I am not an authority nor am I emphasising particular linguistic rules but am simply putting forward a teaser for further thinking as one who is learning a new language.
As a general rule languages have, from time immemorial, been influenced by other languages. Recently I discovered that this applies no less to the national language of my country, Bahasa Malaysia, which contains some similarity with Maltese. This discovery became an interesting discussion with my valuable friends, Mr J.J. Camilleri, poet and author, and Dr George Cassar, historical sociologist, that inspired me to write this article.
The language of each country consists of a mixture of elements coming from different sources. English has reached out in many directions and acquired words from almost every language. When the need of a new vocabulary was felt in the field of medicine, science, politics, etc., the English took the initiative and used the Greek and Latin languages as a source, using such words as, "phobia, hydro, psycho, cosmos, ultra, memory, diphtheria".
In turn, Maltese, French, Italian, German, Spanish, Russian, Malaysian, and others, borrowed many words from the English language.
In Malta, the Semitic influence is so strong that it remained the basis of spoken Maltese. The language is alive and there has always been the need of a new vocabulary. Modern Maltese took several words from the English such as: brejk, spanner, kowt, kuker, garaxx.
We also find Maltese words taken from the French like menu, filament, bukkett, bonswa, etc while many words were taken from the Italian and also from the Sicilian dialect. Today, these borrowed words have become part of the Maltese vocabulary. I've heard of people who know of some 6,000 words which derive from Sicilian like broru (brodu), cappeddu (kappell), carruba (harruba), etc.
It is amazing that some words from my country are written and sound like the Maltese words. This might be because our Bahasa Malaysia borrowed some words from the Portuguese and the Arabic languages and perhaps from the Mediterranean during the Sultanate of Melaka era, founded by a Malay Prince, Parameswara, a descendant of Alexander the Great of Macedonia in the Srivijaya period.
In the 15th and 16th centuries, Melaka became the most important port in Southeast Asia, a hub in the spice trade, serving as a gateway to the Spice Islands and the high-paying Eurasian markets. Eighty languages were reportedly spoken then.
In 15th century, Emperor Yong Le gave Princess Hang Li Po in marriage to Sultan Mansur Shah. A "new language" then emerged among them. Their descendants are called Peranakan.
I found some Maltese words which are similar to Bahasa Malaysia: Sabar-sabar, sekolah-skola, sultan-sultan, bin-bin, binti-binti, sabun-sapun, bendera-bandiera, meja-mejda, roda-rota, roh-ruh, miskin-miskin, kertas-karta, biola-vjola, zirafah-giraffa, nota-nota.
Once a foreign word is digested and found to "taste good" in everyday speech, it becomes part of the spoken language. Words get stretched and modified according to needs and in the end we call them "ours".