I thank Joe Morana and Stephen Piazza for their reference to my letter on the Maltese and English languages spoken in Malta. I am truly glad to know that I am wrong in placing everyone in the same basket, but I can assure you I am not an exception.

I am not one bit proud of my lack of knowledge of the Maltese language but, like me, hundreds of young Maltese girls and boys were brought up in schools where the Maltese language was not spoken and, I shall go further (scandal!), we are also not allowed to speak Maltese. Our schooling was 100 per cent British-system, our teachers were mainly Irish nuns, our text books were all in English. All subjects were taught in English and, yes, we were given more French and Italian lessons than Maltese lessons.

With all due respect to the school I went to - and not only in that school - the Maltese language, culture and literature were not taught. Yes, some mention was given to Is-salib tal-fidda but definitely not more than just a superficial encounter... and, please, back me up those who came to school with me in the 1950s and early 1960s. Maybe we were a minority in a small island were social classes did and do exist.

Incidentally, till this day and age, English is the language spoken mostly in several households. Things are changing. Colonial Malta is gasping and, yes, for good Maltese and English taught to everyone and everywhere. We are, after all, all writing in English in a Maltese newspaper that is very popular indeed in Malta and it is called The Times.

To summarise, the Maltese language must be kept alive and enhanced while the teaching and use of English as the international language cannot but be optimal. Mostly, one has to put an end to the fact that the use of a language represents a "social class", a horrendous concept in this day and age when "social classes" are fading away in many countries. Yes, because this is the major problem...