Il-Ħaġar Museum in Victoria recently hosted a public lecture which tackled ‘pausal forms’ in Gozitan dialects.  

‘Pausal forms’ can be considered the most peculiar feature of Gozitan dialects. This intriguing linguistic phenomenon was investigated by Maria Lipnicka and Maciej Klimiuk from the renowned Heidelberg University of Germany in joint fieldwork research between 2014 and 2021.

During the lecture, Lipnicka presented the outcome of the project titled ‘Community-Oriented Dialectological Studies on Language Dynamics of the Island of Gozo’, beginning with a brief introduction to methods of dialectological research.

Lipnicka was clear in her description of ‘pausal forms’ and how she did the necessary research. She focused on the Maltese language as spoken in Gozo, especially the ‘old’ Għarb dialect.

She emphasised that certain aspects were unique and warned that contacts with foreign influences from other villages in Gozo and Malta – or even foreigners – may be destructive in this regard.

During her illustrated talk, Lipnicka gave examples of complications encountered during her research because of the idea that dialects are in somehow inferior to the standard language.

Gozitans tend to change register when crossing to Malta and even when in conversation with the Maltese. Her recordings were compared with others 20 years earlier, showing various changes.

Dr Lipnicka, originally from Belarus and living in Poland, can be called an ‘honorary’ Gozitan because of her long stays there where she has even become a chorister.

The lecture was another in a series of Saturday sessions organised for Il-Ħagar’s 10th anniversary.