleed red, like us and are equal, like us. One of the main differences is that no matter which political party they belong to, they choose to speak and write in their mother tongue. This is the same for all other cultures, except the Maltese. I believe that political motivation should have no bearing on one’s heritage just like political motivation should have no bearing on, for example a child’s right to education.

My political convictions are probably not typically Maltese. I admit that Mintoff was an exceptional leader, but will equally admit that for example under the NP leadership, Malta’s place in the Eurovision song contest has escalated (I realize that to most that may be insignificant to the point of shallow) but to a musician like me, that carries a lot of magnitude. I have seen your current prime minister on a number of television interviews and I also confess that if I lived in Malta, he would have my support. In my opinion, an undoubtedly profound and well educated man with a highly professional disposition, even more so than Dr. Zammit. I honestly fail to see why having pride in our language and its use in the media is “Labour-oozing”. I support political diversity and respect other’s opinion without the need to classify them as belonging to a particular party.

The Maltese words posted under my name in the comment in question were merely quoted verbatim from a newspaper, the link to which was posted immediately beneath such quote.

As for your Labour-oozing comment regarding the use of English vs Maltese on this blog, well, I’d rather ignore it.

If you’d prefer to read /post comments on a blog in Maltese, then there are quite a few to where you may migrate.

It seems that your article has generated quite a bit of controversy and if I may get straight to the point, I found your conclusions concerning Dr. Zammit quite intrusive and distasteful. No doubt, Mr. Zammit seems to have a rather annoying streak of narcissism which I’m sure many innocent citizens have been subjected to or even worse traumatized by and I feel that it would be most beneficial for him to address this issue professionally considering his high political profile and medical prowess. But then again, narcissism is a condition that affects many, including some journalists.

I would suggest to you, that perhaps in future you need to exercise better judgment in cases of a similar nature and remember that Mr. Zammit and others deserve their right to privacy in such matters. You alleged that everyone knows he’s gay, pardon me, I didn’t! Neither did some of my extended family who live in Malta including those who support the current prime-minister (which I might add seems like an excellent NP choice and one who shows some strong political talent). You see, like Joseph Chetcuti (a contributor to this column), I believe that we should still respect those who don’t share our political convictions instead of allowing a primitive thought process to give rise to sensationalism and unnecessary, trashy gossip. I do however respect your democratic right to free speech.

I would further like to add that I don’t understand this pathological desire which my fellow Maltese seem to have when it comes to writing and communicating in English, a language that is shared by most countries on the globe yet no culture other than the English speaking countries themselves use it to the extent that we Maltese do. Is this our way of self-gratification? I mean so we can appear more sophisticated? Taparsi edukati, puliti, jew tal-pepe? I mean, shouldn’t we really endeavor to master our own language skills at least to the point of being equal to that of a foreign one? I feel that we need to take a good look at ourselves and learn to stand proud of our culture and heritage which is strongly connected to the Maltese language. We really need to join in solidarity so that our language is cultivated and practiced amongst not just ourselves but also amongst many generations to come. Perhaps an article on this topic or a similar one would be more characteristic of the responsibilities a journalist has towards his/her readers.

You again jump to conclusions. I left Malta in 1965, as a 17 year old. Mintoff was not yet Prime Minister. I was also a member of the MUSEUM and I spent many hours in many churches praying for the relection of Borg Olivier. My father was night editor of Il-Berqa (Mabel’s paper). My mother and her family with one or two exceptions were all pro-NP.

Mintoff is a former prime minister and a statesman and should be shown due respect as we should show respect towards all former prime ministers and presidents whatever their political background. They can be criticised respectfully and I hope I do so in my forthcoming book which you will no doubt find some full stop or comma or an imagined grammatical error to criticize but between you and me I do not give a brass rasoo.

For your information, in Australia, I have voted for all major and one political party. Federally, I prefer the Conservatives. Statewise, I prefer Labour. Council wise, I prefer the Greens. Without bragging, someone with an MA Hons in Politicial Science from an overseas university is unlikely to be so politically naive as to think that any one party has all the answers. There is such a thing as a “party convergence thesis” if you ever heard of it.

And for the record, when I published my last book, it was the NP that first approached me. In-Nazzjon dedicated three pages to the book. It was the best newspaper coverage I received. The MLP was slow to come on board but eventually also gave excellent coverage of the book. There are good people on both sides of politics. I admired Alfred Sant. And there are good people in the Church too notwithstanding my reputation for being anti-clerical.

Let me be blunt. You graduated in archaeology, not journalism. Your articles dig dirt (real or imagined). My concerns about what you write are as follows:

(a) You are intolerant and have a deep and some might argue pathological hatred of the MLP;
(b) You are intolerant of others’ sexuality (and having gay friends means nothing) and if they happen to be gay, you call them names and accuse them of using “rent boys” (if they do, it is their own business provided these “rent boys” are not under age or being exploited); and
(c) You try to make yourself look good by putting down others.

(For the record, no, I do not use rent boys but I respect the right of others to use their own money as they think fit.)

At your age (44), you should be excelling in journalism instead of writing this offensive rubbish. Mind you, you do raise good points but these are lost in your hatred of almost anything you do not agree with. Perhaps you should take your cue from people like Charles Arrigo. I can tell you I did not agree with him on a number of issues but he was a gentleman. A Maltese who gave journalism a good name.

You may think of yourself as one of the “puliti” but really you behave more like a hamalla. And I would have thought a liberated woman like you who no doubt has burnt her bra (or am I wrong?) would have kept her maiden surname. But then Caruana Galizia sounds so much better than Vella.

Many happy returns on your birthday a few days ago. By the way, there were four evangelists: Matthew, Mark, Luke and John (not three!). Naming children is such a dangerous business.

I think it is you who should “zip [her] mouth”, not Anthony Zammit MP. You owe Anthony Zammit MP an apology. You give the NP a bad name.

Joseph Carmel Chetcuti

[Daphne – At 60 years old and after 43 years in Australia, I’m afraid to say that you are still as parochial, petty and small-minded as you must have been in the days you went to the 1960s version of Il-Muzew. It’s amazing, you can take the horse to water, but you really can’t make him drink. And actually, I would have loved to have kept my maiden surname, not least because the family I come from has been far more distinguished and for very much longer than my husband’s. But unfortunately, that was not an option when I married in 1985, because women, like gay men, were severely discriminated against. It was not the Labour Party which introduced that option, incidentally. Oh and by the way, my sons are not named after the evangelists. Whatever your chip might possibly be, I would think that at 60, it’s high time you relaxed a little and shed that anger.]