Metaphors play a significant role in everyday speech that affects the ways in which we perceive, think and act. They are not just something computed in the heads of the individuals. They are tools that help us both individually and collectively to make sense of the world around us and to act accordingly. As such they embody cultural reality.

The Maltese language, like any other language, is imbued with metaphors that enrich the way we communicate with others. However, there are metaphors that may not be so enriching. One such metaphor is in relation to a pregnant woman: il-mara ser tixtri, literally meaning "the woman is going to buy". Apparently, this line of thinking is not limited to the Maltese. Sicilians, especially older generations, used the expression la donna sta comprando.

But whereas this form of expression among the Sicilians has almost died out, the Maltese expression is still very colloquial in conjunction with another expression, namely il-mara ħarġet tqila or so and so hija tqila. As an academic specialising in mental health issues I find the metaphor il-mara ser tixtri quite disturbing. Embedded in this expression is an exchange/trading metaphor. As such it is incorporating the following properties: Bargaining; buying and selling; dealing with money (or other substitute); exchange; a material object.

Therefore, the unborn baby (and the newly-born baby) that the woman "is buying"/"has bought" embodies the above properties. In materialising the "object", the baby is "dehumanised" by being equated with an object. By putting on a value on the "object" we are actually devaluing the human life. How can we put a price on a human being?

The analysis of the metaphor il-mara ser tixtri further suggests that the "object" is physically out there rather than being embodied within the subject, namely the mother that is carrying the baby. According to the literature, something or someone that we love is perceived closer to us. By placing the object "out there" we are distancing ourselves from it.

To make matters worse, the "object" in the metaphor is omitted. Through the principal of omission, this suggests a further emotional distancing from the baby. As a consumer, the subject (in this case the woman) can dispose of the "commodity" accordingly depending on its need. Does this explain why one of the Maltese traditional children"s rhymes portrays such attitude?

"Boom boom il-bieb
Onġi onġi onġella...
Ħuduha la triduha
Għax aħna m'għandniex x'nambuha"

(The last two lines meaning: "You can take her (the girl) if you want her because we do not need her".)

This traditional rhyme is still fully alive and passed on from one generation to another. So much so it has now found its way in popular culture through the composition of a Maltese song.

Whether we are aware of it or not, the metaphor in question has permeated our psyche at a deep level. Indeed, another related expression - Mingħajr flus la tgħannaq u l-anqas tbus (Without money you do not hug or kiss) - seems to confirm the above argument. Two expressions of love, namely hugging and kissing, equated to money!

The questions we need to ask are: What messages are we giving through such expressions? Do we really value ourself and others? How does our culture contribute or indeed hinder the enhancement of our self-esteem - a construct that is so vital for our psychological and psychosocial development and mental health?

A preliminary study that I conducted in 1996 with regard to psychological adjustment of Maltese-Australian and Anglo-Australian adolescents indicated that Maltese-Australian adolescents experienced significantly lower levels of self-esteem in comparison to the other group.

The same study also showed that the lower self-esteem the higher levels of stress that adolescents experienced. It would be interesting to know how native Maltese adolescents feel about their self-esteem in comparison with adolescents from other ethnic groups.

Like any other country, Malta has a dark side to its culture that still needs to be identified and acknowledged if we really want to get to the core elements of our Maltese identity, both individually and collectively. This dark side is a by-product of our long history of colonisation. Its psychological and psychosocial implications are still with us whether we are aware of them or not.

Dr Borg is a lecturer at Victoria University, Melbourne. She specialises in mental health across cultures. She is also the founder of the Maltese Connections Project ( www.malteseconnections.com ).