Professor Joseph Eynaud (The Sunday Times, November 13) lamented that we Maltese must have an inferiority complex when we switch to English in the presence of foreigners. Hold on firmly to your Maltese when you communicate, urges the good professor.
Holding on is what the Maltese do when they visit Gozo. There it's the Gozitans who switch from Gozitan to Maltese. Likewise when the Maltese and Gozitans are in the presence of Italians or British, they switch to Italian or English respectively.
Switching is not a sign of inferiority complex but of dexterity and flexibility, adapting to different environments. The Gozitans are not at the bottom of the communication chain. They are at the top, making everyone at ease for a good conversation. And the Maltese are a close second as long as they don't listen to the good professor who threatens to send them to the bottom.
One of the worst things the Maltese government did when it joined the European Union was to foist the Maltese language on mainland Babel. To understand the nonsense that permeates the arguments about imposing Maltese on mainland Europe, imagine the Ministry for Gozo using exactly the same numerous arguments to impose the Gozitan manner of speaking on Malta.
English is the international language in modern Europe. In Malta, the main newspaper is in English. Maltese patriots eat from its hands. Most Maltese who cannot read it are illiterate. If they cannot read the EU laws in English, they won't understand them in Maltese.
Contrary to what Professor Eynaud says, when we "insisted on using English mostly" after our independence, we didn't throw our native language away. Instead we armed ourselves with an extra language. We switch between the languages to our own egoistic advantage and pleasure.
From the United States, I read the online edition of The Times to see Malta's façade on the world. It's the unofficial mouthpiece of the Maltese government and educated circles. But to get the pulse of the Maltese people, I dip into the Maltese language newspapers and radio stations where the expressions come out unfiltered.
With English being the language of choice in international circles, the Maltese are uniquely placed to blend in effortlessly, thanks to the foresight of our forefathers.
We need to go one step further and promote English as Malta's main language in the EU. This will entice foreign entrepreneurs and tourists to consider Malta as their natural base for business and relaxation. Instead of hiding our English capabilities, we should put our international communication abilities at the forefront.
Just as we are about to throw out the Maltese lira with its revered historical characters and features and adopt the euro as the common currency of business, we should promote English as our main language in Europe instead of shipping an army of Maltese translators and interpreters to Brussels.
The quest for global markets calls for common sense, not misplaced nationalism.