It’s that time of the year when we look back at the achievements – and mishaps - of the past 12 months. The busier the year, the more colourful an ever-evolving language like the Maltese one is. In keeping with its yearly tradition, Times of Malta teamed up with Prof. Michael Spagnol to list 10 words that were prominent in the Maltese lexicon in 2023.

1. Intelliġenza artifiċjali (Artificial Intelligence)

Between chatbots that answer our every existential question and ChatGPT that can do our homework or assignments, this was the year of AI. One wonders: the more artificial intelligence takes over, the more "natural ignorance" shrinks or expands?

2. Tħanżer (to pig out)

Xagħarna jitqanfed bħall-qanfud (our hair gets tangled like a hedgehog), it-triq isserrep bħas-serp (the road slithers like a snake), and l-flus jgħosfru bħall-għasfur (money disappears like birds).

This is the nature of Maltese: a verb is born from simple animal nouns. This year was the year of pigs. The phrase kulħadd jitħanżer first appeared in one of the published chats that allegedly took place between MP Rosianne Cutajar and murder suspect Yorgen Fenech. It spread like wildfire and became synonymous with widespread corruption that continued to be revealed throughout the year.

3. Relax

The Maltese have been using the word "relax" (in a Maltese accent, of course) since time immemorial, and we have idioms such as relax ħassa or intefa’ bir-relax. In the past 12 months, however, the presence of the word in Maltese vocabulary was strengthened like never before thanks to the relax bello of Love Island’s Dale and TikTok sensation Maria’s "it-tiger she stay relax".

4. Bombshell

Once we are talking about Love Island, we cannot forget "bombshell"- another word that we have found ourselves using more often. While in the English language "bombshell" is used to refer to someone who is really hot mazza ta’ veru, in Maltese it is someone who is so desperate to hook up that they enrol for a reality show from which they are booted out within a week.

5. Suwiċidali (suicidal)

Unfortunately, the word suwiċidju (suicide) was used a lot this year, especially throughout summer. As awareness about the often-taboo topic increased, we coined the word suwiċidali, and spoke of ħsibijiet suwiċidali (suicidal thoughts), imġiba suwiċidali (suicidal behaviour) and even persuni suwiċidali (suicidal people).

6. Nonbinarji (non-binary)

As we increasingly become aware of the need for the language to be inclusive, the year that gave us Europride saw increased efforts that ensure Maltese is non-discriminatory.

We spoke more about people who are non-binary and the language’s flexibility to refer to people in the plural (‘them’ rather than ‘s/he’). Instead of saying ‘ċittadin Malti ‘(Maltese citizen) we can say 'ċittadini Maltin’ (Maltese citizens) and a local council’s letter could start as ‘għeżież residenti’ rather than ‘għażiż resident’.

7. Tbagħbis (tampering)

Tbagħbis fil-mileage tal-karozzi impurtati (imported car mileage tampering) tbagħbis fl-iskema tal-benefiċċji għad-diżabilità (disability benefit scheme fraud), tbagħbis fit-testijiet tas-sewqan (driving test racket)… this was the year of tbagħbis. Ġużè Aquilina’s dictionary – a reference point for the language – describes tbagħbis as “to tamper with; to finger”…

8. Ġenoċidju (genocide)

This blood-curdling word reappeared in our lexicon on October 7 and we have not stopped using it since. Will there ever be a time when we will no longer need to use the word "genocide"?

Meanwhile, it is worth noting that a) strip in Maltese is not strippa, but medda, so it is il-Medda ta’ Gaża and b) people from Israel are called Iżraeljani (the word Iżraeliti usually refers to Jews of the Biblical era).

9. Airdajtu (censored)

2023 has seen a comeback of the word airdajtu but news of the national airline’s change in name also gave rise to a play with words as many wondered what the first two letters in "KM Malta Airlines" actually stand for. Is it Knights of Malta, Kulħadd Meqrud, or Kanna Mawx? Or perhaps… Konrad Mizzi?

10. Taqla’ l-art

If you still think it’s cool to say faqgħa, tal-ġenn, bis-sens, tal-blieh or top il-full to mean something is really good, more likely than not you no longer fall in the youth age bracket. The year 2023 has regaled us with a new phrase: taqla’ l-art.

So if you want to sound cool while congratulating your friend on their swanky car, just say 'karozza taqla’ l-art' If it’s a song, go ahead and exclaim diska taqla’ l-art… fuq!!, or għandu leħen jaqla’ l-art.

Let’s hope we have a new year taqla’ l-art.

Jalla jkollna sena ġdida taqla’ l-art.

Is the Maltese language endangered?

“The Maltese language is far from endangered – on the contrary, it is thriving and ever-evolving,” University of Malta lecturer and founder of Kelma Kelma Michael Spagnol told Times of Malta.

“This is evident, among others, from the increasing number of publications in Maltese, government and private efforts for more resources in Maltese, more singers and bands choosing to sing in Maltese with their lyrics becoming popular among young and old, and the ever-present generation of words by the youth.”

Does this mean we shouldn’t worry?

“Absolutely not – on the contrary, we should increase our efforts so that Malta residents become bilingual – we are all well-aware of the benefits – including cognitive - of multilingualism.”

Spagnol said several non-Maltese residents were taking the language seriously: just this semester 92 people enrolled for one of five courses (from beginner to advanced) at the University of Malta, while some 250 healthcare workers are separately learning medical Maltese.

“Talk about the death of the language is alarmist and perhaps reflects a misunderstanding of the evolving process of Maltese. Instead of alarming ourselves we should invest our efforts in increasing resources – such as material on Youtube Kids – to continue strengthening the language.”

Suicide is not a sign of weakness, and it isn’t about seeking attention or being selfish. If you are or someone you know is experiencing mental health problems or suicidal thoughts, speak up. If it is urgent, you can call the emergency number 112 or the new 24/7 mental health helpline 1579.

If you need further support and guidance, call Richmond helpline 1770, type https://olli.chat/ in a window browser or go on www.kellimni.com