A conference on Saturday is marking the centenary of Tagħrif fuq il-Kitba Maltija, a landmark publication by the Għaqda tal-Kittieba tal-Malti, today known as L-Akkademja tal-Malti. This document ushered in a new era for the Maltese language, which had long been sidelined during British rule in Malta.
At the time, Maltese was derisively referred to as il-lingwa tal-kċina (the kitchen language), while Italian and English were seen as more prestigious languages.
Competing factions viewed their preferred languages as pathways to progress and economic opportunities.
The Maltese language was dismissed as a rudimentary tongue with no literary heritage.
L-Għaqda tal-Kittieba tal-Malti convened its first meeting on November 14, 1920, forming a commission with the mandate to create a standard alphabet. The alphabet was finalised in 1921. Their guiding principle was simplicity: every sound had one corresponding letter, eliminating ambiguities.
Members of L-Għaqda tal-Kittieba tal-Malti in 1922.Once the alphabet was in place, the commission embarked on an intensive effort to develop an orthography for the Maltese. Ninu Cremona, author of Il-Fidwa tal-Bdiewa and a keen researcher about Mikiel Anton Vassalli, led this orthography initiative, with Ġanni Vassallo as a key collaborator.
In 1924, these efforts culminated in the publication of Tagħrif fuq il-Kitba Maltija at the Government Printing Press. For the first time, Maltese was given a scientific foundation.
Ten years later, in 1934, the Maltese alphabet and orthography developed by Għaqda tal-Kittieba tal-Malti became official, and all writers, government departments and fellow Maltese were required to adhere to these rules.
Before the Tagħrif, Maltese writing was chaotic, with authors using different alphabetic systems and even mixing Latin and Arabic scripts, resulting in widespread confusion.
The first section of Tagħrif fuq il-Kitba Maltija provides the rules for writing in Maltese, divided into 10 chapters. The second section elaborates on the morphology of the Maltese language. It addresses the forms of Maltese words, their origins, formation, and construction. This section is divided into 15 chapters. Through this work, the confusion in Maltese writing, which was causing significant harm, especially in education and literature, was greatly reduced.
Saturday’s conference will commemorate this milestone at the conference centre at Dar il-Ħanin Samaritan in Santa Venera, starting at 8.30am.
Various speakers will offer insights into Tagħrif fuq il-Kitba Maltija and its lasting impact on Maltese orthography. Topics will range from the historical context behind the standardisation of Maltese to the principles underpinning its rules, as well as updates made over the years and their reception.
A copy of Tagħrif fuq il-Kitba Maltija can be downloaded from the University of Malta Library’s website. More details about the conference are available on L-Akkademja tal-Malti’s website.