Malta... where Saudi makes its money - literally.

Graham Crocker

Mar 8th 2009, 12:48

Frans Sammut,
Incredible You missed the point, even though it was so obvious.

Joe Xuereb

Mar 5th 2009, 11:09

May I add a rider to my last comment. The 'archaic' words I used as examples, interestngly, I remember from my Catechism (really?) reading when still a boy. It was already an oldish edition then and probably compliled when Maltese was still spoken as it should be. Not unlike the situation of Latin derivatives in English centuries ago, via Mr. Ecclesiasticus. I can imagine some dear monk compiling the Catechism in his cell. Allow me my nostalgia. I am getting on in years.
Back to the matter in question. Re: tourism 'it also has(?) meets almost all tastes in tourirsm. Almost being the operative word. Almost being the few, maybe the more powerful ones, who object to our beachwear attire and decide to call the shots. Somehow I cannot see female German, English tourists and a good representation of Maltese bints sharing space on sunning deckchairs with Burqa-ed women. Just a thought.

Joe Xuereb

Mar 5th 2009, 09:39

cont./ Particularly galling is the ruse of foreign words when the Maltese is readily available. This is stupid linguistic idleness, with detriments. Examples abound. Why say bonġu - or worse, good morning - when you could say il-għodwa t-tajba. Why say 'sorry li offendejtek' when you could equally, and infinitely more effectively say, 'jisgħobbija li regħxtek,. Why say 'grazzi' or worse still, thank you, when you should really be saying Nizzik (sorry, the z with a dot is stuck) ħajr. They sound archaic maybe because they are. So?! Something beautiful is worth reviving.
I have to admit that I used Aquilins's very expensive dictionary to state the above without making a fool of myself. It is called commitment to a cause. I try to put my money where my (big) mouth is.

Joe Xuereb

Mar 5th 2009, 09:26

Thank you Nelson Cachia.
I have never gone into the origins of Maltese to any great depth. To me that it is a Semitic language is good enough and feel very comfortable with it. A language reflects its speakers but is not its people. Even assurming that the present language developed during the Arab occupation, Maltese society was numerically insignificant and largely engaged in agriculture. Not exactly an ideal situation to take on the full range of Arabic vocabulary. After the Arabs' departure, Maltese started to develop yet again according to whoever was in situ. Until we come to the shambles of the language today. This is natural if unfortunate ((English took on many Latin derivates at a time when religious texts, even, and particulary, Roman Catholic ones, had clout. Latin derivates look comfortable in English as they are cleverly adapted to ''English, helped no doubt by the fact that Latin is not a practical living language. The same can not be said of foreign words used in Maltese from living languages. This is why modern foreign words in Maltese will always jar, will never sit comfortably with the Semitic Maltese. cont./

Frans Sammut

Mar 4th 2009, 22:13

@ Nelson Cachia
I took your point. But to say that Italian Fascists were not anti-Semitic is a fallacy. I trust you're not one of those who deny the Holocaust as well. Mussolini was no match for the Nazis. He even allowed them to murder his son-in-law, just imagine what he would do once they asked his regime to "give up the Jews". The Nazis, driven by their irrational ideology, were more direct and straightforward, Mussolini would dither but after a while fall in line. The tragedy of it all was that Madman Number One Adolf had modelled himself on Benito, by time their roles were altered and it was Adolf who rang the changes with poor Benito carrying out his behest. The truth is that had it not been for the Vatican, Italian Jews would have suffered much more under the Fascist regime.

Sandro Pace

Mar 4th 2009, 21:57

Doubting are entire identity at this critical period of external perils, demographic or geo-political, is dangerous. We have been accepted as members of the EU, and that makes Malta a European country in all. Make no doubt about it.

Malta is referenced as such in both 19th century English and Italian laws, the latter going as far as granting Italian citizenship to anyone who wanted it (legge crispi).

True, like some other S. European countries there is a small element of Arabic heritage, but that does not go beyond anything significant. Our language has Arabic roots, but it is written in the Western European alphabet.

Malta totally identify itself with Europe (from centuries), including way of life. No other one can claim anything on it. We are friends with anyone who wants to and respect the above reality, but we will not sell our soul.

shaun camilleri

Mar 4th 2009, 21:29

This id to people who thought I was degrading the language Maltese use. I personally am a foreign Maltese and thus Maltese is not my first language although I use it when I speak to Maltese as I find it embarrassing to speak to a Maltese in any other tongue than Maltese.

However my point was that the Maltese language does not make me an Arab. Even those who speak Arab are not of one ethnic race. They only have a common language and in many ways due to their religion have similar cultures but still Arab is not an ethnic race.

Nelson Cachia

Mar 4th 2009, 20:06

Frans Sammut,

Calling Fascist Italy an anti-Jewish regime is quite an exaggeration. Before Nazi encroachment, many Italian Jews (Guido Jung, Maurizio Rava) occupied lofty positions. Jabotinsky, a notorious Zionist, and his followers were actually trained by the Fascist Navy for a while. After the racial laws had to pass, there were no cases of imprisonments or deportations until after direct German occupation.

Italy and Germany were no natural allies. In 1934, Mussolini even threatened Germany with war when the SS assassinated Austrian premier Dollfuss in an attempt to annex the state. Ironically, Italy was pushed in the clutches of Germany by the Allies who, despite being staunch imperialists themselves, suddently turned out all humanitarian, when Italy invaded Ethiopia.

In any case, my point for invoking Mizzi is to contrast him with the typical Maltese who, as evident from most comments, seems to desire absolute disassociation from everything Arab. The former was thoroughly consistent. The latter in a state of denial.

Joe Xuereb

Mar 4th 2009, 16:58

@ David Kinraid. Thank you. I hope you enjoy your stay.
@ P. Ciantar. Niżżik ħajr (this is obsolete for 'thank you' David) sur Ciantar. Mill-qiegħ ta' qalbi.
PS. David, try and get someone to pronounce these few words (take them down on a piece of paper and go ask [patronising or what! hehehehe). Now there's a little project for you And a conversation starter if ever there was one. Go on! The Maltese are very approachable).
Ray, may I consult in future. Thank you.

Frans Sammut

Mar 4th 2009, 16:52

@Graham Crocker
Just for the record: The Maltese for the Arabic (not Arab, this being a human being, Arabic being his language) Allahu akbar (God is the greatest) would be Alla (hu) l-akbar. Notice that in Arabic there is no copula, i.e. the verb "to be", so Allahu akbar means "God IS the greatest", whereas in Maltese it could stand as "Alla l-akbar" but due to third language interferences we tend to bring in the pronoun standing as a verb. Needless to say, Arabic being more potent and therefore more independent does not need that.
Only beginners confuse Allahu (the name of God in Arabic similar to Eliyahu in Hebrew) with the Maltese "Alla hu", where you have the subject and the pronoun standing as a verb which is not, in reality, necessary.
P.S. Mizzi sought to denigrate Maltese because he had a political agenda, namely that of pleasing the Italian Irredentisti and the Fascisti after them. The funny side to Mizzi's arguments was that many of those carrying "Italian" names were actually descendants of Sicilian Jews with Italianized names. The result: disguised Jews supporting a rabidly anti-Jewish regime! That's where linguistic ignorance can lead.

David Kinraid

Mar 4th 2009, 15:34

I have just returned from my first trip to Malta which I enjoyed very much. Lovely place, nice people. While I am no linguist, to me the Maltese language (which I had never heard before) has an Arabic intonation and some definitely Arabic words. Having said that, if I sat and listened to the radio with my eyes closed, I could just about follow some of the announcers' comments based on the sheer volume of English, French, Italian and Spanish words that your language has assimilated.

Whether you see yourselves as ethnic Arab or ethnic European, you are what you are. You have your own language which, IMHO, you should continue to foster and nuture because a language lost is a culture lost.

Malta was a nice surprise because it is NOT all European or all Arab or all anything else. It is unique! Cherish that.

Ray de Bono

Mar 4th 2009, 15:07

The British in the early 20th century encouraged (and some say helped finance) the propagation of Maltese in its most Arabic-like form (carefully selecting words of Semitic origin over Romance ones, which picked up as a so-called ‘puritan’ fashion ever since). They went as far as including the use of the Arabic letters in the first Maltese Alphabet set, though this was soon dropped. The British may have deemed this a suitable way of undermining the drive for Italian as national language (spoken by many in Malta at the time). This helped cripple any political aspiration by pro-Italians (and they were many of them amongst the then educated & professional classes as well and the Catholic Church) for closer ties to what they claimed as 'motherland Italy'. One can speculate, that we speak a more Arabic-like form of Maltese thanks to the British, though, time beckons – languages are a living form of communication, and linguistic interventions are always short lived. This explains the fact the Maltese language spoken today so much differs from that in Maltese books like say, the bible translated by Saydon. I bet younger readers wouldn't comprehend many of the text used in it.

Ray de Bono

Mar 4th 2009, 15:02

Joking apart, Mr Crocker, language does not make ethnicity. One can argue (correctly) Maltese sounds very much like Arabic phonetically. But that does not make the language itself Arabic as Maltese has a strong and prevailing Italian vocabulary, too.

Following the same line of thought an African American in the US or an Australian Aborigine or Maltese/Greek/Italian immigrant talking English - are not classified as English. Ethnicity is a far more complex and diverse issue than simply that of the native language. Everybody is entitled to his/her opinion but let us not fall into general simplistic statements and make observations without proper knowledge on the matter.

Ray de Bono

Mar 4th 2009, 14:30

This is what makes the Maltese so interesting, and I like to say, somewhat ‘unique’ as people. They share so much with so many people around their tiny group of islands. This mix makes them richer and potentially so instinctively open to people hailing from diverse cultures yet with whom they share historic and cultural affinities, irrespective of their origin. The Maltese are old Europeans, forming a fascinating link in the regional historical evolution and their complex identity cannot but highlight the likely future of Europe as a society that ought to be more tolerant, understanding, yet more appreciative of the diversities that embellish its rich overall tapestry.

Ray de Bono

Mar 4th 2009, 14:30

One can also argue that we are Arabic speaking, though this argument will not necessarily hold linguistically from a scientific (i.e. objective) academic perspective, but this point – with all due respect to Arabic (which is a prominent, rich language) – does not make us Arabs.

Before making any sweeping amateurish statements, one needs to study historical evidence, and learn the truth about the Maltese peoples' origin. The Southern European identity, with a mix of Mediterranean and European ancestry - irrespective of the local vernacular, and its Semitic/Arabic/Italian & Sicilian undertones is the one that defines the average Maltese. We have a rich ethnical heritage that, yes, to some extent naturally includes North African elements, as well as it does include French, English, and Spanish and to a larger extent Sicolo-Italian traits.

Ray de Bono

Mar 4th 2009, 14:29

When the Normans arrived, some say, ‘liberated’ Malta from the Arabs in circa 1030, they did not send all the local people of Islamic faith (note the difference, not Arabs, but people of Islamic faith) out. They simply sent out the rulers and their associates. Islam still reigned for some time, and was tolerated until Malta gradually took into hordes of people from the Norman territories that entailed most of Italy and these were Christians. So much so that the population more than tripled over the subsequent few centuries, and this was far from a natural growth trend. One can only assume that many people from the small population which still professed Islamic faith either converted to Christianity thus were absorbed in the new prevailing population or are likely to have left for North Africa close-by.

Ray de Bono

Mar 4th 2009, 14:29

Your article here has an inherent fallacy, which I trust has good intentions. Nonetheless, saying Maltese people are Arabs, simply because the Maltese islands happened to have been conquered by the Arabs (like Spain, Sicily, Corsica, etc.), or simply because they speak a language with strong Arabic influence, is historically incorrect. The article erroneously refers to the Maltese as Catholic Arabs. With the same argument one can say that during the Arab period many Maltese were former Christian converts into Islam, as is likely to have been the case. But the logic in both observations when used as an argument to proof our ethnicity is simplistic and verywrong. The fact that locals evidently accepted Islam as their faith of choice at the time does not in any way mean they became Arabs as ethnicity is not determined by faith alone.

S Gouder

Mar 4th 2009, 14:25

May I add that many Algerians know about us too, since there was a large Maltese community in Algeria for quite some time. I have also realized that some words in our language probably have Berber (Algerian Berber) origins and not only Arabic.

P.Ciantar

Mar 4th 2009, 14:08

@ Mr Joe Xuereb.
Nixtieq nghidlek prosit tal-kummenti. Wara hamsin sena barra il-pajjiz ghadek kburi bil-lingwa originali ta' fejn twielid. Imbghad ghandna familji MALTIN li lil uliedhom ikellmuhom bl Ingliz biss mit-twelid, ghax il-lingwa Maltija ghalihom issa hi, xi dizzunur. Xi kwalita ta' injoranza, inkredibli.

Joe Xuereb (London UK)

Mar 4th 2009, 13:03

@ Stefan Gauci Scicluna. Very good point. However, I do believe that Malta's identity needs to be apparent through the man in the street. In a sense, we never grow up. We continue to be like children, learning by positive example. And good, self-affirming information so one can make informed decisions. These things need to be done at a level higher than the street where they will filter down. The crucial diference between the uninformed and the informed is that the uninformed thinks rubbish is the norm and remains unaware of the excruciating mediocrity of TV presentations for instance, news reading, and so on. So nothing changes. Mediocrity remains the norm, to some even a measure of excellence. The informed, on the other hand is well aware of such shortcomings and resists them, and wants to change them, and clamours for improvements. His is an upward struggle I'm afraid.
@ Nelson Cachia. Thank you. One lives and learns.

Graham Crocker

Mar 4th 2009, 12:53

Lets have a little test to conclude the discussion below.
Maltese:Alla hu Akbar

Aramaic: Elohim hu rwbh (using various translators may not be accurate)
Arab: Allah hu Akbar.
English:God is Greater
Italian:Dio e maggior
German: Gott ist größer (babel fish)

:)

Stefan Gauci Scicluna

Mar 4th 2009, 11:14

I have two points to mention:

1) What makes us Maltese? Basically our unique language and history. It's not easy to define exactly national identities, especially by the fact that we're living in continuous contact with other people...and that's how it should be...because that's the only way how to become more outward oriented for new ideas and new contacts.
2) I'm usually frustrated when foreigners (even Europeans) ask me about Malta because they don't know anything about it except very few facts. The promotional strategy must be changed. It cannot be based only on advertisements. It must be based on coordinated marketing strategies including adverts, PR, involvement in international data gathering exercises etc. And we should go beyond the usual markets like UK and Italy. We should focus more on markets like Middle East, China, India, Brazil in attracting Foreign Direct investments and tourists.

Let us make Malta a better known place for investors because that's one of the main deficits that we have as a nation.

Nelson Cachia

Mar 4th 2009, 10:43

'Semitic' turns out to be very convenient in these arguments. The only Semitic non-Arabic contender for the progenitor of Maltese is Punic, NOT Aramaic (!). However, Punic descent has been gradually discredited in favour of Siculo-Arabic. Semitic languages have retained many lexical similarities, so it is no surprise that some Aramaic or even Phoenician or Modern Hebrew words can be understood. Many make the mistake of regarding the Semitic family as a language group comparable to Indo-European. However Semitic is just one branch of the larger Afro-Asiatic group, hence only comparable to the Germanic or Italic families within the Indo-European group.

Maltese’s overall structure and core vocabulary are Arabic, just as those of English are Germanic. Around 50% of Maltese’s general vocabulary is indeed Romantic. Around 60% of English is (descending either from Northern French or directly from Latin). Despite this, no one disputes that English is a Germanic language.

If one feels that the origin of Maltese is too denigrating, he can stop speaking it altogether rather than trying to "prove" that Maltese is not Arabic. The likes of Fortunato Mizzi made no mistake about it: “Che il Maltese è il monumento delle nostra infamia e schiavitù.”

Joe Xuereb

Mar 4th 2009, 08:50

ikompli./ Niddiżappunta ruħi għall-aħħar meta jwieġbu 'bl-Ingliż'. Nistħajjel tgħidu, kif inkun naf li huma Maltin? Inkun naf għax l-aċċent Malti ma tistax tħalltu ma' l-ebda ieħor (u dan jiġifieri li dawn il-Malti jitkellmuh). Ukoll, għalkemm jitkellmu fit-triq jew fil-kju' bl-Ingliż, (u jien inkun viċin) xi kelma bil-Malti dejjem taħrabilhom. Naħseb li l-kummentaturi jifhmuni. Imma! What to do?

Joe Xuereb

Mar 4th 2009, 08:38

Thanks Frank. Thanks George.
From a very young age I realised the beauty of languages and was fascinated by phrase-books. At school they were my best subjects (including Maltese. paradoxically, after I left my country). Of course languages are practical but there is more than that. Years ago a teacher told me that with each new language learnt, one gains a new soul, an insight into another people's psyche. I am not bragging - I do coffee but not bragging - I speak seven stretching to eight, five like a native speaker. That is a lot of soul.
May I add one. to me. important factor in all this. I strongly believe that one can never speak a foreign language more proficiently than one's own, one's base in other words. If one's native tongue is lacking, one is stuck. Unless of course one adopts say, English, as one's base. This happen when children are brought up by Maltese speaking(?) parents. But what kind of English? This has horrendous implications.
Jien ili nieqes minn Malta kważi ħamsin sena. Jiddispjaċini ngħid li spiss niltaqa' ma' Maltin Londra u, kollni ferħan li ser nitkellem bil-Malti forsi wkoll wara żmien twil, cont./

George Mifsud

Mar 4th 2009, 02:54

Good subject - last week President Dr.Fench Adami was in Australia and put the question to all what is the Maltese identity - who are the Maltese - needless to say a lot was given what it shown hereunder. Dr Tonio Borg told to the all who attended the reception for the president's visit to keep speaking in Maltese laguage because he speaks to the other Foreign Ministers in Maltese at the EU - so to all those concerned that Malta is a sovereign country with it's own language, history and culture (European and Arabic) -

Frans Sammut

Mar 3rd 2009, 22:52

@ Shaun Camilleri
The fact that English is the global language does not imply that learning and speaking Maltese well (apart from knowing English as well as possible) should not continue to be a main target of our linguistic education. When you grow up and go out into the wide world (well, relatively speaking of course unless you intend to emigrate to the US of A) you will discover that those among us who speak Maltese correctly are equally capable in handling English too. As a matter of fact, some are even quite fluent in several other languages as well.

Joe Xuereb

Mar 3rd 2009, 22:15

@ Shaun Camilleri. The importance of a language can indeed be measured by the extent of its use outside the country of origin (English is a prime example of this). Maltese is a 'small' language and of no use to anybody outside of Malta other than the Maltese living abroad (and even some of them tend to shun it for some peculiar reason). Moreover, another aspect of a language's importance is when it is the basis, a very important basis, of a nation's identity. In this respect, Maltese is as important as any language. It's extent in practical terms is totally irrelevant.
Malta needs tourists and I understand the people of Saudi Arabia have very sophisticated tastes when it comes to shopping generally, hotel occupancy, etc. Many establishments would need to be upgraded to allow for this. However, there is one aspect at least that concerns me. Would we be expected to cover up on beaches to accommodate their mores.
And because 'bil-flus tagħmel triq fil-baħar' (in English, money talks), would we be told to cover up so as not to offend sensibilities. This, together with possible the introduction of Sharia-compliant banking system is to me a matter of concern.

Shaun Camilleri

Mar 3rd 2009, 20:14

If certain want to portray all Maltese people as Arab for investment purposes so be it. However as you can tell from my surname I am not Arab. If your surname was Zammit, Said or the like that is another issue.

I am European my surname is European and culturally I am European. I do not care about theories regarding my past I know what I am - European.

As far as the language is concerned it is only a language of dialogue as in schools, universities, text media and so on we use the English Language. Maltese was only chosen as the main language as they could not decide between Italian (The language of many of our cousins) or English the then language of our government (The British Government). Maltese was a compromise, what use has Maltese outside Malta and Gozo?

Frans Sammut

Mar 3rd 2009, 15:50

@ Charles Sammut
This is exactly what I mean. Maltese is actually Siculo-Arabic , a mixture of Aramaic, a lingua franca spoken by the Jews and Maghrebi Arabic. Now even this kind of Arabic was a mixed Berber-Arabic lingua franca which the Arabians would not approve of. In Sicily this mixture disappeared with the Christian reconquest and the substitution of Lombard neo-Latin brought by the Lombard soldiers serving under the Normans. In Malta it survived because we were a relatively remote island, secondly thanks to the reign of the Order of St John during which we were isolated from mainstream developments taking place up north. This description might go some way to clear the air. Regardless of its humble origins, Maltese is our mother tongue and the mainstay of our national heritage and identity. I would suggest any dealings with the Saudis should be carried out in English, the current global language unless one is well steeped in Classical Arabic. Trying to hold talks in Maltese, other than table talk, would lead nowhere except to misunderstandings and attendant guffaws from all concerned. The Saudis however, would be too polite to point this out, only to wink knowingly at each other.

lawrence Cachia

Mar 3rd 2009, 15:36

if you all think we are not Arabs, well go and walk in the underground walking site at st anne 's street floriana - you ll think different , we are worse.

Ray de ono

Mar 3rd 2009, 14:28

Your article here has an inherent fallacy, which I trust has good intentions. Nonetheless, saying Maltese people are Arabs, simply because the Maltese islands happened to have been conquered by the Arabs (like Spain, Sicily, Corsica, etc.), or simply because they speak a language with strong Arabic influence, does not mean that the Maltese are Arabs. Not even the fact that many locals accepted Islam as their faith does not in any way mean they were Arabs.

One cannot deny the Maltese are a mixture of Mediterranean peoples and others, including Arabs, but this itself does not define our ethnicity. A quick look to the telephone directory presents a rough but indicative clue to our ethnical mix, with a strong body of surnames emanating from Italian/Sicilian, French, Sicilian, Arabic/North African, and also English and French names.

Prominent researchers on this topic, like Professor Godfrey Hull, in his seminal study 'The Maltese Language Problem' addresses these issues thoroughly. Ethnicity and language can be related, but this is not the case in Malta.

Continues...

Ray de ono

Mar 3rd 2009, 14:27

Malta is a Southern European Island, not just politically but also ethically, and has been so for centuries. It has been occupied by the Arabs, which de-populated it and populated it for some time. This happened between the 8th and the 11th century. It is good to note that the population was small with around 10-20,000 inhabitants overall, consisting of people classified as Islamic, Christian and Jewish, in order of prevailing numbers. One must add, Arab rulers allowed other faiths to flourish given they paid the 'harag' tax, a subtle incentive for many to change faith. Al Qimyari , a respected Arab traveller of the time (read: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harbi_al-Himyari ), writes that many Christians that inhabited Malta BEFORE the Arab conquest from the Byzantines, left at their own free will. This is recorded in history.

Continues...

Charles Sammut

Mar 3rd 2009, 13:50

The language spoken in Malta was semitic long before Malta was conquered by the Arabs a millenium ago. It is in fact derived from Aramaic and shares roots with both Arabic and Hebrew.

Anybody who watched the film "Passion of the Christ" would have noticed how many words sounded uncannily familiar.

Any correction to this is welcome as this is a fascinating subject.

James De Giorgio

Mar 3rd 2009, 10:51

Well, IT IS too far... "The idea of an island of Catholic Arabs, as Malta has sometimes been called, is a concept too far"

An Arab Island??? You must be kidding! We don't speak a form of Arabic for God's sake, it's simply a language with semitic foundations and basically half of the SPOKEN language is romanic!

PLUS, we don't have an Arab culture!

Thirdly, Ferdinand and Isabella of Spain conquered a MUSLIM kingdom. The south was overwhelmingly Muslim.

I understand that it was meant to attract investment and well, if it reaps results, then it's excusable, but calling Malta an Arab Island does not make sense!

Frans Sammut

Mar 3rd 2009, 09:11

@Michael Pace.

Sorry, but Mr Cousins does not know whether he's coming or going where Maltese history and its connection to (and disconnection from) the Arab world is concerned. He has not read the serious history books, only the skimpy, glamourised tourist guide books. In so doing, he rendered no service to Maltese-Arab (or this case Arabian) relations. He just baffled his Saudi interlocutors as was admitted in the article adding more confusion on the Maltese side. Mr Pace, believe you me, there are very serious historians and linguists who are still unravelling the Arab period in Malta. And that is still entre nous. When it comes to exporting the "work-in-progress" to the Arab World (particularly Saudi Arabia, grosso modo the equivalent of the Vatican) one has to be extra carefull, not to offend sensibilities that are after all are more informed by REAL history apart from the colourful additions thrown in for good measure. I regret having to sound like giving you a lecture, but these matters are taken much more seriously in the Arabo-Christian world than you seem to think. Enough said.

Jmallia

Mar 3rd 2009, 08:57

@Michael Galea and others classifying the Maltese language....

Maltese and Arabic do not just share similarities. Maltese is a Semitic language (the main group of the Afro-Asiatic languages), precisely of the North Arabic sub-division of Semitic languages. Grammatically it is 95% Arabic. Verb forms, pronouns, prepositions and the commonest words in use are probably all of Arabic origin. Our language greatly resembles the Northwestern African dialects with further simplifications in sounds that mirror the urban dialects of the Mediterranean Arab cities.

To that we have adopted a large amount of, mainly, Italian and English words, including a significant amount of Sicilian words of Arabic origin. It very much depends on what 'Maltese' we're talking about. If we have a look at the Laws of Malta, there is an obvious presence of words of Latin origin, however the day-to-day language practised by the Maltese, eg. in markets uses a high predominance of words of Semitic origin.

At the end of the day, if one had to place an Arab and an Italian in a Maltese-only-speaking marketplace, the first one will somehow manage, the second would be as good as lost!

charles zammit

Mar 3rd 2009, 06:25

this article reminds me about the way of thinking of the nationalist strategists abour the arab world....how things change......its a 360 degrees turn by our friends ..........is it true that money buys everything

Edward Duca

Mar 3rd 2009, 00:42

In response to Michael Pace, there has been a Y-chromosome study on a small sample of the Maltese population. Apparently, around 1 in 17 Maltese is of direct Phoenician descent; Phoenician's came from modern day Lebanon.

I think it's great to try and advertise Malta through its historic and cultural connections. We do have strong Arabic influence in our culture, food, architecture and language. This is not something any Maltese can deny, but this does not make us Arabic, neither does it make us European, it leaves us somewhere in the middle. Like with many things about Malta; we're smack in the middle of the Mediterranean. I think the amazing blend, and some innovation, that we have achieved results in our Maltese culture and history.

This summary of Michel Cousins article is poorly written, but Michel Cousins article does have numerous errors. Alla not Allah, though the similarity should not be ignored, they are slightly different. Furthermore, most Arab speakers are only understood with immense difficulty by the Maltese, unlike this article states. The article clearly has an agenda, it should of gotten these nuances right. Nuances could be all important.

Charles Grixti

Mar 2nd 2009, 23:56

@ Michael Pace

If you are interested in DNA studies of the Maltese population, you might wish to look into the National Geographic's Genographic Project.

In fact, a study that was conducted discovered that over 50% of the Y-chromosome (male lineages) in the present day Maltese population, came from the Levant, a Mediterranean coastal region now divided primarily between Lebanon, Syria and Israel. This points to a Phoenician genetic input. By contrast, the North African markers show a 10% or less that came from the Levant.

http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/ngm/0410/feature2/online_extra.html

Joe Xuereb

Mar 2nd 2009, 21:24

I still cannot get my head round the quote that of all the Arabic speaking countries, only Libya and Tunisia are aware of our existence. And don't we know. If only they had not heard of us, maybe we would not be in the mess we are in.
I am not a religious fanatic. In fact I am not a fanatic anything. But. Make no mistake. Malta and the Maltese are Europeans (big deal, in case anybody is thinking that I am saying this with a whiff of superiority). For better or for worse, the Christian faith has formed and informed the Maltese mindset. A serious people well grounded in European traditions and culture. A hard-working, fun-loving people given to spontaneous laughter and camaraderie. Very European. Very southern European. But no further. Beyond Filfla is another distant world. Punto e bast.

S. Calleja

Mar 2nd 2009, 20:54

Michael Galea, some similarities in the language? You should listen to Arab news sometimes. One can literally make out what they're talking about. Were it not for the words we borrow from Italian and English, Maltese would be nothing more than an Arabic dialect.

M. Gauci, of course I'm proud to be Maltese. Unfortunately the perception of many people in the Western world is that we are closer to the Arabic culture that we would like to think we are.

Kevin Bonici

Mar 2nd 2009, 20:42

Best way to make Arab Muslims love the Maltese: tell them we are Arab Muslims who converted to Christianity.

Michael Galea

Mar 2nd 2009, 19:23

'in contrast to Arab Spain, or Andalusia, where the large section of the population remained Christian and non-Arabic speaking'
are these people serious?????? learn your history
and Malta was under arab rule only becoz Sicily was under arab rule
and the only connection between malta and arab world is only some similarities in the language..

Joe Xuereb

Mar 2nd 2009, 18:54

My comment was the first this morning and I felt I was sticking my neck out a bit. But I forged ahead anyway. It is heartening to see that I am in good company and need not have worried.
But the fact that I was worried speaks volumes. And I resent it.
Maltese as a language has very strong Semitic roots. Undeniably, it is akin to Arabic, an incredibly rich language. And so? It is only a language. The Romantic languages are very similar but that does not make the Spaniards, the French, the Italians, the Portuguese,etc.
interchangeable any more that the English and other Germanic peoples are.
As for only Libya and Tunisia being, apart from the rest, the only two countries aware of Malta.......thank Allah (or Alla) for small mercies and say no more. I can not believe I am reading this article. The article about Muslims in Italy being happy at the suggestion that Malta adopt sharia-compliant banking appeared in the Times of Malta dated...cont./

Trevor Lorenzo Mizzi

Mar 2nd 2009, 15:17

"The idea of an island of Catholic Arabs, as Malta has sometimes been called, is a concept too far," he wrote."

And to think of all the Maltese patriots who fought tooth and nail with the British Colonial powers when they tried to lay that one one us as an excuse to label us non europeans and to threat us worse because of it.

Shame on Mr. Cousins.

Michael Pace

Mar 2nd 2009, 14:30

Re Frans Sammut: So many comment writers on the Times seem unable do discuss anything without getting out of their way to offend. Really shows the need of a "mass conversion" to Christianity.
As to the notion of Malta being Muslim and Arabic in the century and a half after Count Roger's raid in 1090, Mr. Cousins got it where everybody else does: in historical research, not in folk traditions, created mostly in the time of the Knights to prove unbroken Christianity in Malta since Saint Paul (the first archaeological evidence of Christianity in Malta seem to come from the fourth century). History is what it is, not what we would like it to be.
Incidentally, it is more than about time that real Y-chromosome and mitochondrial-DNA surveys are done on the Maltese population, to help understand better our origins.
And if being Christian is so important to us, why not try to live and act and behave as Christians?

Emma Xerri

Mar 2nd 2009, 14:04

I do not think that Mr. Cousins knows Malta's history so well that he should be teaching it to the Saudis. He does not know much about Islam either.

Certainly, during the Arab period, not everyone was Muslim, the Christian and Jewish citizens of Malta were there also and lived in relative peace under the Islamic concept of "Dhimmitude". Which meant they were allowed to live in peace but as second-class citizens and had various restrictions placed on them.

Telling the Saudis that the Maltese were once all Muslims who converted to Christianity would make us a nation of apostates in the eyes of the Islamic faith, which mandates the death penalty for all apostates. I cannot see how this would endear us to the Saudis or if ithere is a statute of limitations for apostasy that happened centuries ago.

M.Gauci

Mar 2nd 2009, 13:56

S.Calleja
Depends what you mean by - we're so much like them in the first place.
If you mean, in the physical form, then yes, both peoples have two hands, two legs, a head etc..
If you mean in the culture form, gone are the days of that, when the Arabs left Malta some millenia ago.

In realtity Malta has its own culture made up of a number of different cultures which makes it nothing more than a Malta culture. Yes the language has a lot of Arab sounding words in it, but so do we have a lot of Turkish kebab houses, fish n chips, and the work Futbol, but that does not make us Turkish or British. I'm afriad you remain Maltese (and hopefully proud of it)

A. Muscat

Mar 2nd 2009, 13:51

We need quality investment and tourists.

Yes, money is one of the most important subjects of your entire life. With current economy uncertainties and many countries swinging between recession and depression we need quality tourists that spend money. I think, a plane full of Saudi or Gulf tourists comes to Malta once a weeks equivalent to 7 to 10 planes full of tourists coming from any European destination on a daily base.
Being an EU member ‘alone’ does not provide any economy stability to us we need more foreign investment, after all our biggest ever investment is coming from Dubai-Smart city not from the EU. This fact should encourage us to tap investments from the Gulf. Taking a risk may be scary, but without risk... business life offers very few rewards.

‘Mr. Cousins says Malta remains largely unknown to most Arabs, apart from the Tunisians and the Libyans.’

The same apply to many EU and European nationals don’t know about Malta.

@ Joseph Micallef
Do you find the word (Alla) in any Bible?
To my knowledge, God is referred to as Allah only in the Muslims’ book Quran.

S. Calleja

Mar 2nd 2009, 13:12

@ Adrian Gouder

Don't put your hopes too high. Malta is even unknown to most of Italy, as my various Italian friends can confirm.

Quote: "Tell them that the Maltese still speak a form of Arabic and it turns to disbelief."

Many people find this hard to accept, but this hits the nail on the head. When I speak Maltese in front of my European peers they say it sounds just like an Arabic dialect, with the exception of a few words here and there. When I was in the US a few years back, I forgot the address where I was staying, and they treated me as if I was a terrorist by detaining me for a few hours, even though my passport was clearly Maltese and had the correct Visa.

Could it be that the reason some people clearly and publicly discriminate so much against Arabs is because we're so much like them in the first place?

Frans Sammut

Mar 2nd 2009, 12:20

Excuse my French, but in these matters Mr Cousins obviously suffers from the E and B syndrome, meaning he does not know his elbow from his backside. Small wonder the Saudis could not understand what he was talking about. Was he inferring a mass conversion from Islam to Christianity involving Muslim Arabs? Where did Mr Cousins get that notion from? And does he expect the Saudis to be overjoyed by such a notion? Would the Vatican be delighted to learn of some bedouin tribe previously Christian who turned Muslim? Well, truth is the latter did take place during the mass conversions to Islam due to the tyranny of the Byzantine Emperor, but in Malta no obverse large scale conversions took place if not from the Jewish sector. Only these were faced with the choice: convert or get the 'ell outa here. Mr Cousins, take my advice, try some other line with the Saudis. We sure need their money before we founder any further.

Adrian Gouder

Mar 2nd 2009, 12:18

I find it rather hard to believe, and simplistic to say, that Malta is largely unknown in the Arab world, especially when I consider that one fo the largest foreign investments of our time comes from an Arab world, that is, SmartCity. I am quite sure the investers in this case know exactly what Malta what.

Joseph Micallef

Mar 2nd 2009, 11:42

There are two incorrect statements in the mentioned article. God is not referred to as Allah by Maltese but as Alla and Thank You is not Grazie but Grazzi.

stephen farrugia

Mar 2nd 2009, 11:40

Notice the cultural attack on Malta in this article and it shows that he does not understand Arab mentality. In fact, it is very offensive and he can forget Saudi investment.

Joe Xuereb

Mar 2nd 2009, 11:25

Some weeks back, I have already expressed what I thought regarding the suggestion that Malta would benefit from a Sharia-compliant banking system which in turn encourages investment and tourism from, you've guessed it, Saudi Arabia. Money talks. Fools rush in where angels fear to thread comes to mind.