Mind your language!

On November 9, at around 2.30 p.m., I happened to watch a Net TV programme, Niltaqgħu, where the presenters, a man and two women, were talking about antiques.

Sure enough, they showed different chests of drawers and gave explanations, followed by advice as to what could be placed on them as ornaments, such as ceramics, vases, clocks and so on.

A monstrous glazed three-piece set in particular was referred to by one of the ladies as "tal-biskwina". Does such a word exist? Ovvjament (to use that ubiquitous cliché), she has no idea what bisque or biscuit is!

Really, in this day and age, those who appear on television or write in newspapers and magazines, especially for children, should really know what they are talking about and use the right terminology to go with it and not invent words or use incorrect language. They are, after all, teaching the public and so carry a responsibility to be factual and correct in the way they act, speak and pass information.

There is no room for mistakes like wiefqa or tikbi or lakstu or sliper when referring to trainers/trejners (like my grandson had, "libes xorz, slipers u qmis" in his Maltese reading book Ġaħan u l-Bieb by David Aguis Muscat) or "bwiets" instead of boots, just to make it plural, or even the use of ovvja/ovvjament or "basically", when it is neither obvious nor basic at all.

A sad case of the blind leading the blind! We should really make an effort to put our best foot forward if we mean to go anywhere at all.