British English for Maltese people
As Maltese people move further and further away from even the most basic understanding of nuance and idiom in British English, I’ve been thinking of incorporating into this website a regular notebook on the subject. It might include information on the most frequent mistakes made by Maltese people speaking and writing English and how easy it is to do away with them. They’re always the same mistakes, over and over again, like putting the verb in the wrong place in a statement, as distinct from a question, that includes ‘what’, ‘when’ or ‘where’.
I never learned any grammar and still don’t know any, but that’s an advantage because it means that I can explain things in the way I work them out for myself, in a simple and practical way and without reference to confusing things like subject, object and tenses.
Anyway, it’s an idea. Meanwhile, this has been doing the rounds on the internet for some time and for some inexplicable reason, the TVM website has decided to pick it up and reproduce it.
Incidentally, it is not a jokey thing, but 100% correct. I wonder if TVM knows that.
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Perhaps Mintoff’s intellectual Oxford-stance brilliance knew this very well.
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Beside the humorous element of this screenshot, the subject of English language capabilities in Malta is becoming increasingly an issue.
As Malta internationalises further, both in the business sense with more businesses working overseas or for overseas customers, and in the social sense with more contact with the “outside world” through the Internet and more travelling, people who are only able to perform in Maltese will be marginalised further.
Decisions on much of the inward investment which has been occurring in Malta, and almost certainly more so in the future, are largely being influenced by what is still sold as a country in which English is readily spoken. Will we be able to say the same in 10 years time?
In effect, people who can only speak Maltese will be limited in their employment and social prospects. Bottom line: this effects their pocket.
It is only once children, teenagers, parents and adults alike realize this that things can improve. Unfortunately we have a lost generation with English language capability being low among teachers, and therefore we need to address this problem from various angles. It is an imperative.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/howaboutthat/
Its also mentioned in the telegraph. They think a Dutch company came up with it
Dear Joseph, I say this with the greatest respect: your brave proposals are very interesting and I almost agree with them.
I talk to the locals as though they were naughty children.
It gets results, mostly.
PS When that energy consultant described Labour’s gas power station plan as ‘very ambitious’, they took it as a sign of approval.
Mr Bartolo emphasised that Malta’s “past, present and future” are bilingual. He said that strengthening the English language does not have to come at the expense of the Maltese language.
“It is not the first time that people hide behind the noble excuse and seek refuge in patriotism and flying the national flag.”
http://www.independent.com.mt/articles/2013-09-06/news/english-language-travel-not-just-about-bums-on-seats-evarist-bartolo-2518646785/
I think that for once Evarist Bartolo may have hit the nail on the head. People resisting the use of the English language in street signs, school books, lessons at school, may actually be hiding behind patriotism to avoid using the language.
A famous example?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7HsYZMs8JDU
See, damn it, how Labour has followed what Daphne’s been saying for years, viz. that the ‘tal-pepe’ demographic swings the vote?
You’ll never hear any PN politician speaking this way. They’re only interested in that disgusting lower class Maltese rahli lejla Maltija zghazagh earnestness, along with anecdotes, from the sons of politicians co-opted into power by the British, if you please, about their heart skipping a beat when they saw the Union flag being lowered. Malteseness made flesh.
What a bunch of small-town jerks. Honestly. I’m surprised they ever dreamt up EU membership. They must have thought it was a football mal-leader club or something.