If people write to you in Maltese, reply in Maltese, President George Vella told high-ranking public officials on Wednesday.
That could be one effective way of using the unique mother language to keep it alive and safeguard it for future generations.
Vella was speaking at a conference for permanent secretaries, directors general, assistant directors, communications coordinators and other public officials who hold managerial and administrative roles in several ministries and government entities.
The conference is part of the ongoing campaign - 'L-Ilsien Malti għal Qalbi' (I cherish the Maltese language) - organised by the Office of the President in collaboration with seven Maltese language organisations, and aimed at raising awareness about the beauty of the Maltese language and the importance of preserving it as part of the nation's identity.
"Nobody here is saying we should do away with bilingualism. The English language is one of our most powerful tools for the advancement of the nation. But we can find ways to use both Maltese and English at the right times and in the correct ways," Vella said.
"For example, if people write to us in Maltese, we should continue the correspondence in Maltese. It is also important that you send out official communication from government entities in both languages."
The campaign was launched last June and has since tried to raise awareness among Maltese speakers to use words that have deeper Maltese roots than other words influenced by Italian and English.
Maltese speakers have a duty to guard their language, making sure the original, Semitic Maltese words live on for generations to come, Vella had said.
Wednesday's conference was the beginning of the third phase of the campaign. Following awareness efforts, the launch of a digital children's book and the promotion of better use of the Maltese language, the campaign will now move 'from words to actions', Vella said.
High-ranking government officials attended the conference. PHOTO: Office of the President."We are in no way attempting to stifle the language from evolving naturally as it has always done," he said.
"We want the language to continue to develop in new ways of communication and to take in new words as well. But we need to put the brakes on the way it is being misused, because it is being contaminated without control."
Vella said there is no doubt the Maltese people love their language, but asked if they love it enough to actively protect it.
There is a risk that the Maltese language finds itself in the showcase of our culture, and becomes the language of a museum, he said, but it cannot become a museum piece because it will die.
"But we mostly need to control everything that is said in the media. The way that the Maltese language is being shattered in the media concerns me a lot," he said.
"And we also need to keep tabs on impressive new technologies that are being developed worldwide to strengthen the less popular languages. These tools can be of great benefit to help us preserve our language.
During the conference, the high-ranking public officials were also given a series of talks from professionals in the field about better use of language.
Culture Minister Owen Bonnici, Education Minister Clifton Grima, deputy speaker David Agius and PN culture spokesperson Julie Zahra also delivered addresses at the beginning of the conference.