Maltese Learning Community and Resources

Good afternoon everyone!

Today, I’d like to give you some insight into how the history of colonialism in Malta influenced the Maltese language, how the language changed over time and how we use it today.

Until 1964, Malta was always ruled by a foreign nation.

 
Some of the greatest empires in world history planted their roots in Malta, often for military purposes due to the island’s strategic geographical position. Since Malta is located at the center of the Mediterranean and is a sort of bridge between Southern Europe and North Africa, it played an important role in the outcome of many military and political events, including the Second World War.

Let’s take a look at our history to understand how the presence of all the different colonial powers in Malta left not only political, industrial, or economic effects, but also a social one — even on our language, a rich language with characteristics of both Latin and Semitic origins.

 
A unique language unlike any other... a language I hope you're enjoying learning and trying to use daily during your time in Malta!

Let’s start from the most recent past and move backwards.

From 1813 to 1964, Malta formed part of the British Empire. This part of our history explains why English is still an official language in Malta today. In fact, Malta is a bilingual island where both English and Maltese are official languages — but Maltese is the national language of the country.

During the period of British rule in Malta, English was the language officially used in academic and political contexts, among others. The reputation of the Maltese language during these times wasn’t always positive, as Maltese was associated with people of a poor educational background.

The contact between these two languages in Malta resulted in a very interesting blend in Maltese of Anglo-Saxon words with a Maltese twist, many of which are still in use today.

Let me start with an anecdote that might make you giggle.

 
In Maltese, there is the word "fajjar". This verb means to throw or shoot something forcefully. It can be used for an object, for example:

“Il-futboler fajjar il-ballun għal ġol-lasta b’saħħa ta’ ljun” (The footballer fired the ball into the net with the strength of a lion); but also to describe someone’s attitude while speaking, for example: “Tant kien irrabjat li qabad ifajjar it-tgħajjir lil sieħbu mingħajr ħsieb” (He was so angry that he started hurling insults at his friend without thinking).

But where did the word "fajjar" come from?

 
In fact, its pronunciation is very similar to the English word "fire". During the war, when British soldiers gave the command “fire!”, Maltese soldiers didn’t always understand its meaning. However, they understood that when that command was given, they were meant to shoot with their guns or cannons. And that’s how the Maltese word "fajjar" came about — from the Maltese interpretation of the English command “fire”.

English has also been adopted into Maltese in such a way that we often see examples of words with English roots but assimilated into Maltese according to Semitic grammar rules.

The verb “jipparkja” is a perfect example of what I’m talking about.

The root of the word "park" comes from the English verb “to park”. But its conjugation, even though it’s of English origin, follows the Semitic grammatical rules of Maltese. So:

I park – Jien nipparkja
You park – Int tipparkja
He parks – Hu jipparkja
We park – Aħna nipparkjaw
You (pl.) park – Intom tipparkjaw
They park – Huma jipparkjaw

The way these two languages have coexisted is not only clear now in Malta as a bilingual island, but also in how we “Maltified” English in our language — it’s truly fascinating.

I’m sure that as you learn Maltese, you’ll discover many more examples of this type of language mixing.

Let’s move on to the next colonial power, the French colony led by Napoleon. The French ruled Malta for only two years, from 1798 to 1800. But in that short time, they managed to leave a significant impact on Malta and our language. During the French rule, Napoleon declared that French was to be the national language of our island, and like English after it, it was the language used in academic and political contexts.

It should come as no surprise that the Maltese, through constant contact with French, learned a bit of the language and began to use certain words themselves.

In Maltese, we find many words that were taken directly from French. Just take the morning greeting Maltese people use, "Bonġu" which, as you may have noticed, resembles the French greeting “Bonjour”. In the evening, we use the greeting “Bonswa”, which comes from the French “Bonsoir”.

Other commonly heard words include:

• "portmoni" from "porte-monnaie" (though in Maltese we also use "kartiera" to mean the same thing – a wallet)
• the verb "jiżbarazza" from "débarrasser" (to clean up / to get rid of)
• "pitrava" from "betterave" (beetroot)

These are just a few out of hundreds of words we’ve adopted from French.

For now, I’ll stop here. Malta’s history is so long that I could write an entire thesis on the subject I’ve started discussing with you today.

In the next part of this discussion, I’ll mention the Knights of St. John, the Italian influence on Maltese, and of course one of the most interesting elements of our language — its Semitic roots.

Maybe by the next blog post, you’ll be inspired to do a bit of your own research and share your findings with me, even based on what you’ve heard during your time in Malta.

See you soon!