Comments on: You could write a sociology paper about this single Facebook post

By: Daphne Caruana Galizia

Daphne Caruana Galizia — Thu, 17 Sep 2015 19:31:00 +0000

There’s nothing to judge, Mr Demartino.

If a language is an official language of the country (at law) then it is by definition not a foreign language.

English is an official language of Malta. The government is obliged to communicate with the public in both English and Maltese.

Therefore, it follows that English is not a foreign language in Malta, though it might be (and is) alien to many Maltese people.

By: Giovann DeMartino

Giovann DeMartino — Thu, 17 Sep 2015 17:59:00 +0000

In reply to Daphne Caruana Galizia. Let our readers judge for themselves.

By: Daphne Caruana Galizia

Daphne Caruana Galizia — Thu, 17 Sep 2015 17:29:00 +0000

You can’t extrapolate from your home environment to the rest of the country.

I repeat: the fact that English is a foreign language to you, and was a foreign language in the Demartino household, does not mean that it is a foreign language in Malta.

In fact, English is not a foreign language in Malta but an official language of the country.

The fact that many Maltese people cannot speak Maltese does not make Maltese a foreign language in Malta.

By: Daphne Caruana Galizia

Daphne Caruana Galizia — Thu, 17 Sep 2015 15:07:00 +0000

No, Mr Demartino, it isn’t.

The fact that English is a foreign language to many Maltese people does not make it a foreign language in Malta or to Malta or to other Maltese.

English is one of Malta’s official languages and that is why all government or official communication must be in both English and Maltese (as is the Government Gazette) and also why all Maltese businesses communicate with each other in English and with their clients in English and Maltese.

It is also why English is taught in Malta’s schools as a native language (at par with Maltese) and not as a foreign language (at par with Italian or French).

By: Daphne Caruana Galizia

Daphne Caruana Galizia — Wed, 16 Sep 2015 07:52:00 +0000

Some things are facts and not matters of opinion.

By: Daphne Caruana Galizia

Daphne Caruana Galizia — Wed, 16 Sep 2015 06:53:00 +0000

No, Mr Demartino, it’s the other way round.

English is an official language of Malta precisely because of the circumstances which led to my, and others, becoming native speakers of it.

By: Daphne Caruana Galizia

Daphne Caruana Galizia — Mon, 14 Sep 2015 15:42:00 +0000

Of course it does. It is not foreign at all. In fact, I and many other Maltese people are native speakers and it is either our sole mother tongue or one of them.

By: Daphne Caruana Galizia

Daphne Caruana Galizia — Mon, 14 Sep 2015 15:01:00 +0000

Brand labels mean a lot. That’s why you have brands. They represent a certain standard of design and quality and show you what you can expect for your money.

By: Daphne Caruana Galizia

Daphne Caruana Galizia — Sun, 13 Sep 2015 21:37:00 +0000

English is not a foreign language in Malta. It is one of two official languages.

If I have time to read, you can take it for granted that everyone else does to. I have more demands on my time than most.

By: Daphne Caruana Galizia

Daphne Caruana Galizia — Sun, 13 Sep 2015 20:39:00 +0000

Obviously, she’s a single parent. If she were not, the boy’s father would be contributing to the household finances or at least to the cost of his upbringing.