Maltese – The language of gentlemen

A survey carried out by Barometer in November 2012 showed that the Maltese feel they are more EU (European Union) citizens than any other EU country. 53 percent of the Maltese respondents also stated that they knew what their rights were as EU citizens. These figures were higher than those in other EU countries as only 45 percent of citizens from other European countries confirmed that they knew their rights. Other opinions included in the report included the fact that the Maltese viewed the EU in a more positive light than citizens from other EU countries, as they believed that the EU helped in the preservation of peace among EU countries, and in the free movement of goods and people between member countries.

When you get to Malta, you will be warmly received by the people who speak Maltese as well as English, which are recognized as the national languages of the country. Maltese is also an official language of the EU. Most Maltese are bi-lingual or tri-lingual as some of them can also speak Italian or French. German, Arabic, Russian and Spanish are also taught as subjects in high schools. The small island is quite densely populated. Valetta, the capital city of Malta, popularly referred to as ‘the city built by gentlemen for gentlemen’, was built by Malta knights and is one of the most treasured towns of the country. There are many fantastic attraction sites in this city, which is recognized as a world heritage site by UNESCO.

Maltese is a central semitic language that is closely related to western Arabic dialects, given the fact that is was developed from the Sicilian Arabic language. Maltese has many words that have been borrowed from other languages such as English. Maltese is the only semitic language that is written using the Latin alphabet. The Maltese alphabet has 30 letters. There re numerous newspapers which are published in Maltese and sold in Malta. The language is spoken by about 350,000 people who live in the islands of Malta and Gozo. There are dialectical differences and accents, which differ from the standard Maltese due to the geographical differences among speakers.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.