Amazing… they’ve added a new letter to our alphabet!

Since when did we have the letter “c” in Maltese?

I’m no expert on etymology, but I’d love a form of Maltese that brings about a bit of awe and wonder. ‘Nar’ in Turkish means ‘pomegranate.’ In my mind, when I hear that, I think of what is said in Malta: that the pomegranate matures when the first strikes of lightening occur in the late summer/ early autumn. Every time I use the word ‘nar,’ the association comes to mind.

In Gozo, I’ve heard: “Ejja farka fejna” in the place of the Maltese practice “Ejja naqra hdejna”. In old Gozitan I’ve heard “Oqghod baxx (pronounced okod baxx),” for sit down, and “Ghandi ghuma (pronounced with a hard h huma, I’ve been told it was originally an “gh”)” for I’m feeling hot. These have all but disappeared today. All well and good, but would we recognise the last expression if we heard it? I’m of the opinion that we should be able to, that such old style variations should be exposed. Besides pirmli and pinuri as different developments, there is also “l-istanjata” for kettle. I’ve rarely heard the word toast in Gozo, but instead “hobz mixwi.”

In Lebanon, I’ve heard: “qieghed inhossni qisni sqaqi”: pure ‘Gozitan,’ from a local perspective. We’re not as different as we may have a right to think we are, even though in practice and development we should, perhaps, be centuries apart.

A language should also be about being able to choose words for aesthetical purposes. What is there that is aesthetic about these new flat inclusions? It does not mean, to me, that because in English there is the word “washing machine” or “toilet paper” we need to translate literally. In fact, the way it’s currently being written or ‘translated’ makes it seem like a language for dimwits.

The way forward that I perceive, is an ability to look for the concept and action and play with that with a root that makes sense to us. Otherwise how are we going to have a modern Maltese that thinks its way through and develops registers? Or perhaps registers are already in place through choice of vocabulary and that’s what divides us today more fundamentally than we could imagine. It would be a case of adopting a completely different approach too, with the switch of the ‘registers’ at our disposition.

Where is “woxxink” going to get us? to “woxxjatura?” same as “puxxjatura?” How are we going to adopt these new words poetically? Isn’t that a bit of a lazy approach? I shudder to think what tomorrow’s poet laureate, or equivalent, will propose. Don’t we have a root and verb for “to wash”? What do we go to for “pushy” in the same word family? “puxi?” “li jippuxxja?” I am not impressed. Where is the emphasis on the word family? Perhaps it may seem boring and logical to some, but academics do need to think further and perhaps include in their qualifications and research a broader exposure to the etymological structures of other languages over the years.

It is not enough, to have to make do with adopting a word into the language simply because it’s used on the streets and reinforced by the press.

Making do is lazy.

Fl-Ewwel Kapitlu tal-Kostituzzjoni ta’ Malta (Artiklu 5) hemm stabbilit li l-Malti huwa l-uniku lsien nazzjonali ta’ Malta. Barra minn hekk hu wkoll, mal-Ingliż, l-ilsien uffiċjali ta’ pajjiżna.

Apparti din l-istqarrija, f’April 2005 mill-Parlament Malti għaddiet unanimament il-Liġi tal-Malti. B’Kapitlu 470 ġie stabbilit ukoll il-Kunsill Nazzjonali tal-Ilsien Malti.

F’Artiklu 3 ta’ dan l-Att dwar l-Ilsien Malti (Kap. 470 tal-Liġijiet ta’ Malta), insibu li l-Malti huwa “l-ilsien ta’ Malta” u element ewlieni mill-wirt u l-identità nazzjonali tal-Maltin għax jagħżilhom minn kull poplu ieħor. L-istess Artiklu jistabbilixxi wkoll li l-Malti huwa l-aqwa mezz ta’ espressjoni u li l-lingwa qed tiġġedded ta’ kuljum fuq fomm il-Maltin.

L-Istat Malti jagħraf li l-ilsien Malti hu espressjoni qawwija tan-nazzjonalità tal-Maltin, u għalhekk jistqarr li għandu jagħtih l-għarfien xieraq u meħtieġ kollu billi jagħraf l-importanza tiegħu fil-prinċipju u fil-prattika u jara li dan l-ilsien ma jitħassarx u ma jintilifx imma jibqa’ magħruf u jservi bħala mezz ta’ rabta bejn il-Maltin.

L-Istat Malti għandu jkun minn ta’ quddiem biex b’kull mezz possibbli, u b’mod konkret u attiv, joħloq l-opportunitajiet kollha possibbli għall-iżvilupp tal-ilsien nazzjonali u jara li jkollu d-dinjità li tixraqlu.

I think you’ll find that “gawn” in Malti is more likely to be pronounced like “gown” in English, pm.

Language evolves and because it is a tool which we use constantly, the mechanism of this tool is effectively reflecting the person who is using it and their frame of mind.

If we are simply simplifying the language with short cuts that as you pointed out, have no structure and no rules, it is also a reflection of what the Maltese personality is becoming. This is so much more evidence of this in more than use of our language.

What is more confusing in my mind is that on one hand, we have to accept it cause our island is simply a rock with a unique language that really is irrelevant. On the other hand though, the simple pride of being Maltese comes with a duty to fight for the protection of Malta and everything Maltese.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ZYuanofpVU

This piece of literature is evidence of how much Maltese has changed in 500 years. Add today’s tech and in 100 years, the Maltese we know would be obsolete.

Hekk, mill-Grieg, Bios Logos (biology), u bħalha, philosophy, Theology, psychology u tant oħrajn.

Meta l-Ingliż, issellef mill-Ġermaniż, biddilhom ukoll għal ilsienu, u ħadd ma jiskrupla. Dan żvilupp li jsir f’kull lingwa. Jekk wieħed imur fuq dizzjunarju tajjeb, jara l-etimoloġija tal-kelma u jara dan li qed ngħid. Kieku l-Ingliż, kellu jħaddan il-puriżmu, jispiċċa b’xejn.

Dan jgħodd għal-lingwi kollha. Sal-lum, l-Ingliżi, qed ikollhom influss qawwi, ta’ kliem ġdid, li ġej bis-saħħa tat-tagħmir elettroniku. L-istess mowbajl, qiegħed joħloq taqsiriet li llum qed isiru parti mil-lingwaġġ tan-nies. Dan minħabba l-fatt li messaġġ, jirrikjedi li jkun fil-qosor. B’dan mhu qed nagħmlu xejn ġdid. Morru fl-arkivji tal-Kavallieri u ssibu dawn it-taqsiriet, fosthom, minflok ‘dicembre’, jiktbu Xbre fil-kontijiet tagħhom. Kien hemm raġuni, kemm għax il-karta kienet skarsa u l-linka għolja. Anke għall-konvenjenza, billi dak iż-żmien riedu jiktbu kollox.

Bl-istess argumenti li taqra hawn fuq, immorru għall-argument tal-bandiera, ikollna nneħħu l-aħmar għax tawhulna n-Normanni, is-salib tar-re Ġorġ, għax tawhulna l-Ingliżi u nispiċċaw bandiera bajda…..u vera nkunu ċedejna mbagħad. Dawn x’argumenti huma, x’disprezz lejn dak kollu li hu tagħna.

Irrid ngħid li meta jinkitbu kummenti bil-Malti, dawn kollha żbalji, (mhux qed ngħid għal dawk l-iżbalji sarkastiċi), imma meta niktbu bl-Ingliż, ara ma nagħmlux xi żball. Il-lingwa tirrifletti d-dinja ta’ barra, dan hu fatt….l-istat tal-Malti llum, jirrifletti poplu traskurat, li jibża’ mill-identita’ tiegħu, anke jekk għandu 7000 sena storja, poplu li jogħxa jsawwat lilu nnifsu. Allura din hija qagħda psikoloġika xejn sabiħa.

Li kelli nġib aktar argumenti u eżempji ta’ lingwi oħra, biex nuri li dan isir f’kull lingwa, ma nispiċċa qatt. Irrid ngħid li jiena nikteb bil-Malti, għax nemmen li mal-Maltin nikkomunika bil-Malti. Sadanittant jien ngħix u naħdem, f’ambjent li fih dejjem ikolli nuża l-Ingliż, Taljan jew il-ftit Franċiż li naf. Għalhekk inħossni kburi li dan id-daqxejn ta’ pajjiż, għandu lingwa b’elf sena storja, li dejjem qajmet interess u diskussjoni…..u dan almenu pożittiv, għax sinjal li l-Malti għadu ħaj. Ħadd ma jargumenta fuq il-katavri.

Saħħiet

yes l-Akkademja has a valid reason. let’s take the word ‘coach’, this has now become a Maltese word. Now you are suggesting we stick to the foreign spelling which is fair enough BUT then when everyone is using the word ‘jikkowċja’ are you suggesting we write jicoachja??? or perhaps niskateja (skating) or nissurfja ?? so how is the Akkademja supposed to tackle this? Its easy to attack. This is a language and like all languages it is evolving guys. It is the people in the street that change the language. The publication of this book surely is not helping, it is inconsistent and full of mistakes. I hope it will soon be withdrawn from schools.