Badia Ignasi. A view of the linguistic situation in Malta

Date: 2004
Pages: 8The object of this article is to provide an introduction to the Maltese language, giving a brief overview of its history and the conditions under which it is developing at the present time. The uniqueness and interest of Maltese in the European context is obvious: it is Europe's only Semitic language, and at the same time an authentic example of a mixed language owing to deep Sicilian and Italian influence. It has never enjoyed a dominant position in its own territory despite the fact that it is spoken by virtually all the inhabitants of the Maltese islands. Subordinated first to Italian, and then to English, it is today the only European language existing under colonial conditions analogous to those pertaining in a large part of the so-called Third World. The language has co-official status in Malta and is an official language of the European Union, but its future is not, however, assured, since it has to compete with English in many domains, the real language of power and prestige in Malta, and cannot rely on the language loyalty of its speakers.