Yes that’s exactly what I’m saying. Even I grew up speaking Maltese, at home. I still do actually. But how many people of our generation pretend they can’t speak Maltese – so they appear “high class”?

@Dominic Fenech – I am assuming you totally misunderstood me.

My own linguistic situation somewhat mirrors yours with the exception that I’m single. My profession and hence my career depend wholly on the English language. Maltese is totally inadequate in medical terminology and let’s face reality – it will not become an international business language anytime soon.

Factor in a multinational as my employer, and I find that English is much easier to use on a continuous basis while it slowly but surely replaced my parents’ mother tongue.

I wonder how many have succumbed to this global trend in linguistics.

@Daphne – Although, I cannot claim a (recent at least) background from the “elite” classes, I’m pretty much in agreement with what you have written.

However, I am also well aware that this behaviour has infected a certain “high class” demographic. Look around and you will see that this is true of the “high class” which has lost its money and assets over the last two generations. I concede that the numbers aren’t prevalent but that pertinent phrase comes to mind “over enough time, money is the great equalizer”.

More details, please.

Din min hi din l-antipatika?

Funny that you mention it. My wife and I were discussing this only last week. I grew up in a Maltese speaking household in that my parents almost invariably spoke/speak to each other in Maltese. My grandparents never spoke to each other in English, and my paternal grandparents were more likely to use Italian then English. It’s the same with my wife.

However we are the first generation of both families who speak almost exclusively in English at home. It’s the same with our friends.

“These people now believe they are the new untouchables……wheels within wheels.”

As opposed to the old untouchables who all were upright gentlemen, god-fearing chaps all of them?

This stuff happened in those days as well, it just wasn’t publicised and in your face as today, that’s all. To believe otherwise means that you think this current crop introduced all the bad thngs in Malta!

Just log onto adultfinder.com and see how many of them you can find…. shouldn’t be to difficult….

Frank, this is far from an obsession. You wouldn’t beleive how deep rooted this is and how far these people go to protect each other. Here we are talking about computers being hacked, GPS’s on cars, movements being traced, etc. Yes, it crosses party lines and even different levels of society. These people now believe they are the new untouchables……wheels within wheels.