A popular Tiktok creator who makes videos about the Maltese language insists there is room for both Maltese and English in the media and in conversation.

Kurt Meli, a 25-year-old freelance interpreter who goes by the name Kurt Rumbajsa on Tiktok and Instagram, regularly posts snappy videos on the platform explaining the etymology of Maltese words with a good dose of wit and silliness, or as he describes it – chaotic Gen Z humour.

Over the festive period, for instance, he explored the origins of the words borra (snow), ċumnata (mulled wine) and L-Istrina (associated with the annual Boxing Day fundraiser).

Meli, who started making videos two years ago, traces the seed of the idea to a work trip in Brussels.

“I was in my hotel room struggling to sleep because the bar downstairs was really noisy. Instead of counting sheep, I started having internal discussions with myself about different aspects of Maltese grammar,” he says.

“I wanted to pass on the things I love about Maltese to people my age, who maybe weren’t instilled with an appreciation of the language in the same way that I was by the Department of Maltese while I was studying.”

Since then, he has amassed 5,000 followers on Tiktok, crediting his success to inserting a meme into every few seconds of a video.

“I think older people are more attracted to the educational aspect, while people whose English is not great, or people my age or younger who don’t think Maltese is cool, are watching for the humour and references. I hope the latter group thinks, ‘OK, I like this and want to learn more,’” he says.

Meli’s own username is a play on the word kutrumbajsa, the Maltese word for ‘somersault’, which he counts as one of his favourite words, together with ċaqlembuta – seesaw.

On the other hand, he dislikes the words pożittiv, tajjeb and interessanti.

“I just think there are so many other adjectives you can use to describe something good.”

Meli is particularly annoyed when these words are used by politicians, who he says are not doing enough to maintain Malta’s identity as a bilingual nation despite claiming to cherish Maltese.

“There’s a real lack of resources for anyone who wants to explore the language. I find it very frustrating that there isn’t a good online dictionary in Maltese, and that the most comprehensive physical dictionary we have is from the previous century,” he says, referring to the six-volume tome compiled by Joseph Aquilina.

Meli also mentions the fact that the default language of most school subjects, barring Maltese itself, religion and occasionally social studies, is English. The level of Maltese on TV also comes in for strong criticism.

“Many presenters don’t seem to have a strong enough grasp of Maltese to allow them to express themselves creatively. Sometimes I’m watching a show and thinking ‘How can anyone be proud that they made this?’” he says.

The discussion on Maltese TV inevitably leads to reality show Masterchef Malta. The show’s first season was criticised by some for the way in which the judges and participants frequently flipped back and forth between Maltese and English, as well as using English words for basic ingredients and cooking techniques.

'You speak the language you're comfortable with'

“It’s worth noting that when you’re speaking on camera without a script, you might not be fully aware of what you’re saying. And if you received your culinary training in English, then you’ll be most comfortable using English words,” he argues.

Meli also mentions a contestant from the last season, Christina Mousu, who spoke almost exclusively in English.

“I have no problem with that. You speak the language you’re most comfortable expressing yourself in. People shouldn’t be mocked for choosing to speak a certain language. Most of the time it’s not even your choice – it’s your upbringing.”

When people like Mousu are featured on social media, they are invariably met in the comments by some variation of the phrase, ‘Tkellem bil-Malti’ (speak in Maltese). According to Meli, these kinds of comments are a result of Malta’s culture of polarisation.

“It comes from a place of insecurity. Sometimes I understand it, as the online media landscape is dominated by English. But Malta is a bilingual country and there’s room for both. Instead of making English the enemy and judging people for speaking it, we should be asking – why isn’t there a balance between the two languages? Why isn’t the Maltese content that is available of good quality? Why are Maltese newspapers and adverts full of spelling mistakes? I think these are more worthwhile questions to ask.”

While trying to approach the use of language from an academic, curious perspective as opposed to a judgemental one, he does occasionally wince at some of the Maltese he hears in the street.

“My partner and I have an inside joke: whenever we see a mother and child, we tell each other, Għamillu nice il-man, because it’s a phrase Maltese parents seem to love. I don’t want to judge, but I think it’s fascinating and a shame that people aren’t equipped with the skills to stick to one language in the same sentence.”

Disappointed by direction Maltese is headed in

The influx of foreign nationals over the past few years has brought even more languages to Malta’s shores. While some believe this is another threat to the Maltese language, Meli observes a level of hypocrisy in these arguments.

“How can we expect foreigners to speak Maltese if we aren’t capable of speaking proper Maltese to each other?”

Despite the many stories of communication breakdowns between Maltese customers and foreign workers who are unable to speak either official language properly, Meli disagrees with the idea of learning Maltese being mandatory for anyone who wants to live and work here.

How can we expect foreigners to speak Maltese if we aren’t capable of speaking proper Maltese to each other?

“From personal experience, when you force someone to learn something, they won’t love it. I think it would do more harm than good.

“Yes, it’s annoying when you can’t communicate with someone in your own country. But the reasons for that go beyond that specific foreigner – there are social, political and economic factors at play. We should be asking how that person ended up in that predicament and how we can reduce these kinds of situations. We need to be mature and empathetic enough to not put the blame on the individual.”

On the future of Maltese, Meli says that while he is not a pessimistic person, he is disappointed by the direction the language is headed in.

“There are many simple things we could be doing to protect the language, but aren’t, like using online resources and making an effort to speak to kids properly in Maltese. I’d like us to get to a point where, even if you don’t have a great love for the language, at least you can find it easy to express yourselves in both Maltese and English.”