L-Imnara
Vol. 12, No. 1 (2021), Issue No. 42, published by BDL and Għaqda tal-Folklore

One of Annibale Preca’s aims behind his publication of Malta Cananea: ossia, investigazioni filologico-etimologiche nel linguaggio maltese in 1904 was his incorrect belief that Maltese was derived from the Phoenician language.

Still, his work is invaluable for the vast number of words he managed to collect to show that the vernacular was not as poor and limited as some may have liked to think. He drew up seven-word lists, many of which have since become obsolete.

In the latest issue of L-Imnara, which in recent issues has become a most elegant and collectible publication, Simon Salafia analyses a list of names of domestic animals where the language has words to distinguish between the sexes as well as their various ages.

He concentrates in particular on the several names for sheep and goats, their sex and their young, their various appearances and their types of coats and udders. He also reviews the words as they appear in Il-Miklem and Aquilina’s dictionary. It is a real pity but unavoidable that most of these names are bound to disappear in our modern society.

Just as linguistically interesting is the paper by Natalino Fenech on the names of songbirds and their various songs. Bird fanciers and trappers have indeed developed a very rich vocabulary to describe the song or call of particular birds, generally using onomatopoeic words.

There are four generic words for birdsong ‒ tisfir, tpespis, għana and versjar  ‒ but Fenech lists and explains the many particular names of the various birds based on his encounters with fanciers and trappers.

Types of finches, for example, have their particular songs, with the greenfinch having a whole repertoire, while the hawfinch apparently does not have any remarkable one.

The vernacular not as poor and limited as some may have liked to think

The verbs given and their explanations are numerous: tkerkir, żamżim, penpen, venven, zekzik, all of which fanciers can distinguish but which to the uninitiated are all Greek. A good number of these words are not found in published dictionaries.

The well-known figure of Ġaħan, popular both in the Mediterranean and the Arab world, has been studied by several scholars.

Martin Morana provides an interesting overview of this figure, who can both simple-minded and sly, as he appears in the folklore of Sicily and Turkey.

Saviour Camilleri continues with his study and explanations of liturgical vestments and the objects to be found in the sacristy, while Anton Attard writes about the processional statue of St Laurence at Vittoriosa, which is the only one in Malta dressed up in real clothes, which are finer than the ones it usually has in the niche. The actual ceremony is carried out by a priest.

Players of the traditional Maltese instrument iż-żaqq would be accompanied by someone playing the drum who would know what moves to make.

One Easter custom connected with Vittoriosa is the beġġiġa, when a host of young children go round the city’s streets singing a particular ditty to the accompaniment of drum. Last year’s beġġiġa was also hit by COVID when the drum was loaded on a truck and drove round followed by cars tooting their horns.

Another lengthy contribution is by Sergio Grech, who gives a concise history of literary anthologies in the local edu­cational system going back to mid-19th century.

E.B. Vella’s Ġabra ta’ Ward, with the charming illustrations by Edward and Robert Caruana Dingli, is fondly remembered by all older readers, a new edition of which was published in 2018. Vella’s son Reginald Vella Tomlin went on to publish prose and poetry anthologies himself.

Ward ta’ Qari Malti by Ġużè Aquilina and Pietru Pawl Saydon was another landmark anthology for senior use, while younger readers grew up with Id-Denfil, which was launched in 1973 for state schools, with private and independent school students turning to Il-Ġojjin. There was even a richer selection of anthologies born for SEC and MATSEC examination purposes, with some even being published by private schools.

The British forces in Malta regularly organised Yuletide parties for the children of their members, a custom that was also taken up by the King’s Own Regiment. Joseph C. Camilleri writes about these parties, which also helped to spread many British customs in lieu of the traditional ones.

A short contribution by Eman Bonnici continues with a previous issue to provide more information about the Addolorata Cemetery and explains how the cemetery came slowly to gain general acceptance. A board was set up to oversee the building of monuments and private chapels, with the first chapel being Sir Adriano Dingli’s.