Council takes decisions on written Maltese
The National Council on the Maltese Language has published a set of rules on written Maltese, settling a number of longstanding issues, although the process still has to continue.
A document issued today explains the use of capital letters, the use of words which are joined together and the spelling of several words.
For example, one should write Awwissu, now Awissu, beritta not berretta, dettall not detal, dvalja, not tvalja, lembuba not lenbuba, kuritur, not kuridur, xbieha, not xbiha, xhieda not xiehda and Magreb, not Maghreb.
The decisions were published in today’s Government Gazette.
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Maria Schembri
Jul 26th 2008, 13:23
@ Amanda Mallia
that is not dialect, but the way it is written - it IS 'tidhak' and not 'tidhaq' because you say 'dahka' and not 'dahqa' ... it is all based on the roots of the word
Amanda Mallia
Jul 26th 2008, 08:55
Joseph E. Briffa - You said "These people should learn that one should not dabble in Maltese written words unless they are at least capable of pronouncing the borrowed words the proper way in the original language."
Well said. I have no idea who forms part of "Kunsill tal-Malti", but the people on such council must have an awful English accent, plus, judging by the way children's textbooks are written, they've also got a pretty strong Maltese dialect. (School books now use words such as "tidhak" instead of "tidhaq", etc.)
Alfred Grech
Jul 26th 2008, 08:53
But Andrew, we don't say Awissu, we say Awwissu - we double the w. I agree with you on Kamra tal-Avukati and not ta' l-Avukati.
@ Joseph E Briffa. I always wrote dettal and not dettall. Not sure why they are putting a double l at the end.
Renato J. Costigan
Jul 26th 2008, 08:36
Sorry, but I don't agree with certain decisions taken about some words.
These regards Awwissu etc. but I have heard some other words
like SKONT and not SKOND. My reaction is as follows:-
'Skont' have two meanings: firstly it means 'according'
and the second meaning is 'a reduction in price' ( rohs fil-prezz).
Why there is no difference between the two words?
Can anyone from the council explain, please?
Joseph E Briffa
Jul 26th 2008, 08:07
What's all this fuss about? Whoever heard of writing Awissu not Awwissu, or tvalja not dvalja etc. I did my Maltese Matric in 1954 and then studied it a further year with Prof Aquilina at the Royal University of Malta and we always wrote kuritur not kuridur, dettall not detall!! So the Council is just rubber stamping what has been in use for over half a century? Is this what the Council is wasting its time on? Why doesn't it turn its attention to the riduculous way students and journalists are taught to spell ex as eks? or flet not flat? or hendawt not handout? In English flat is NOT pronounced flet and hand not hend? How can these eminent councillors contribute to the Maltese language if they can't even pronounce the words in English correctly? Who taught people to say Kempus not Kampus? These people should learn that one should not dabble in Maltese written words unless they are at least capable of pronouncing the borrowed words the proper way in the original language. Aquilina who gave birth to written Maltese as we know it today in the 1930s was a linguist; he must be turning in his grave!
Joe Morana
Jul 26th 2008, 08:01
About time! While we're at it, let's give the Maltese vocabulary back to the Maltese Language by doing away with foreign words that have been adapted to sound "Maltese", when in fact a Maltese word meaning the same exists. On the other hand, if one must use a modern foreign word in speaking or writing Maltese, just keep it in its original form and don't try to give a Maltese 'twist'.
Andrew Borg-Cardona
Jul 26th 2008, 01:17
Sorry, I'll stick to Awissu. It's pronounced that way - the other way sounds too much like a large crustacean. As for the rest of the document, which I glanced through, it's a worthy tome and at least it settled an argument I have been having with myself for far too long: it's Kamra tal-Avukati, not Kamra ta' l-Avukati.
Sandro Agius
Jul 26th 2008, 00:29
Hey, I hope these new rules will not be enforced during the next Matsec for it would be not fair with the students who have only one year to change there mentality. Another think I would like to mention is a simple question, "If Maltese is our language why in the University, Maltese in not so well threated and considered?"
Not to mention politics for I don't like Maltese politics, but I admired an action of Dr.Joseph Muscat in the EU Parlament were he asked the speaker to continue speaking in Maltese...incredible at that time no one considered our language altough we were already members...we must learn this....if we don't respect our language neither the foregneirs will do that....Viva l-Malti
Jessica Attard
Jul 25th 2008, 23:40
Hurrah for the initiative :) May our language prosper and develop further!
Amanda Mallia
Jul 25th 2008, 23:18
Petty decisions.
Words like kuxin, futbol, hiter, xawer, garaxx, mekkanik, flett and blekbord, to mention but a few, should be given priority, and eliminated from textbooks unless spelt in their correct English way.
Leaving the status quo means butchering not one, but two languages. (The net result being that children whose first language is English end up perplexed at the incorrect spelling and pronunciation of the Maltese version; children whose first language is Maltese likewise cannot grasp the correct English pronunciation, let alone the spelling.)