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Joe Friggieri of San Pawl tat-Tarġa took the trouble to explain that a pragmatic approach was needed if certain words were not available in the Maltese language. He showed by several examples how one could get around the paucity of the equivalent word by employing six or seven words to express oneself in various contexts.

If one wants to do that by sacrificing tautness of expression and to supplant that with a procession of words, so be it. It is because we lack certain words in our language that we are forced to find solutions like that suggested by Prof. Friggieri. I recently took some time to view a quiz programme on Net TV. I was impressed by the great number of words we have available in our language which were featured on the programme.

Unfortunately, most of these words have fallen into disuse and are mostly archaic, which is a shame. I blame our lazy propensity for utilising readily­available English or Italian words and phrases instead of Maltese. Those appearing on the media are guilty for the present state of affairs. That includes presenters, politicians and even university professors who should know better.

We should protect our language and frequently use what we already have. That we do not have but are forced to substitute with foreign words should be collated, and all involved in protecting our language take note of those words and ensure whenever possible that Maltese equivalents are chosen instead.