Many foreigners remain amazed at how Malta, one of the smallest countries in the world, with no more than half a million islanders, managed to develop a unique language that sounds Semitic and is written with the Roman alphabet.
This is even more remarkable given the history of the Maltese people, marked by constant occupation and colonisation by various powers before Malta gained independence as a fully sovereign state in 1964.
In her book Mela, Antoinette Borg provides a holistic, creative and colourful account of the historical processes that led to the establishment of Maltese as an official language, culminating in its recognition as one of the official languages of the European Union. This is indeed a great achievement that our ancestors probably never dreamed of.
Borg’s style of writing as well as her presentation of arguments with a strong sense of humour appeals more to a teenage audience in late secondary schooling. However, her book reflects deep historical research and detailed analysis, demonstrating the great efforts and strides taken by our ancestors to develop Maltese.
Adult readers would certainly benefit from reading this book, as they might gain new knowledge and insights or correct misconceptions.
For instance, is one aware that, although Maltese sounds Semitic, only 33% of Maltese words are Semitic in origin while around 55% are of Italian/Sicilian origin? Or that the English dictionary contains five Maltese words? Particularly interesting is the author’s analysis of the word ‘mela’, which, in popular usage, refers to ‘so’ or ‘of course’. She identifies 13 other interpretations of this word.
Regarding the historical development of Maltese, Borg highlights two crucial contributors that saved the language. The first are the Knights of Malta, who allowed locals to speak their Semitic language even though they used Italian as their most preferred language, while Emperor Charles V abolished all traces of the Arabic language from his empire, shortly after ceding the island to the Knights.
The second is the British colonial government’s subtle efforts to promote Maltese against the Italian language, which was popular and passionately defended by the courts and members of the high class.
The author also acknowledges the contributions of significant figures such as Ġan Franġisk Abela, Mikiel Anton Vassalli, Ninu Cremona, Dun Karm, Pietru Pawl Saydon, and Doreen Micallef, who demonstrated extraordinary courage and personal sacrifice to build the Maltese language on a sound grammatical foundation.
Maltese has continuously adapted to other cultural influences in literature, journalism, theatre and even music- Ian Rizzo
The most fascinating aspect is how Maltese has continuously adapted to other cultural influences in literature, journalism, theatre and even music. Reading Borg’s book makes it clear how important language is to a nation’s identity and heritage.
The author concludes her exploration of Maltese by expressing concern about its adaptation for short messages on technological devices, internet and social media.
She worries that the mixed use of English in such messages could subtly diminish the importance of Maltese in the future. This technological threat, though, seems to be happening to every language, including English.
Perhaps of graver concern is the changing demographics of the islands, with declining birth rates among the Maltese that are being replaced by an influx of foreigners. The challenge for the future of the Maltese language will be whether immigrants will be willing to learn Maltese or whether the language ends up losing out to a hybrid language that accommodates a cosmopolitan setup.
It also must be admitted that most Maltese are bilingual and often find it easier to express themselves in English, when it comes to written communication such as e-mails.
But, overall, Borg deserves praise for her book in the way she leaves readers pondering what a tragedy it would be if the efforts of our ancestors were lost to modernism. This book should be read by every Maltese person in order to appreciate and cherish the richness of the Maltese language.
As Borg observes, we should always remember the incident when the Maltese national anthem was conveniently forgotten by the British authorities during a particular football game that involved our national teams. At that moment, the crowd erupted in anger, and it was immortalised later in the poetic verses of Rużar Briffa:
"U il-kotra qamet u għajtejt jiena Maltija, miskin min ikasbarni, miskin min jidħaq bija.”
(“And the crowd erupted and chanted I am Maltese, unfortunate will be those who mock me, unfortunate will be those who deceive me.”)
Ian Rizzo, an accountant, manages the Philosophy Sharing Foundation.