Thursday, 29th May 2008
BLUES TIME
At this time of the year, actually a bit earlier (when the
weather starts getting milder, basically) I used to get a vague feeling of
unease. It bothered me, until I realised
that it was just a recollection of the feeling of impending doom that used to
grip me in its death-like grip. This was
when my carefree existence at Tal-Qroqq was blighted by this insistence on the
part of the poor souls who used to teach me law that, for some occult reason
known only to them, they needed to examine me.
Before that, unknown purveyors of fact, both here and in the UK, used to take similar sadistic pleasure in subjecting me to the rack.
So it was hardly surprising that, Easter holidays having gone, I'd start looking at the world in something of the same way turkeys looked at Xmas. Truth be told, I should probably have started worrying well before that, as my exam results consistently showed, but as I believe I've mentioned before, I tend to work to deadlines. In other words, I was, and tend to remain, a bit of a procrastinator, subconsciously clinging to the hope that it might go away. Exams rarely did, though Latin did, for which reason I have no idea.
The sheer terror accompanying the improving weather abated into mild, and unexplained, unease over the years, blipping back into more acute worry when the son and heir had a mild flirtation with exams. This was not to last long, as he had the strength of purpose (sheer bloody-mindedness, more like) to stick to doing what he wanted to do.
Over the last years, the unease has disappeared completely, with just a painless recollection coming to the fore when friends and family have an audible worry about the trials and tribulations of their own offspring.
The slightly rambling thoughts above were brought about by the news item about the blooper contained in a chemistry paper and the findings by the examining body, our august University, in connection therewith (just thought I'd chuck a bit of legalese in to show that I did, eventually, pass those confounded exams) I found myself thinking how lucky I was that I didn't have to worry about these things directly anymore.
So detached am from the whole exam scene, for all that in a few days I have to plough through a skip-load of scripts produced by students in years one and two of the Bachelor of Commerce course on whom I inflict my wit and wisdom, that I found myself wondering whether a fuss was being made about nothing very much. After all, according to the Uni's findings, there wasn't that much of an effect on the students who were caught up in the whole thing. To this, thanks to the comments section, many raspberries were blown, with quite justifiable questions on the lines of "who do you think you're kidding" and "why not take a long walk on a short pier" being addressed Tal-Qroqq-wards by concerned parents.
To be honest, rather than provocative, I can understand the concern and annoyance. The thought of your kid having to sit there and try to fathom out an answer to a question that a number of supposedly qualified fools hadn't noticed was impossible to answer, while undergoing the stress of exam-season, must be annoying, to say the least.
Leaving aside the particular incident, except to wonder whether it's not symptomatic of a far greater malaise in the system, is it time to review the whole exam thing?
Take it as a given that you need a method of testing intellectual acumen before letting people into higher education, but is the way things are done the right one?
I'm no educationalist, but I have this feeling that there's some significant tweaking that can be done.
Let's take the vexed question of Maltese as a peg on which to hang this hat. The myriad of foreign students who attend University courses in most subjects (virtually all, from what I can see) do so without having even a rudimentary knowledge of Maltese. Actually, apart from law, where a significant portion of the source material is in Maltese (and it's the student's problem if (s)he can't get at it the material, frankly) and Maltese itself, there is no subject that needs Maltese or that is taught or examined in Maltese (not even law) though as an aside, perhaps it's about time it was, so poor is the standard of English some students demonstrate (and here I find myself glancing fondly at Evarist Bartolo).
So why do Maltese kids have to get whatever exam they have to get in Maltese? Yes, fine, it's our national language and it's a shame that too many people choose to communicate in English instead, but let's be realistic, shall we? There is a snob element in the whole thing, true enough, but, hand on heart, is Maltese taught in a way that makes it attractive? From what I remember, turgid texts, impenetrable (and irrelevant) grammar and jingoistic attitudes permeate the fabric of the curriculum, the latter being a reaction to the perceived superiority-complex of the people who use English as a more predominant language at home and at school.
Is there any reason why Maltese has to be rammed down people's throats, really? If it was properly taught, rather than used as a war-horse by a cadre of class-warriors, perhaps people wouldn't find it so unpalatable. From a strictly utilitarian position, if I had to choose between knowing English and knowing Maltese, I'd have to opt for English (I'd do the same between English and French or Italian or German or Chinese) for all the contempt I feel towards those who eschew Maltese for "social" reasons, failing to realise that their English is almost as laughable.
The thing is, Maltese, for academic purposes, is pretty much a waste of time – this is not to say that it is not essential for other purposes, but surely it becomes the non-Maltese speaker's problem in this context? After all, you don't have to pass an exam in Maltese to be allowed to enter the university of life (awful phrase, but you get my drift) and the school of hard knocks (yeugh) soon bashes a working knowledge of the language into you.
Why do you need to get a result in what is probably the least fair exam paper (so I'm told) in order to get into the real university, where you don't actually need Maltese all that much?
This discussion can extend into other areas. Is there really any need to keep loading students up with irrelevant data and systems of knowledge (the lower case is deliberate)? Fine, a broader base of information is a fine thing in theory, but is it all morphing into box-ticking rather than proper education? Time for a bit of thought, methinks.
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Comments
Why are people like you so adamant on telling people what to do?? Unfortunately, it can be difficult for many people who are brought up speaking English to learn Maltese... for some it is nearly impossible. It has nothing to do with snobbery or superiority although I find that the "English-speaker" can feel extremely uncomfortable when he finds himself in a Maltese-speaking environment and let me tell you it's got nothing to do with snobbery but infact insecurity. Also I find that "Maltese-speaking" people can also feel extremely uncomfortable when chatting with someone who speaks English fluently and often look down on them (sometimes snobbishly).
As for University I don't see why a Maltese person must hold a pass in a Maltese O Level when a foreigner (from EU) can enter any course without one!!
I say let everyone speak the language they are most comfortable in; in the end a Maltese speaker is no more Maltese than a tal-pepe!
@ Joe Martinelli:
Oh I do understand "Paisano" -old friend.
My wife has always spoken excellent English.
ABC has already warned me of the perils of irony
but really its just the same as brassy or tinny but made of iron.
Some years back there was correrspondence in TOM
regarding the nomenclature of Maltese streets
in the interests of tourist understanding.
Personally I prefered the Italian names of my childhood
and the main drag of il-belt will always be Strada Reale to me
but I suggested that the best solution was to name
the streets in English only - but written in very large letters.
ER quoted "the 'official' language in the North of Malta is already English".
Can one imagine telling the French, or Germans or Italians to rate their language as a second choice since 'English' has become their official language! What a cropper.
Maybe we should ask our government (and advise the rest of Europe to do the same) that the Constitution should be changed and place English as our official language and make Maltese (the language of Malta) as a secondary option!
However, I agree with ER regarding grammar and literature becoming separate subjects for the valid reasons presented by him. The bottom line still rests with the competency of the teachers making the learning of the Maltese language interesting enough to entice the students to be more appreciative of their native language.
@ Peter Pritcoe
I shall not call Perter 'paisano' because he would not understand.
Judging from what he wrote, he must have spent a big chunk of his married life using sign language to communicate with the daughter of a 'pisan'.
Seems to me Peter landed in Italy in time to enjoy a good glass of wine and get hitched. Lucky guy!
@Vincent Mercieca who mentions the use of Italian in the Maltese media.
I served in Italy with 324 Wing of the RAF at the end of World War Two and married the daughter of a Pisan head waiter.
I only needed two words to survive in Italy, namely Quanto and Troppo.
The problem doesn't simply lie in the fact that the Maltese O'level has a literature component - (Eng lit books aren't published locally, are they?). If you were to compare the 'easy'' Paper B Maltese and English exam options you'd realise that there is a rather big discrepancy between the level of language skills needed to pass both papers. The Maltese Paper B exam is slightly easier than paper A, meaning that you need a decent level of Maltese to get through (which is fair enough). On the other hand anyone with a ridiculously weak grasp of English can get through Paper B with ease (a 180 word essay says enough, doesn't it?). This explains why so many people can actually make it to University with such a dismal knowledge of the language. Instead of the proficiency test, which is a prerequisite for some courses (how many fail?), why not have exams which truly reflect the candidates’ native-like proficiency of both languages?
21 years have passed since then. Are things still the same?
Have you realised you're living in Malta?
I may be biased, but I put most of the blame on the TV and Radio presenters; newscasters etc.
Most of them make a massacre of the pronunciation, grammar and the use of Italian and English words when we have the equivalent in the Maltese language.
I suggest that these people must obtain a warrant in linguistics before they present themselves to the public
The funeral rites of minority languages are commonly conducted in English-the fate of my native Kernow (Cornish) but Maltese is not a minority language in the islands and its demise is much exaggerated. The lingua franca of Malta is neither Maltese nor English however but an unhappy mixture of the two, unintelligible to English or American speakers.
Several years of my life in the Far East introduced me tothe common language of Singapore, Singlish, and the government of Singapore is taking active steps to eliminate it. Singlish is as peculiar to that island as Chinglish is to Hong Kong and Manglish is to Malaysia and is a hindrance to the furtherance of the nation’s economy. Singapore has four official languages as has Switzerland ! but comparisons with Malta are odious for reasons on which I shall not dwell.
I have been unfairly accused in other, less objective, groups, of denigrating Maltese whilst praising English but that is not true for I merely echo the late Guze’ Aquilina who pleaded that the two official languages of Malta be kept apart.
First of all you give me the impression that you felt compelled to write because I linked snobbery with 'tal-'pepe' and did not bother to read the other postings otherwise you would have realized that the main argument was that the Maltese language was not being taught properly and in an interesting way. The fact that I am writing in English in The Times has no bearing since if I wrote in Maltese, the Editor would rightly refuse to publish it! Which, indirectly addresses my point that if I speak to a Maltese citizen in Maltese, then I expect to be answered correctly in Maltese. If I am answered back in a mixture of both, what comes to mind is either of two things; the person is unable to speak my same language or, that person is snobbish. Personally I would be embarrassed if unable to answer in either language entirely.
The very fact that we have two official languages demands that we are proficient in both. Individuals who think, speak, breathe Maltese and nothing else are as wrong as those who use English exclusively.
BTW I hope you passed your Maltese 'O' level !
I agree with those who say Maltese is too difficult to study (being a student myself)
Why should someone not speak in English if they feel more comfortable doing so? I switch between Maltese and English if needs be, but since English is my first language, I find it much easier to express myself in that tongue. While I think that individuals who make absolutely no effort to speak in Maltese are wrong, I don't think that others who think English is 'tal-pepe' are right either. English is as much a Maltese language as is Maltese, and nothing is ever going to change that, no matter how many people from qieh somewhere think that speaking in English is snobbery.
The sooner the English speaking masses realise that Maltese is as important (culturally, anyway) as English to Malta, and vice-versa, the better. I do not forsee any particularly good prospects (education/empolymentwise etc.) for individuals who think, speak, breathe Maltese and nothing else.
I sat for my Maltese O level five years ago now. Thank God, anyway, because the syllabus was utterly boring and a terrible put-off.
But surely the truth,if there is one, must be somewhere in between. Agreed having a Maltese language gives us an national identity of our own. This would not be so different from other had our language been say a pidgin Enlish , pidgin Italian or a pidgin mixture of both. So surely putting for once our collective wisdom together, it cannot be beyond our capabilities to come up with a syallbus/course call it what you like where students who subjects at tertiary level where the use of Maltese is very limited, follow an appreciation orientated syllabus of the Maltese language.
Snobbery is not dead!
When you speak to 'tal-pepe' in Maltese and they answer you in English, with the odd phrase in Maltese, I call that snobbery. What are they trying to prove? That they have an edge over you or that they feel elitist by snubbing their motherland's tongue? They feel inadequate speaking in Maltese? Funny, I think it's the other way around. They are inadequate if they cannot or feel uncomfortable speaking in their own language!
You were right on however, about the unnecessary use of the adjuncts you quoted. This appears to be the result of one of my beefs that is, the language is not taught PROPERLY or in an interesting fashion.
I was lucky to be educated (some 50 years ago!) by some good teachers, one of whom was none other than Karmenu Vassallo. But even then, learning the Maltese language was mainly because ' we had to ' rather than to enjoy the uniqueness and the beauty of its structure.
If only one stops to think for a moment, our language is unique, one of the oldest and spoken by one of the smallest nations on earth and therefore worth preserving!
Maltese is the language spoken in Malta, unlike Gaelic in Ireland. I think that this anecdote alone should speak volumes with regard to why Uni students should pass their Maltese exam.
Not be able to write and speak Maltese well is denying oneself of one's very sense of belonging with one's country - my opinion.
Re your more recent post, I also agree 100% that the operative word is "properly". A long time ago (longer than I care to recall!) our teacher of Maltese at St Aloysius Sixth Form was the late George Mifsud Chircop. He made our native language and her literature come alive simply transmitting it meticulously and with passion. In his quiet inimitable way, he invested great energy in order to accomplish his mission, not only as a teacher but also as a linguist and ethnographer. I write this as a tribute to this dedicated scholar.
I think that the argument for speaking in "English" to be a snob ("tal-pepe") is dead - nowadays most of these persons simply feel inadequate communicating in Maltese and avoid it. The English on our streets, its complete Maltese intonation, all the interspersed "ta", "mela" and "hi", even when excluding people who speak a mixture of maltese-english in the same sentences, is a different language from that spoken in countries where English is a mother tongue. As in any other country where bilingualism is common, both English and Maltese borrow heavily from each other. The tragedy is that they come from completely different linguistic families making this interchange sound horrible.
Keeping Maltese off the essential list of exams will not solve anything. We will just lose it. Do you really want that?
Instead we should improve how Maltese is taught and used.
Maybe it's a question of terminology.
Joe Martinelli uses the derogative expression of tal-pepe in regard to those who prefer to use English whilst ABC writes of the perceived superiority complex of those who follow that path.
From a utiliatarian point of view it is not a question of superiority complex but rather an expression of simple superiority.
Teaching Maltese PROPERLY is not tantamount to ramming it down anyone's throat, I fully agree. The operative word is PROPERLY.
I, an Englishman who prattled in Maltese some eighty years ago,
have had my fingers burnt most severely in discussion on language in Malta.
It will be very interesting to follow comments
but I know exactly how they will proceed.
The subject has been kicked around the Maltese English-language newspapers
for the same time in my recollection as discussion
on the fate of the Opera House ruins.
The Language Question itself goes back much further of course
though the languages themselves change.
OK, forgiven. Now about the Maltese language, you argue that academically it is irrelevant and English is preferable. Let's now distinguish between the written and spoken use of a language.
In the case of the Maltese language being one of two official languages, generally speaking is used predominantly by the Maltese population with the exception of some snobs (tal-pepe') who try to come across as a superior breed. That being the case, it becomes even more important that the language is taught properly and in an interesting way. I do not quite agree that texts are 'turgid'. Maybe your recollection is getting a bit foggy, or worse, your attitude towards the Maltese language was a bit dubious to begin with. Having said that, I agree that exam papers should be set in English since, in all probability (except for Maltese language) the texts students study from are in the English language.
Teaching Maltese properly both written and orally does not amount to 'ramming it down people's throats' since it is our national language and which makes us distinct from other nations which, to their loss, are unilingual.
Firstly, as a University student, I agree that for academic reasons, the English language is far more student-friendly than Maltese. In my Course, the only Credit this year that was delivered in our native language was by far the most difficult one for me to follow (certainly not owing to its content, which was extremely interesting). Although students are allowed to answer in Maltese during Credit tests this is a no-no in the Finals, owing to the fact that a foreign examiner is involved. If for no other reason, therefore I feel that it's only fair that lectures are delivered in English.
Secondly, regarding the reference you made to the "least exam fair paper", I presume that you are alluding to Systems of Knowledge. Once again, I agree with you 100%. Our daughter has just sat for her 'A' level in the subject. Despite being extremely well prepared as regards to the syllabus, there was no way she could have reflected her acquired knowledge, since the set paper was way beyond the students' limit. Indeed a pity and very disenheartening!!