Isa hej! Mexxej li jixraqlu pajjizna
Published:
February 4, 2012 at 10:42pm
Left click on the image to make it larger and readable.
This is taken from the Labour Party’s official Facebook page.
Aside from the strange and revealing use of the strapline ‘A leader who deserves our country’, there are the scatological and unmoderated comments beneath the picture – typically crass, typically Labour.
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Could they have meant “mexxej li jixraq lil pajjizna”? I’m not really surprised about the spelling since this is something off Facebook. The comments below, however, are appalling.
That is exactly what they must have meant but were unable to put in writing correctly.
I hope that when the kwazi-Mexxej becomes il-Mexxej, we will be up to his expectations.
Sigh sigh
Please give us the url of the “Labour Party’s official Facebook page” so that we can reap and enjoy as well.
Truly despicable comments – one should never resort to such degrading words even if you do not agree with the party or Gonzi. It just reflects badly on the person who utters them and not on their target.
Le, tista’ tinfthiem bħala ‘The leader our country deserves’. Bħal: “Kariga li tixraq lilek”. F’dal-każ il-kariga tixraq lilek, mhux inti tixraq lill-kariga!
[Daphne – My god, your knowledge and understanding of grammar are appalling.]
That would be “Il mexxej li jixraq lil pajjizna” or “Mexxej xieraq ghal pajjizna”. As written the translation into English would be “The leader who deserves our country”. Could it be a Freudian slip?
What it really translates to (as written) is “A leader to whom our country suits” – as in, “jixtraqlu glekk” – i.e. the country suits the leader – unfortunately it does not come out very well in English unless completely re-written, something like:
“Our country really suits this leader”
Which is of course really pathetic, on a par with those traffic signs stating “No Parking – Except for XXXXXXX – Weekdays Only” which means that no-one can ever park in that spot except for XXXXXXX, and then, on weekdays only, something rather different than what is intended, “No Parking – Weekdays Only – Except for XXXXXX” which means that the restriction applies only on weekdays, for all except XXXXXXX.
For some reason all the signs of this nature, be they no entry or whatever, are ALWAYS incorrectly written.
PL have roped in the person who writes the traffic signs.
@Daphne
In this case Qieghdin Sew is right. “Il-mexxej li jixraqlu pajjizna” is grammatically correct albeit slightly ambiguous.
[Daphne – Madonna santa, how exhausting. I did not say that the sentence is grammatically incorrect. I said that it means something completely different to what was intended. It means ‘a leader who deserves our country’ rather than ‘the leader our country deserves’. In both cases, the grammar is correct but the meaning is entirely different. The whole point of the precise use of words is that your meaning is never ambiguous. You cannot even say that the meaning is ambiguous in any case. The meaning is clear: a leader who deserves our country. The only reason we think it is ambiguous is because of the context: we know that this cannot possibly be what they wished to say, even if it actually is what they meant. I’m going to repeat the example I gave somebody else. What is the difference between these two grammatically correct sentences using the same two nouns and one verb but in a different order? John deserves Jane. Jane deserves John.]
It could translate to either “The leader who deserves our country” or “The leader that our country deserves”. Taken in context however, it is obvious that it is the second translation that is the correct one.
[Daphne – No, it is not obvious. It is what we hope or trust is obvious. But my own view is that it is a Freudian slip of massive proportions.]
@Daphne
In any natural language under the sun (English being a notable and notorious example) context always plays a major role in the semantic interpretation of a given statement. The statement above could undoubtedly have been written better, however the context is quite clear. Not that I am in any way condoning the expressed sentiments, mind you. But Freudian slip? Very doubtful.
[Daphne – How and in what way is the context clear? This is the Labour Party. And in Maltese as in English, context is not a substitute for correct grammar which changes meaning entirely.]
“The leader that our country deserves” translates into “Il-mexxej li pajjizna jixraqlu”.
@Vincent
If anything a better way of putting it would be “Mexxej li jixraq lil Pajjizna”. “Mexxej li pajjizna jixraqlu” sounds stilted in Maltese and in all probability no Maltese would say something like that in normal conversation.
@Daphne
I think that the context couldn’t be clearer in this case – that you wished to make an issue of vaguely ambiguous grammar is really more a reflection of your own outlook on politics than the original Facebook poster’s.
In your previous reply to my post you state “Madonna santa, how exhausting. I did not say that the sentence is grammatically incorrect”, and yet here you lament the lack of correct grammar. Can you decide whether the blessed title is grammatical or not?
Undoubtedly, as I stated before, the original statement was not worded particularly well and yes, a well written article would not allow any ambiguity to creep in. But then again, this is Facebook and well written articles on Facebook are few and far between.
Safrattant int kont li ma fhimtx sentenza bil-Malti. Tsk.
Jew forsi fixklek il-pronom mehmuż maskili ħi? Kemm mexxej u kemm pajjiż huma maskil fil-Malti, u għaldaqstant il-frażi tagħhom tista’ tinfthiem ‘The leader our country deserves’ daqskemm tista’ tittraduċiha bħala ‘The leader who deserves our country’. Tkomplix taqa’ għan-nejk.
[Daphne – You’re quite, quite wrong. This has absolutely nothing to do with the ‘pronom mehmuz’ and everything to do with the construction of the sentence itself. ‘Mexxej li jixraqlu pajjizna’ translates as ‘a leader who deserves our country’. Compare with the identical construction of ‘Joseph Muscat li jixraqlu rigal sabih’. Would you translate that as ‘The Joseph Muscat a beautiful present deserves’? No. The correct translation is ‘Joseph Muscat who deserves a beautiful present.’ You’re dealing with a grammar Nazi here, you know. If you are going to be ungrammatical, then at least make the meaning clear by putting the verb after, and not before, pajjizna. ]
Il-Malti ma tistax taqilbu kelma b’kelma ghall-ingliz. F’dal-kas Daphne regghet ghandha ragun.
Ara vera hamalli ta’ first class. Kellhom bzonn ghandhom imqar daqs difer iz-zghir ta’ Gonzi sens. Dawn in-nies qieghdin fid-dinja ghax hawn spazju.
I prefer the sunset.
http://nature.desktopnexus.com/wallpaper/203725/
Tajba, ahna nixirqu lilu mhux hu jixraq lil pajjizna. Madonna, xi zmien gej fuqna.
Well, if we put him in office, we will deserve him.
Those who vote for them? Certainly. The rest of us undeserving souls will just have to get on with it.
Iva lanqas kapaci jaghmlu xi haga originali. Tiftakru l-billboards tal-PN qabel l-ahhar elezzjoni, bil-backdrop tal-kampanja. Wara li hadu l-background blu u ngravajet blu issa anke’ l-backdrop tar-reklami se jikupjaw
Those grassy hills are as exotic to Malta as a rainforest. Labour haven’t copied the PN’s billboard (showing, if I remember correctly, Maltese countryside) but the old Windows XP desktop.
Look at this wallpaper; Labour have shamelessly copied and used it as a backdrop for Muscat’s temporarily hairy head.
http://www.wallpaperslibrary.com/Wallpapers/Computers/windows-xp-field-wallpaper.jpg
No wonder Labour are against ACTA – plagiarism is normal and routine for them.
Lanqas il-fjamma m’ghadha thammar.
Fejn hu l-isfond ahmar?
Fejn huma l-ingravati homor?
Mela qed jisthu juru kulurhom? Mela bidel l-isem – Minn Malta Labour Party sar Mintoff/Muscat Labour Party.
Bidel it-torca li issa milli jidher, intfiet u l-ingravati homor m’ghadhomx moda.
Imitatur forsi, innovatur zgur li le, mexxej b’hafna spag minn fejn il-hodor ex-ministri qed igebbdu w allura mexxej taparsi u kif jitlef elezzjoni isib ruhu lura ghal Form 2c ma siebhu Franco.
Fejn huma l-idejat tal MLP? Anqas poster ta nies ma ghandhom hila jaghmlu. M’ghadhomx ta l-AHMAR issa?
Dalwaqt jizbghu l-faccata tal-Mile End blu, jekk isibu xi zebgha bl-irhis ‘on sale’.
L-ingravata hamra qed ihalliha ghal Toni Abela. Taf int, Joseph jappella ghall-floaters u Toni ghall-Laburisti antiki.
Innutajtu wkoll li l-MLP issa ma jdoqqx iktar sabiħ u PL iktar vicin ta’ PN. In-Nazzjonalisti jmisshom ifittxuhom għal danni sostanzjali ta’ serq ta’ immaġini u plaġju.
God forbid that as a nation we are expected to give our vote according to the colour scheme of the billboards or the colour of the ties they are wearing.
The coming campaign promises to be quite a carnival. We have already geared ourselves in election mode, even though it looks to be months and months away.
I wouldn’t be surprised to see billboards such as:
VOTE GONZI HE WEARS BLUE KNICKERS
DON’T TRUST MUSCAT, HE DROPPED HIS RED KNICKERS.
Angus, nahsiba bhalek. Tal-lejber jisthu mill-passat taghhom ghax ihamrilhom wicchom. Jafu wkoll, li ghal hafna nies, ahmar+lejber = vjolenza.
Kieku almenu jitolbu skuza ghal passat, forsi l-ikhal kien ifisser xi haga, imma fic-cirkostanzi l-ikhal juri l-ipokrisija sfaccata tal-lejber, hekk msejjah gdid.
The correct text should be ” Mexxej li jixraq lil pajjizna” not “Mexxej li jixraqlu pajjizna”. Typical Labour.
Hatred, vulgarisms and ignorance are rampant in the cadres of PL.
Daphne, qatt mhu se tismaghni nikkritika l-PN ghalxejn, imma l kumment tal-pipi ma tahsibx kien zejjed? affarijiet zghar imma jahsra jaghmlu hsara kbira.
Having problems with translating from maltese to english?
Or was it deliberate that you misread the maltese text? In case you still don’t get it, the phrase could be restated as “pajjizna jixraqlu dan il-mexxej”.
Got it?
[Daphne – No. The srapline means exactly what I said it does: A leader who deserves our country. I have given the correct translation of ‘the leader our country deserves’ in response to anoher comment, but I would add her that when mhen making a statement like that, it’s appropriate to use the definite article: ‘the leader’ and ‘il-mexxej’, as otherwise it reads like a suggestion rather than a statement of fact.]
Hawnhekk naqbel mieghek nahseb li bl-artiklu “Il-” kienet taghmel iktar sens, tkun inqas ambigwa. Fuq kollox dan suppost poster li meta taqrah tifhem x’qed jinghad mal-ewwel mhux toqghod tittraducih.
Joseph Muscat – Leader of Teletubby land?
Fitting.
Look who’s on Super One TV again this morning: jEFFREY PULLICINO ORLANDO.
If I am not mistaken, that background is from Windows XP.
You may be right. Looks like a mirror image (left to right).
Maybe Microsoft should be alerted and if indeed an infringement of copyright, they could bankrupt the PL.
Angus, it’s not even a mirror image; they just removed the Windows logo and used it as it is. Look at the link I posted.
Mela issa mhux mexxej li jixraq lil pajjizna, ghax dak diga ghandna (Gonzi).
Din bhal ta’ Benito gejja, u nghid il-verita fih ifakkarni, mossi and all.
I think what they mean to say is “A leader our country deserves.”
Could these people really be making these horribly lewd comments about Lawrence Gonzi who, following in the footsteps of previous Nationalist Party leaders, went on to do such great things for our country in spite of all the international political turbulence taking place around us?
Mark Twain once said “If you pick up a starving dog and make him prosperous, he will not bite you. That is the principal difference between a dog and a man.”
Need I say more?
Dogs are far more intelligent. They never bite the hand that feeds them.
They must have meant ‘a leader our country deserves’.
[Daphne -That would be ‘mexxej kif jixraqlu pajjizna’ or ‘mexxej li pajjizna jixraqlu’. God, now I even have to teach them Maltese.’]
Don’t bother giving them lessons in Maltese, Daphne. They surely can’t write it, some can’t even speak it. You’d think they’d know the difference but they don’t.
Bro. Henry must be rolling in his grave witnessing such nonchalant misuse of Maltese and that mountain of mistakes and inaccuracies. And they say that they love our country and our language; now if the latter were to serve as a measuring tool, well, it would be a case of “veru qegħdin sew”.
“Mexxej li pajjizna jixraqlu” just sounds wrong and no fluent Maltese speaker would ever think of that, no matter what you think.
[Daphne – It sounds wrong because it is ever so slightly ungrammatical. But the meaning is clear and it is also perfectly obvious that ‘Maltese speakers’ use it, because it is in Maltese and I am a speaker of Maltese. Never make the mistake, the same mistake made by the Official Maltese Language Police, that only a certain kind of Maltese, the sort spoken by the pirmli and irkotta tribe, is correct.]
Adam,
There is a great deal of difference between “a leader our country deserves” and “the leader our country deserves.”
The former refers to one of many possible leaders “our country deserves.” The later referes to the one and only leader “our country deserves.” Obviously, the intention of the originator could only mean the latter. Otherwise, Lawrence Gonzi (among others) would still be in the race against Joseph Muscat.
The PL certainly would not mean “a leader,” unless there could be no others in existence, and where everyone else would be a follower.
Also in the statement “our country deserves” is the implicit meaning that the noun (leader) that the adjecitve phrase modifies would be “better.” Of course, there is no definition of why this should be so, which is left only to one’s imagination (no policies, no reasons provided).
A larger social context to the adjective phrase may suggest that the country always gets what it deserves, for better or for worse, depending upon good or poor judgement regarding the truth value of the propositional statement, and depending upon how persons vote–in which case, people get the leaders they deserve if they misjudge.
Depending upon the qualities of potential leaders, if not up to scratch, then the country would never get what it deserves, if only poor choices are afforded to the people. Malta’s economic and social success indicates that more than luck has contributed to Malta’s progress.
If potential leaders were always great, then the country also would get what it deserves, even when voters may be divided on their choices. If only Malta had such a luxury.
At the moment, there is only one political party with a successful leadership track record. Alfred Sant (1996-1998) was rejected in successive elections, after he brought his own government down in flames. Joseph Muscat is an ex-“journalist” whose only elected office was as a MEP, without any demonstrable leadership skills based upon previous or current administrative experience or good judgment.
On the job training for Joseph seems to be very risky compared to the alternatives for trusting “a leader” NOW with the government. Would you really entrust your life or your children’s future to this man, or to the other? Who then does the country really deserve? Where is the real potential for improvement of the country’s fortunes?
Scary to think that these people have a say in deciding my future.
Do the ‘brains’ (assuming there are any at all) down at the Labour HQ think that, by ‘abandoning’ the traditional Labour red and replacing it with blue (and virginal white), they will attract ‘new’ people to their fold?
As some young people ‘said’ in 2008: “Nivvota Labour? Inz*bbab!”
Are these people coming from the “klikek” who will control the country and the Labour Party when it is in power?
The worst enemy of Labour is Labour itself.
Hello, Alice Vella?
[Daphne – Yes, I heard about that. Use your brain, Richard. Or Occam’s Razor. Why would I bother? And if I were to bother, would I pick a name like Alice or my maiden surname and place of birth?]
True. I mean, if I really wanted to keep my identity under wraps, I’d go for a different gender and do a Maria l-Maws.
Helloooo Daphne. Cracking photograph. Still up for lunch?
Where has the RED gone?
Blue background – even the ‘new’ emblem has lost its red touch.
Ara veru jisthu juru min huma.
The latest comments made by Joseph Muscat stating that “the party was “morally and politically incorrect” to govern in 1981 ” and further comparing the 1981 election results to the present situation today in parliament merits further analysis and hopefully an official reply from PN officials.
If Joseph Muscat wants us (the Maltese citizens) to truly believe him that he is being honest, then he should publicly ask Karmenu Vella, Leo Brincat, Marie Louise Coleiro and any high ranking officials like Alex Sceberras Trigona and others who I may not recall at the moment (including Inspector Anglu Farrugia) who formed part of the government or party during those disgraceful years to resign from the PL and should not be allowed to stand as candidates for the PL in the forthcoming general election.
Mere words mean nothing. Joseph Muscat needs to distance himself and his party from these people to be believed.
It shouldn’t be that difficult for Joseph to rid his party of the names mentioned above plus a few more. They were all mere MPs or ministers in Mintoff and KMB’s cabinets.
After all, Sant, the man, managed to exile his former great leader the Saviour and changed his title to Traitor and banned him for fourteen full years from stepping inside the Labour’s HQ at Mile End. Now Joseph adores the old fart.
But…Joseph’s strings are pulled by the same bullies who served under Mintoff and KMB and who still describe that horrible era as ‘the golden years’!
I hope floating and undecided voters log onto this Facebook page at least once a day.
Then there will be some hope left for my country.
The comments below the picture seriously worry me. Their hatred and hunger for revenge (for what, I do not know) is tangible and frightening.
Hatred, aggression and violence are, very often, innate human traits.
I agree this is both worrying and frightening but, sadly, it is also a fact.
It’s frustration, it’s anger, it’s sheer ignorance… and all is advocated by their great sense of inadequacy which is the root of the problem.
What have I done to live again like the seventies and eighties?
Like me you have done nothing wrong.
This is just an accident of birth.
Should the undecided voters read these filthy comments I am sure that they would definitely decide not to vote PL
From TOM today:
“vella m
Today, 13:14
Can anybody imagine those people who are living on the minimum wage?they are suffering the cold because of the price of gas.Mr Prime minister please help,forsi xi darba nerghu nibdew niehdu banju flok showers.”
I don’t know where this line of thinking comes from.
If I were to agree, with conviction, to all PL policies, and likewise disagree vehemently with any or all of those of the PN, I would still vote Nationalist without any hesitation whatsoever. My singular reason… exactly to keep this despicable mentality at bay.
U iwa ha toqghodu tfettqu… mhux xorta! :)
Which Teletubby is Muscat?
They must have meant this, they must have meant that!
For f**k’s sake, they meant what they wrote.
Political significance aside, “Il-Mexxej li jixraqlu pajjiżna” is perfectly idiomatic Maltese. Although Maltese does usually not always follow the same syntactical structure as English, in this case the sentence structure is almost identical to its nearest English meaning :”The leader our country deserves.”
[Daphne – Wrong. And I can’t believe I have ended up giving instruction in this language. The structure of ‘Il-mexxej li jixraqlu pajjizna’ is idiomatically correct, yes, but has a completely different meaning to that intended because of the relationship of the verb to the nouns. The sentence is NOT almost identical to ‘The leaader our country deserves.’ It is fundamentally different precisely because of where the verb is positioned in relationship to the nouns. In the Maltese sentence here, the verb is placed before ‘country’. In the English sentence, the verb is places AFTER country, changing the meaning completely. The position of a verb in relation to noums is what makes for meaning. This is the difference between ‘I deserve a nice present’ and ‘A nice present deserves me.’ If this example is too obvious for your liking, then consider this one: ‘John deserves Jane’ and ‘Jane deserves John’. By switching the position of the nouns in relation to the verb, you have changed the meaning of the sentence completely.]
The comments beneath the picture must be attracting the undecided voters in droves!
You’re applying English rules of syntax to Maltese. The meaning might be more easily understood this way:
1. Il-ktieb li xtrajt jien.
2. Il-ktieb li jien xtrajt .
They are both syntactically correct and mean (almost) the same thing. The only difference is that there is probably more emphasis on the last word (jien) in the first sentence. In the same way , the structure of “Il-mexxej li jixraqlu pajjiżna’’ emphasises the last word, rather than the first one.
He portrays himself as the new so-called “Salvatur” – no wonder he attracts the typically crass and violent labour supporters. Back to the seventies and the eighties.
Scary. Very scary.
The ‘typography’ is making my eyes bleed. The landscape isn’t helping either. MLP’s recent attempts at progressive promotional and graphic design are silly.
It looks like an advert for UHT milk or butter. Way too many rolling green hills, and not Maltese at all.
La vache qui rit.
Reklam tal-hdura.
Why does he deserve to run the country? What is his track record?
Daphne, completely irrelevant to this article, but perhaps you’d like to check out this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I3WnUmphHrI&feature=player_embedded
This has nothing to do with your post, but is it right that Justine Caruana sends my family (4 of us) registered in Gozo, 4 brown envelopes with the Govt offical paid stamp, House of representatives Malta asking us to vote for her?
The thought of labour being back in government really worries me. These people never change. Hatred and deceit is part and parcel of their culture. I am very surprised how certain ex nationalists, whom I expect better from, had the guts to join their ranks. Is it possible that they have been deceived by Labour, or is it self-interest. They will in time regret their foolish decision, I’ll bet on it.
U ezattament liema parti min pajjizna jidher fl-isfond tal-istampa?
Il-golf course tat-Teletubbies. Li jinsab f’mohh l-ulied Maltin u Ghawdxin tal-familji Maltin u Ghawdxin.
Dik l-Ghalqa tan-nannu – tiftakar, dak li Joseph qal li kien bidwi, u li semmieh fil-Konferenza Generali tal-Partit Laburista.
Alfred Sant kellu l-Ghalqa ta’ Guda. Joseph ghandu l-Ghaqal fit-Tmexxija fl-Ghalqa tan-nannu.
Pajjizna jixraqlu lil Joseph Muscat biex imexxieh. Ghal-inqas jien hekk fhimt li jridu jfissfru! Ghalfejn?
Qatt xi darba dan il-bniedem taghna l-icken ideja x’se jaghmel jew x’direzzjoni se jiehu?
Kull ma nafu fic-cert hu li dan il-bniedem kien responsabli biex rega dahhal lura il-marmalja u l-kattivi kollha li ghamlu hsara kbira lil pajjiz u lil Maltin personalmet.
Dawn l-istess nies kienu kollha responsabbli biex mexxew gvern illegittimu kif ammetta hu stess wara 30 sena. Hu stess kien wiehed mill-protagonisti kontra l-Ewropa u kien qal ukoll li l-Partnership rebah.
Taht it-tmexxija tieghu il-partit tieghu rega tilef vot ta’ sfuducja fil-parlament, u hu stess rega qed jghid li rega rebah. Dan it-tip ta’ mexxej jixraqlu l-pajjiz? Nahseb trid tkun vera injorat. iblah, jew mignun!
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2097329/Labour-MP-forced-apologise-aide-tweets-Queen-benefit-scrounger.html
A leader who deserves our country.
This is written badly. I think it must read “a leader that our country deserves”. Am I right?
Going through the FB page of Raymond Gatt whose comments are so illuminating and intelligent, one notices that his favourite book is……the Bible.
I was at the debate this morning between the two party leaders, at the Intercontinental Hotel. For two whole hours, Joseph Muscat regaled us with buzzwords and in some instances, barefaced lies – for example, that the government decreased stipends in 2005.
Not once, not even when repeatedly pressed by the Prime Minister and the moderator, did he give us at least a glimpse of what he intends to do when or if he is elected to power. So, no, dear prattikament Prim Ministru, our country does not deserve you.
Jekk dan Joseph Muscat ghandu mentalita’ Mintoffjana, li jien cert li hu hekk, jien nghidlu wahda. Qabel fil-pajjiz ma’ tinqered kompletament il-mentalita’ Mintoffjana anqas il-pajjiz ma’ jista jiehu ir-ruh politikament kif jixraqlu ahseb u ara il-Partit Laburista..
The more I read ‘their’ comments, the more I confirm that I am in the right state of mind when I think that our government deserves to stay on and on for many years to come.