I hardly ever put pen to paper, however "shockwaves" ran across my veins and arteries when I read Frank Salt's opinion piece English-Speaking Malta (May 11). I wondered for a while whether I should seriously consider the author's opinion, but enough is enough.

Mr Salt claims that in the past most Maltese people spoke English frequently and fluently but not now that the Maltese are using the Maltese language more frequently. I have to remind Mr Salt that in the past, Malta was a British colony but now that we are a sovereign independent European state, the Maltese language is the rule of the day - and rightly so. That is what makes us a nation, something to be proud of.

At home we were a family of six and did not utter a word of English. All of our conversation was in Maltese. Of course, we used to learn English at school and are able to write and speak the language.

I do not agree that the English language is being eradicated from the minds of the Maltese population. I can assure all Malta-loving English tourists that we can show them the way around "whatever the issue" without any difficulty.

Mr Salt seems to be boasting that after having lived in Malta for 41 years he cannot grasp the Maltese language. For that I pity him and I pity him even further that he should state that he prefers English to Maltese, having spent most of his upbringing in England - that is his problem.

Like myself, he has travelled widely and I can assure him that with pride and passion I have boasted of the Maltese language as being my "mother tongue". I am proud to be Maltese and even prouder to speak the national language. People of different nationalities abroad recognise us as a nation only because we have our own distinct language apart from speaking English as another language.

I agree that the English language should be given its due importance but the matter should stop there. On what authority does Mr Salt suggest to the Education Department that the curriculum give priority to English, that the local language be only taught at home, and that local TV stations should be run in English.

By the way, the Eurovision Song Contest was won by Serbia with a song delivered in the country's official language and obviously very few individuals understood its meaning.

The Maltese language is the country's mother tongue and is there to stay as our official language from the cradle to the grave. I am all admiration for those past and present who over so many decades have polished our Maltese language - a cultural heritage which is the pride of the Maltese nation and without which the Maltese Islands would be struck in oblivion.