The euro (1)

It appears that the spelling of the word 'euro' has stirred a hornets' nest. Many think this is unnecessary, as it is evident that certain 'loan-words' should be liberally accepted as they are, absorbed into the language tale quale. In this case, many hold that the word is already established here, in its spelling and in its meaning.

The euro is the name of a coin, soon to be in circulation in Malta, and is already widely acclaimed in a good part of broader Europe. It is not Malta-born, so the spelling comes in a shape alien to Maltese phonetics. But just as we accept Jane and John Smith and do so without any linguistic ripples, we should accept the name of the coin as it comes - word spelling and all. Words like these, spelt in a non-Maltese way, are acceptable to the norm of lexicography, and indeed phonetics dictate they should be retained at least as alternatives, having the right to exist.

No alteration in the lettering will make the word more Maltese and the island will lose nothing by adopting it fully. In fact, dissident spelling would make it less European and would go against the general feeling that we are now a part of a set. And what's in a name of a coin? And more so, what's in the manner it is spelt here?

Scholars opt for simple solutions but no politician or phonologist can alter the course of language of a people, nor can they control the international scenario and its words of daily life, when these are mellowed by educated usage and by the patina of time and circumstances.

Maltese is a living language, very likely to be enriched no end by the arrival of a new world order, with so much togetherness coming into shape. 'Loan-words' become ours, a reality felt in all languages.

In effect, from now on, very few words are likely to be Malta-born and the current 'loan-language' is likely to do a great service to Maltese, even phonetically. Time will put everything into shape.

The English plural has now become an accepted part of our tongue - a thing undreamt of yesterday; and in a similar or way, our phonetics are likely to be hard put to it to reject convenient changes and alternatives when these do come, as they must do, from beyond the horizon.

Scholarship demands selection and this should be guided by the established usage and national convenience. The end is to find the right word in the right place and in the right spelling. No pettiness is needed and linguistic purity, in any of its branches, is a myth. So we must do our best to give inverted commas a rest.