Maltese language
19031
225969116
2008-07-16T07:01:36Z
Yolgnu
6690847
there is no evidence for a Sicanian substrate; please don't speak about "some sources" without citing specific sources; Sicilian is in no way "Italian"
{{incomplete}}
{{Infobox Language
|name=Maltese
|nativename=Malti
|familycolor=Afro-Asiatic
|states=
{{flag|Malta}} <br>
{{flag|Australia}} <br>
{{flag|Canada}} <br>
{{flag|Gibraltar}} <br>
{{flag|Italy}} <br>
{{flag|UK}} <br>
{{flag|USA}} <ref name="ethnolog">[http://www.ethnologue.com/show_language.asp?code=mlt Ethnologue entry for Maltese]</ref>
|speakers= ca 500,000
|fam2=[[Semitic languages|Semitic]]
|fam3=[[West Semitic]]
|fam4=[[Central Semitic languages|Central Semitic]]
|fam5=[[South Central Semitic languages|South Central Semitic]]
|fam6=[[Arabic language|Arabic]]
|nation={{flagicon|European Union}} [[European Union]] <br> {{flagicon|Malta}} [[Malta]] |agency=[[Il-Kunsill Nazzjonali ta' l-Ilsien Malti]]
|iso1=mt|iso2=mlt|iso3=mlt
}}
'''Maltese''' (''Maltese: Malti'') is the [[national language]] of [[Malta]], and a co-official [[Languages of Malta|language of the country]] alongside [[English language|English]],<ref>[http://docs.justice.gov.mt/lom/legislation/english/leg/vol_1/chapt0.pdf ''Constitution of Malta'', I.5.(1)],</ref> while the language also serves as an [[Languages of the European Union|official language of the European Union]]. Maltese is generally accepted to be descended from [[Siculo-Arabic]] (the Arabic dialect that developed in [[Sicily]] and the rest of [[Southern Italy]])<ref name=MED>{{Harvcoltxt|Brincat|2005}}</ref> imprinted over the top of the original [[Sicanian language]] there, and with substantial borrowing from other languages such as [[Sicilian language|Sicilian]] and [[Italian language|Italian]]. A connection to the ancient [[Punic language]] has been mostly discredited.<ref>{{cite book |title= Aspects of Multilingualism in European Language History |last= Vella |first= Alexandra |editor= Kurt Braunmüller
and Gisella Ferraresi |series= Hamburg Studies on Muliculturalism |year= 2004 |publisher= John Benjamins
Publishing Company |location= |isbn= 9027219222 |pages= p. 263 |chapter= Language contact and Maltese intonation: Some parallels with other language varieties }}</ref> It is the only [[Semitic languages|Semitic language]] written in the [[Latin alphabet]] in its [[standard language|standard form]].
In the course of [[History of Malta|history]], the language adopted large vocabulary and grammar influences from [[Sicilian language|Sicilian]] and [[Italian language|Italian]], making them the now majority vocabulary influence of the language. An increasing vocabulary (some with their [[plural]] forms) are also borrowed from [[English language|English]].
Maltese became an [[official language]] of Malta in [[1934]], alongside English, when Italian was dropped as official.<ref>{{cite web | title="A view of the linguistic situation in Malta" | url=http://www6.gencat.net/llengcat/noves/hm04primavera-estiu/a_badia1_3.htm | author=Ignasi Badia i Capdevila | accessdate=2008-01-04}}</ref> Today, there are an estimated 500,000 Maltese speakers, of whom 400,000 reside in Malta. Thousands of Maltese emigrants in [[Australia]], [[Canada]], [[Gibraltar]], [[Italy]], the [[UK]], the [[USA]] can still speak the language.<ref name="ethnolog"/> In 2007 it was reported that Maltese is still spoken by Maltese descendants in [[Tunisia]].<ref name="ToM1">''Times of Malta'', 11 February 2007</ref>
For centuries, Maltese was generally only spoken, with writing being done in Sicilian, the language of the country's governing power. The oldest known document in Maltese is "[[Cantilena|Il Cantilena]]," a poem from the [[15th century]] written by Pietro Caxaro.<ref name=Cantilena>{{cite web | title=The 'Cantilena'| url=http://www.my-malta.com/interesting/cantilena.html |accessdate=2007-07-29}}</ref>
==Phonology==
===Consonants===
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;"
|+ Consonants of Maltese<ref>{{Harvcoltxt|Hume|1996|p=165}}</ref>
|-
! colspan=2 |
! [[Bilabial consonant|Bilabial]]
! [[Labiodental consonant|Labio-<br>dental]]
! [[Dental consonant|Dental]]
! [[Postalveolar consonant|Post-<br>alveolar]]
! [[Velar consonant|Velar]]
! [[Pharyngeal consonant|Pharyn-<br>geal]]
! [[Glottal consonant|Glottal]]
|-
! colspan=2 | [[Nasal consonant|Nasal]]
| {{IPA|m}} || || {{IPA|n}} || || || ||
|-
! rowspan=2 | [[Plosive consonant|Plosive]]
! <small>[[Voiceless consonant|voiceless]]</small>
| {{IPA|p}} || || {{IPA|t}} || || {{IPA|k}} || || {{IPA|ʔ}}
|-
! <small>[[Voiced consonant|voiced]]</small>
| {{IPA|b}} || || {{IPA|d}} || || {{IPA|g}} || ||
|-
! rowspan=2 | [[Fricative consonant|Fricative]]
! <small>[[Voiceless consonant|voiceless]]</small>
| || {{IPA|f}} || {{IPA|s}} || {{IPA|ʃ}} || || {{IPA|ħ}} ||
|-
! <small>[[Voiced consonant|voiced]]</small>
| || {{IPA|v}} || {{IPA|z}} || || || ||
|-
! rowspan=2 | [[Affricate consonant|Affricate]]
! <small>[[Voiceless consonant|voiceless]]</small>
| || || {{IPA|ts}} || {{IPA|tʃ}} || || ||
|-
! <small>[[Voiced consonant|voiced]]</small>
| || || {{IPA|dz}} ||{{IPA|dʒ}} || || ||
|-
! colspan=2 | [[trill consonant|Trill]]
| || || {{IPA|r}} || || || ||
|-
! colspan=2 | [[Approximant]]
| || || {{IPA|l}} || || ||
|
|}
===Vowels===
{| class="wikitable"
|+Vowels of Maltese<ref>{{Harvcoltxt|Hume|1996|p=165}}</ref>
!
! [[Front vowel|Front]]
! [[Back vowel|Back]]
|-align=center
! [[Close vowel|Close]]
| {{IPA|i}}
| {{IPA|u}}
|-align=center
! [[Mid vowel|Mid]]
| {{IPA|e}}
| {{IPA|o}}
|-align=center
! [[Open vowel|Open]]
| colspan=2|{{IPA|a}}
|}
==Orthography==
===Alphabet===
{{main|Maltese alphabet}}
Below is the Maltese alphabet, with [[help:IPA|IPA]] symbols and approximate English pronunciation:
{|class="wikitable" cellpadding="3"
!Letter !! Name !! IPA !! Approximate English pronunciation
|-
|''' A a'''||a (for anġlu (angel))||{{IPA|a}}||similar to 'a' in f'''a'''ther
|-
|''' B b '''||be (for ballun (ball))||{{IPA|b}}||'''b'''ar, but at the end of a word it is devoiced to {{IPA|[p]}}.
|-
|''' Ċ ċ '''||ċe (for ċavetta (key))||{{IPA|tʃ}}||'''ch'''urch (note: undotted 'c' has been replaced by 'k', so when 'c' does appear, it is to be spoken the same way as 'ċ')
|-
|''' D d '''||de (for dar (home))||{{IPA|d}}||'''d'''ay, but at the end of a word it is devoiced to {{IPA|[t]}}.
|-
|''' E e '''||e (for envelopp (envelope))||{{IPA|ɛ}}||'''e'''nd
|-
|''' F f '''||effe (for fjura (flower))||{{IPA|f}}||'''f'''ar
|-
|''' Ġ ġ '''||ġe (for ġelat (ice-cream))||{{IPA|dʒ}}||'''g'''em, but at the end of a word it is devoiced to {{IPA|[tʃ]}}.
|-
|''' G g '''||ge (for gallettina (biscuit))||{{IPA|ɡ}}||'''g'''ame, but at the end of a word it is devoiced to {{IPA|[k]}}.
|-
|''' GĦ għ '''||[[ayin|ajn]] (for għasfur (bird))||{{IPA|ˤː}}, {{IPA|ħː}}||has the effect of lengthening and [[Pharyngealisation|pharyngealizing]] associated vowels. When found at the end of a word or immediately before 'h' it has the sound of a double 'ħ' (see below).
|-
|''' H h '''||akka (for hu (he))|| ||not pronounced unless it is at the end of a word, in which case it has the sound of 'ħ'.
|-
|''' Ħ ħ '''||ħe (for ħanut (shop))||{{IPA|ħ}}||no English equivalent; sounds like {{IPA|/h/}} to English speakers.
|-
|''' I i '''||i (for ikel (food))||{{IPA|i}}||s'''ea'''t
|-
|''' IE ie '''||ie (for ieqaf (stop))||{{IPA|iɛ}}, {{IPA|iː}}||'''ye'''t, f'''ee'''t
|-
|''' J j '''||je (for jasar (bondage))||{{IPA|j}}||'''y'''ard
|-
|''' K k '''||ke (for kelb (dog))||{{IPA|k}}||'''c'''ave
|-
|''' L l '''||elle (for libsa (dress))||{{IPA|l}}||'''l'''ine
|-
|''' M m '''||emme (for mara (woman))||{{IPA|m}}||'''m'''arch
|-
|''' N n '''||enne (for nanna (granny))||{{IPA|n}}||'''n'''ext
|-
|''' O o '''||o (for ors (bear))||{{IPA|o}}||like 'aw' in l'''aw''', but shorter.
|-
|''' P p '''||pe (for paġna (page))||{{IPA|p}}||'''p'''art
|-
|''' Q q '''||qe (for qattus (cat))||{{IPA|ʔ}}||glottal stop, found in the Cockney English pronunciation of "bo'''tt'''le" or the phrase "uh-oh".
|-
|''' R r '''||erre (for reġina (queen))||{{IPA|r}}||'''r'''oad
|-
|''' S s '''||esse (for salib (cross))||{{IPA|s}}||'''s'''and
|-
|''' T t '''||te (for tieqa (window))||{{IPA|t}}||'''t'''ired
|-
|''' U u '''||u (for uviera (egg-cup))||{{IPA|u}}||f'''oo'''d
|-
|''' V v '''||ve (for vjola (violet))||{{IPA|v}}||'''v'''ast, but at the end of a word it is devoiced to {{IPA|[f]}}.
|-
|''' W w '''||we (for widna (ear))||{{IPA|w}}||'''w'''est
|-
|''' X x '''||exxe (for xadina (monkey))||{{IPA|ʃ / ʒ}}||'''sh'''ade, sometimes as mea'''s'''ure; when doubled the sound is elongated, as in "Ca'''sh sh'''in" vs. "Ca'''sh''' in."
|-
|''' Ż ż '''||że (for żarbun (shoes))||{{IPA|z}}||ma'''z'''e, but at the end of a word it is devoiced to {{IPA|[s]}}.
|-
|''' Z z '''||ze (for zalza (sauce))||{{IPA|ts / dz}}||pi'''zz'''a; when doubled may change to go'''ds'''
|}
Final vowels with grave accents (à, è, ì, ò, ù) are also found in some Maltese words of Italian origin, such as ''libertà'' ("freedom"), ''sigurtà'' (old Italian: ''sicurtà'', "security"), or ''soċjetà'' (Italian: "società''; "society").
The official rules governing the structure of the Maltese language are found in the official guidebook issued by the ''Akkademja tal-Malti'', the Academy of the Maltese language, which is named ''Tagħrif fuq il-Kitba Maltija'', that is, ''Knowledge on Writing in Maltese''. The first edition of this book was printed in [[1924]] by the Maltese government's printing press. The rules were further expanded in the [[1984]] book, ''iż-Żieda mat-Tagħrif'', which focused mainly on the increasing influence of Romance and English words. In [[1992]] the Academy issued the ''Aġġornament tat-Tagħrif fuq il-Kitba Maltija'', which updated the previous works. All these works were included in a revised and expanded guidebook published in [[1996]].{{Fact|date=May 2008}}
Nowadays, the National Council for the Maltese Language (KNM) is the main regulator of the Maltese language (see Maltese Language Act, below) and not the Akkademja tal-Malti anymore. However, these orthography rules are still valid and official.{{Fact|date=May 2008}}
===Written Maltese===
Since Maltese evolved after the [[Italo-Normans|Normans]] ended the Arab rule of the islands, there was little interest in developing a written form of the language for a long time after the Arabs' expulsion in the eleventh century. This was caused by the clergy's preference of [[Latin]] or Italian vernacular over the local tongue, and since the clergy was the educated class of Maltese society, their preference for foreign tongues undermined the early development of Maltese in literature and prose. Furthermore, as the islands were almost<ref> Except for a period of roughly one hundred years of nominal Spanish rule over the island, while the government lay in the hands of the Maltese ''Kunsill Popolari'', Malta was continuously in foreign hands up until independence in [[1964]]. This period was termed ''Żmien l-Ispanjoli''. </ref> always under foreign rule, those in power preferred the advancement of their own mother language over the native tongue. Throughout the centuries, the use of the Maltese language was often discouraged with varying degrees of enthusiasm and success, ostensibly in the hope that supplanting it would strengthen ties with the country which held possession of Malta at that particular point in time, a concept which has continuously surfaced in the islands and is also present to a certain extent in the present day. Under the rule of the [[Knights Hospitaller|Order of the Knights of Malta]] both French and an embryonic version of Italian were used for official documents and correspondence. During the [[History of Malta#British rule|British colonial period]] the use of English was encouraged through education, while Italian was regarded as the next most important language.
It was not until [[1934]] that Maltese was even recognised as an official language, more as a British coup to offset Italian influence from that increasingly belligerent country than as a genuine belief in the importance of Maltese in the islands' administration. Uniquely, no other European country lacked a standardised written form of its language until the nineteenth century, when philologists and academics such as [[Mikiel Anton Vassalli]] made a concerted effort to transcribe spoken Maltese in a comprehensive written form. One would hence have to note that the lack of an established [[Maltese literature|written tradition]] affected Maltese culture and fueled apathy towards the Maltese language in certain segments of the nation.
===Sample===
From the ''Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe'':
{| border="3" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0" style="margin: 1em 1em 1em 0; background: #f9f9f9; border: 1px #aaa solid; border-collapse: collapse;"
||'''English'''
||'''Maltese'''
|-
||
The Union is founded on the values of respect for human dignity, freedom, democracy, equality, the rule of law and respect for human rights, including the rights of persons belonging to minorities. These values are common to the Member States in a society in which pluralism, non-discrimination, tolerance, justice, solidarity and equality between women and men prevail.
||
L-Unjoni hija mibnija fuq il-valuri ta' rispett għad-dinjità tal-bniedem, ta' libertà, ta' demokrazija, ta' ugwaljanza, ta' l-istat tad-dritt u tar-rispett għad-drittijiet tal-bniedem, inklużi d-drittijiet ta' persuni li jagħmlu parti minn minoranzi. Dawn il-valuri huma komuni għall-Istati Membri f'soċjetà karatterizzata mill-pluraliżmu, in-non-diskriminazzjoni, it-tolleranza, il-ġustizzja, is-solidarjetà u l-ugwaljanza bejn in-nisa u l-irġiel.
|}
==Vocabulary==
Although originally a dialect of Arabic with its predominately Semitic vocabulary, long-term contact with non-Arabic sources of influence, especially English and several Romance languages, have changed the nature of the lexicon to include a high percentage of non-Semitic words.<ref>{{Harvcoltxt|Friggieri|1994|p=59}}</ref> The present lexicon is based on a historical foundation of [[Siculo-Arabic]] roots with a large (now majority) percentage of [[Sicilian language|Sicilian]], [[Italian language|Italian]], [[English language|English]], and [[French language|French]] roots and stems.
The historical influence of Maltese vocabulary is 52% Italian/Sicilian, 32% Siculo-Arabic, and 6% English, with some of the remainder being French.<ref name=MED/><ref>[http://www.translationsmalta.com/page.aspx?pid=22 About Malta]; GTS; retrieved on [2008-02-24]</ref> In this respect it is similar to [[English language|English]] (a Germanic language heavily influenced by Norman French). The result of this highly uneven distribution of loanwords throughout the language is that a speaker of the loanword-source language (in this case Romance or English language speakers) can find a number of familiar words in, for instance, the [[:mt:|main page of the Maltese Wikipedia]] or comprehend the subject of a newspaper article, but cannot understand even such basic Maltese sentences such as ''Ir-raġel qiegħed fid-dar'' (''The man is in the house''). This situation resembles that of a monolingual English speaker, who will often be able to guess the content of something in [[French language|French]] if it is formal academic writing, but not understand much simpler sentences.
===Romance===
An analysis of the etymology of the 41,000 words in Aquilina's ''Maltese-English Dictionary'' shows that words of Romance origin make up 52% of the Maltese vocabulary,<ref name=MED/> although other sources claim from as low as 40% to as large as 55%.<ref>[http://www.bbc.co.uk/languages/european_languages/languages/maltese.shtml BBC Education - Languages<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref><ref>[http://216.239.59.104/search?q=cache:rjhPr7xsLBYJ:portal.uni-freiburg.de/angl/Englisches_Seminar/Lehrstuehle/LS_Kortmann/FoL/index_html/2008-03-17.8198766048+maltese+is+a+romance+language&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=14&client=safarihttp://216.239.59.104/search?q=cache:rjhPr7xsLBYJ:portal.uni-freiburg.de/angl/Englisches_Seminar/Lehrstuehle/LS_Kortmann/FoL/index_html/2008-03-17.8198766048+maltese+is+a+romance+language&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=14&client=safari]</ref> These vocabulary tend to deal with more complicated concepts. They are mostly derived from [[Sicilian language|Sicilian]] and thus exhibit Sicilian phonetic characteristics, such as {{IPA|/u/}} in place of {{IPA|/o/}} and {{IPA|/i/}} in place of {{IPA|/e/}} (e.g. ''tiatru'' not ''teatro'' and ''fidi'' not ''fede''). Also, as with Old Sicilian, {{IPA|/ʃ/}} (English 'sh') is written 'x' and this produces spellings such as: ''ambaxxata'' {{IPA|/ambaʃːaːta/}} ('embassy'), ''xena'' {{IPA|/ʃeːna/}} ('scene' cf. Italian ''ambasciata, scena'').
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Maltese
! [[Sicilian language|Sicilian]]
! [[Italian language|Italian]]
! [[English language|English]]
|-
| Skola
| Scola
| Scuola
| School
|-
| Gvern
| Cuvernu
| Governo
| Government
|-
| Repubblika
| Ripùbblica
| Repubblica
| Republic
|-
| Re
| Re
| Re
| King
|-
| Natura
| Natura
| Natura
| Nature
|-
| Pulizija
| Pulizzìa
| Polizia
| Police
|-
| Ċentru
| Centru
| Centro
| Centre
|-
| Teatru
| Tiatru
| Teatro
| Theatre
|-
|}
===Siculo-Arabic===
There are also strong similarities between Maltese and [[Siculo-Arabic#Arabic words in Modern Sicilian|Sicilian words of Arabic origin]], on account of the [[Sicily#Arab Sicily (827–1072)|comparable cultural situation]] between the two countries. Although Siculo-Arabic is extinct in Sicily, it survived on Malta and developed into what is now the Maltese language.<ref> Brincat, Joseph, M;[http://www.macmillandictionary.com/MED-magazine/February2005/27-LI-Maltese.htm Maltese – an unusual formula] MED Magazine; [2005-02]; retrieved on [2008-02-22]</ref>.
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Maltese
! [[Siculo-Arabic]]
! [[English language|English]]
|-
| Bebbuxu
| Babbaluciu
| Snail
|-
| Kapunata
| Caponata
| Caponata
|-
| Qassata
| Cassata
| [Sicilian cake]
|-
| Ġiebja
| Gebbia
| Cistern
|-
| Ġunġlien
| Giuggiulena
| Sesame seed
|-
| Saqqajja
| Saia
| Canal
|-
| Kenur
| Tanura
| Oven
|-
| Żaffran
| Zaffarana
| [[Saffron]]
|-
| Zahar
| Zagara
| Blossom
|-
| Żbib
| Zibbibbu
| Raisins
|-
| Zokk
| Zuccu
| Tree trunk
|-
|}
===Quranic Arabic===
{{Harvcoltxt|Żammit|2000}} found that 40% of a sample of 1,820 [[Classical Arabic|Quranic Arabic]] roots were found in Maltese, a lower percentage than found in [[Moroccan Arabic|Moroccan]] (58%) and [[Lebanese Arabic]] (72%).<ref>{{Harvcoltxt|Żammit|2000|p=241-245}}</ref> An analysis of the etymology of the 41,000 words in Aquilina's ''Maltese-English Dictionary'' shows that 32% of the Maltese vocabulary is of Arabic origin<ref name=MED/>, although another source claims 40%.<ref>[http://www.bbc.co.uk/languages/european_languages/languages/maltese.shtml BBC Education - Languages<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> Usually, words expressing basic concepts and ideas, such as ''raġel'' (man), ''mara'' (woman), ''tifel'' (boy), ''dar'' (house), ''xemx'' (sun), ''sajf'' (summer), are of Arabic origin.
The Maltese language has merged many of the original Arabic consonants together, in particular the [[emphatic consonants]], with others that are common in European languages. Thus, original [[Arabic alphabet|Arabic]] {{IPA|/d/}}, {{IPA|/ð/}}, and {{IPA|/dˤ/}} all merged into Maltese {{IPA|/d/}}. The vowels, however, separated from the three in Arabic ({{IPA|/a i u/}}) to the five that are common in most other European languages ({{IPA|/a ɛ i o u/}}). Some unstressed short vowels have been elided. The common Arabic greeting ''as-salāmu 'alaykum'' would look like ''is-sliem għalikom'' in Maltese.
===English===
It is estimated that English loanwords, which are becoming more commonplace, make up 20% of the Maltese vocabulary <ref>[http://www.bbc.co.uk/languages/european_languages/languages/maltese.shtml BBC Education - Languages<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>, although other sources claim the value amount to only 6%. This percentage discrepancy is due to the fact that a number of new English loanwords are sometimes not officially considered part of the Maltese vocabulary, hence they are not included in certain dictionaries.<ref name=MED/> English loanwords are generally transliterated, although standard English pronunciation is virtually always retained. Below are a few examples:
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Maltese
! English
|-
| Futbol
| Football
|-
| Baskitbol
| Basketball
|-
| Mowbajl
| Mobile [Phone]
|-
| Lift
| Lift/Elevator
|-
| Friġġ
| Fridge
|-
|}
==Grammar==
Maltese grammar is fundamentally derived from Siculo-Arabic, although [[Romance languages|Romance]] and [[English language|English]] noun pluralization patterns are also used on borrowed words.
===Adjectives & Adverbs===
As in Italian and other Romance languages, [[adjective]]s follow [[noun]]s. There are no separately formed native [[adverb]]s, and word order is fairly flexible. As in [[Siculo-Arabic]], both nouns and adjectives of [[Semitic languages|Semitic]] origin take the definite article (for example ''It-tifel il-kbir'', lit. "The boy the elder"="The elder boy"). This rule does not apply to adjectives of Romance origin.
===Nouns===
Nouns are pluralized and also have a [[dual grammatical number|dual]] marker. Semitic plurals are complex; if they are regular, they are marked by ''-iet''/''-ijiet'', e.g., ''art'', ''artijiet'' "lands (territorial possessions or property)" (cf. Arabic ''-at'' and Hebrew ''-ot'') or ''-in'' (cf. Arabic ''-īn'' and Hebrew ''-im''). If irregular, they fall in the ''pluralis fractus'' category, in which a word is pluralized by internal vowel changes: ''ktieb'', ''kotba'' "books", ''raġel'', ''irġiel'' "man","men". Words of Romance origin are usually pluralized in two manners: addition of ''-i'' or ''-jiet'' (for example ''lingwa'', ''lingwi'' "languages", from Sicilian ''lingua'', ''lingui''.) Words of English origin are pluralized by adding either an "-s" or "-jiet", for example ''tojlit'', ''tojlits'' from the English ''toilet'', ''toilets'' and ''friġġ'', ''friġis'' from the word ''fridge''. Some words can be pluralized with either of the suffixes to denote the plural. A few words borrowed from English can amalgamate both suffixes together, like ''brikksa'' from the English ''brick'', which can adopt either collective form ''brikks'' or the plural form ''brikksiet''.
===Verbs===
Verbs still show a [[triliteral]] Semitic pattern, in which a verb is [[grammatical conjugation|conjugated]] with [[Prefix (linguistics)|prefix]]es, [[suffix]]es, and [[infix]]es (for example ''ktibna'', Arabic ''katabna'', Hebrew ''katavnu'' "we wrote"). There are two [[grammatical tense|tense]]s: present and perfect. The Maltese verb system incorporates Romance verbs and adds Arabic suffixes and prefixes to them (for example ''iddeċidejna'' "we decided" < ''(i)ddeċieda'' 'Romance verb' + ''-ejna'', an Arabic first person plural perfect marker). Arabic only rarely does this, although several [[Varieties of Arabic|Arabic dialects]] like [[Tunisian Arabic|Tunisian]] do.
==Media==
{{main|Languages of Malta#Media}}
With Malta being a multilingual country, the usage of Maltese in the mass media is shared with other European languages, namely [[English language|English]] and [[Italian language|Italian]]. The majority of television stations broadcasted from Malta are in English or Maltese, although broadcasts from [[Italy]] in Italian are also received on the islands. Similarly, there are more Maltese language radio programs than English ones broadcast from Malta, but again, as with television, Italian broadcasts are also picked up. Maltese generally receives equal usage in newspaper [[periodicals]] to English.<ref name=LinguisticView>Ignasi Badia i Capdevila; [http://www6.gencat.net/llengcat/noves/hm04primavera-estiu/a_badia2_3.htm A view of the linguistic situation in Malta]; NovesSl; [2004]; retrieved on [2008-02-24]</ref>
The use of the Maltese language on the internet is not altogether common and the number of websites written in Maltese are few. Out of a survey conducted on 13 Maltese websites, 12 of them were English only, and the remainder was bilingual with neither language being Maltese.<ref>[http://mek.oszk.hu/minerva/html/dok/malta.doc Country report for MINERVA Plus in 2005]; Multilingual issues in Malta; Retrieved on [2008-02-24]</ref>
==Future==
Possible scenarios for the future of the Maltese language are a subject of speculation among scholars. Dialectal variation of Maltese are in decline while towards a more standardized usage is one current trend. Another is a tendency to adopt influence from English and Italian. Amongst the population, a [[language shift]] towards English has begun, while the the lexicological and grammatical patterns of the Maltese language itself have also Anglified.<ref name=LinguisticView/>
The media is a large factor in influencing the language, since most media content received in Malta is in English or Italian. Also, online use of Maltese, being very limited, has not allowed for specific requirements of the language, meaning that when typing, 'ċ' is often replaced with 'c', and 'ħ' with 'h'. The undotted 'z' is often written as 'tz' to distinguish it from 'ż' which is written as 'z', while 'ġ' is written as english influenced 'dj' to distinguish it from undotted 'g'. The letter 'y' is also increasingly used to write the letter 'j', which has instead come to be more used for 'ġ', while there is also a tendency to leave out 'j' from situations such as "-ija". {{fact}}
==See also==
{{InterWiki|code=mt}}
*[[Languages of Malta]]
==Notes==
{{reflist}}
==References==
*{{cite book|last=Azzopardi|first=C.|year=2007|title=Gwida għall-Ortografija|location=Malta|publisher=Klabb Kotba Maltin}}.
*{{citation
|last=Borg
|first=A. J
|last2=Azzopardi-Alexander
|first2=M
|year=1997
|title=Maltese
|publisher=Routledge
|ISBN=0415022436
}}
*{{citation
|last=Brincat
|first=Joseph M.
|year=2005
|issue=27
|title=Maltese-an unusual formula
|publisher=MED Magazine
|url=http://www.macmillandictionary.com/MED-magazine/February2005/27-LI-Maltese.htm
|accessdate=2008-02-22
}}
*{{citation
|last=Friggieri
|first=Oliver
|year=1994
|title=Main Trends in the History of Maltese Literature
|journal=Neohelicon
|volume=21
|issue=2
|pages=59-69
}}
*{{citation
|last=Hume
|first=Elizabeth
|year=1996
|title=Coronal Consonant, Front Vowel Parallels in Maltese
|journal=Natural Language & Linguistic Theory
|volume=14
|issue=1
|pages=163-203
}}
*{{cite book|last=Mifsud|first=M.|coauthors=A.J. Borg|year=1997|title=Fuq l-għatba tal-Malti|location=Strasbourg|publisher=Council of Europe}}.
*{{citation
|first=Martin
|last=Zammit
|editor-first=Manwel
|editor-last=Mifsud
|title=Proceedings of the Third International Conference of Aida
|year=2000
|ISBN=99932-0-044-1
|pages=241-245
|chapter=Arabic and Maltese Cognate Roots
}}
*{{cite book|last=Vassalli|first=Michelantonio|title=Grammatica della lingua Maltese|year=1827}}
==External links==
===Dictionaries===
*[http://www.maltaonlinedictionary.com/wordsearch/index.asp Malta Online Dictionary]
*[http://www.dicts.info/ud.php?l1=Maltese&l2=English English-Maltese-English dictionary]
*[http://www.englishmaltesedictionary.com English-Maltese dictionary]
*[http://www.dicts.info/dictlist1.php?l=Maltese Collection of Maltese dictionaries]
*[http://www.translatemaltese.com English-Maltese-English online translator]
===Laws===
*{{PDFlink|[http://docs.justice.gov.mt/lom/Legislation/Maltese/Leg/VOL_15/kap470.pdf L-Att dwar l-Ilsien Malti (Kap. 470)]|97.5 KB}}
*{{PDFlink|[http://docs.justice.gov.mt/lom/legislation/maltese/leg/vol_1/kap0.pdf Il-Kostituzzjoni ta' Malta (Kap. 1, Art. 5)]|368 KB}}
*{{PDFlink|[http://docs.justice.gov.mt/lom/Legislation/english/Leg/VOL_15/kap470.pdf Maltese Language Act (Chap. 470)]|3.38 KB}}
*{{PDFlink|[http://docs.justice.gov.mt/lom/legislation/english/leg/vol_1/chapt0.pdf Constitution of Malta (Chap. 1, Art. 5)]|303 KB}}
*{{PDFlink|[http://www.um.edu.mt/__data/assets/pdf_file/0014/10832/extstatute1.pdf Maltese and English - their roles at the University of Malta]|76.58 KB}}
===Organisations===
*[http://www.kunsilltalmalti.gov.mt Il-Kunsill Nazzjonali ta' l-Ilsien Malti]
*[http://www.akkademjatalmalti.com L-Akkademja tal-Malti]
*[http://www.ghaqdatalmalti.org Għaqda tal-Malti - Università]
*[http://www.ghpm.netfirms.com Għaqda Poeti Maltin]
===Technology and Maltese===
*[http://mitts.gov.mt/portalpublic/downloads/MTKBv1-0.exe Download the Maltese keyboard driver (Id-driver tat-Tastiera Maltija)]
*{{PDFlink|[http://mitts.gov.mt/portalpublic/downloads/Manwal%20tad-Driver%20tat-Tastiera%20Maltija%20Ver1_0.pdf Manwal tad-driver tat-Tastiera Maltija (MT)]|481.42 KB}}
*{{PDFlink|[http://mitts.gov.mt/portalpublic/downloads/Maltese%20Keyboard%20Driver%20Manual%20Ver1_0.pdf Maltese keyboard driver's Manual (EN)]|328.77 KB}}
*{{PDFlink|[http://www.csc.um.edu.mt/other/maltese.pdf Enabling the Maltese Language in Windows XP]|176 KB}}
*[http://unicode.org/standard/translations/maltese.html Unicode for Maltese]
*[http://linux.org.mt/article/spellcheck Maltese Spellchecker]
*[http://groups.yahoo.com/group/kelmet/ YahooGroup Kelmet - The Maltese language online forum]
===Literature and linguistics===
*[http://www.letteraturamaltija.com The Technical Committee for Literature within the National Council for the Maltese Language]
*[http://www.ba-malta.org/language/m_language.htm Maltese Language in Broadcasting]
*{{PDFlink|[http://www.phil-fak.uni-duesseldorf.de/summerschool2002/Hoberman.pdf Maltese verbal morphology]|208 KB}}
===Translations into Maltese===
*[http://www.tekom.de/index_neu.jsp?url=/servlet/ControllerGUI?action=voll&id=1947 Technical Documentation for Europe: Malta]
*[http://publications.europa.eu/code/mt/mt-000500.htm Maltese Style Guide (interinstitutional)]
===Glossaries and resources of the Maltese language===
*[http://adriangrima.250free.com/kumitat/ghodda.htm Rimarju Malti]
*[http://www.kappellimaltin.com/html/glossarju.html Kappelli Maltin]
*[http://gonna.maltaweb.biz/ Ġonna Maltin]
*[http://mfin.gov.mt/image.aspx?site=NECC&ref=Glossary3 L-ewro]
*[http://www.signwriting.org/malta/malta01.html Il-Lingwa tas-Sinjali Maltija]
*[http://www.theweddingsite.com/planningtips/courtesy_maltese.htm Ikteb l-inviti tat-tieġ bil-Malti]
{{Modern Semitic languages}}
{{Semitic languages}}
{{Maltese dialects}}
{{Official EU languages}}
[[Category:Languages of Malta]]
[[Category:Central Semitic languages]]
[[af:Maltees]]
[[als:Maltesische Sprache]]
[[am:ማልትኛ]]
[[ar:لغة مالطية]]
[[an:Idioma maltés]]
[[ast:Maltés]]
[[az:Malta dili]]
[[zh-min-nan:Malta-gí]]
[[bs:Malteški jezik]]
[[br:Malteg]]
[[bg:Малтийски език]]
[[ca:Maltès]]
[[cs:Maltština]]
[[cy:Malteg]]
[[da:Maltesisk (sprog)]]
[[de:Maltesische Sprache]]
[[et:Malta keel]]
[[el:Μαλτεζική γλώσσα]]
[[es:Idioma maltés]]
[[eo:Malta lingvo]]
[[eu:Maltera]]
[[fa:زبان مالتی]]
[[fr:Maltais]]
[[ga:Máltais]]
[[gv:Maltish]]
[[gl:Lingua maltesa]]
[[ko:몰타어]]
[[hsb:Maltašćina]]
[[hr:Malteški jezik]]
[[io:Maltana linguo]]
[[id:Bahasa Malta]]
[[ia:Lingua maltese]]
[[is:Maltneska]]
[[it:Lingua maltese]]
[[he:מלטית]]
[[sw:Kimalta]]
[[la:Lingua Melitica]]
[[lv:Maltiešu valoda]]
[[lt:Maltiečių kalba]]
[[li:Maltees]]
[[jbo:bangrmalti]]
[[hu:Máltai nyelv]]
[[mt:Lingwa Maltija]]
[[ms:Bahasa Malta]]
[[nl:Maltees]]
[[ja:マルタ語]]
[[no:Maltesisk]]
[[nn:Maltesisk språk]]
[[oc:Maltés]]
[[pl:Język maltański]]
[[pt:Língua maltesa]]
[[ro:Limba malteză]]
[[ru:Мальтийский язык]]
[[scn:Lingua maltisa]]
[[simple:Maltese language]]
[[sk:Maltčina]]
[[sl:Malteščina]]
[[sr:Малтешки језик]]
[[sh:Malteški jezik]]
[[fi:Maltan kieli]]
[[sv:Maltesiska]]
[[tl:Wikang Maltes]]
[[tr:Maltaca]]
[[uk:Мальтійська мова]]
[[wa:Maltès]]
[[zh:马耳他语]]