I agree with Astrid Cassar, (The Sunday Times, November 22) about the stupidities of language used on local TV and radio stations.

Ms Cassar's comments are something of a déjà vu because many have aired their views to show their disapproval of this nonsense. However, things seem to go from the frying pan into the fire.

The Broadcasting Authority turns a blind eye or two to these grievances and shortcomings and no one seems to give a hoot about this disastrous situation. Our language - and English, too, for that matter - has been massacred, butchered and destroyed.

How much longer can we keep suffering phrases like 'l-ewwel nies' (instead of l-ewwel nett), which stands for 'first of all', and not for 'first people'; and 'intant', 'iżda', 'propju', 'ovvjament', 'ġewwa' and others used ad nauseum, unnecessarily and out of context? And how many answer a question by saying 'le' (no) when they mean 'yes'?

Some also go out of their way to invent words like 'tim', so as to use a Maltese word, they think, and pronounce it 'tijm'. After all, what's wrong with adopting words like team, budget and telephone like other languages have? Wouldn't it make our language richer? Don't we use the English pronunciation of these words anyway?

As for basic English pronunciation, I am at a loss. I wonder on what criteria TV and radio presenters are chosen. Is it a question of who one knows or what political party one votes for? One does not really need a degree to pronounce basic words, like 'patrol boats', not 'petrowl bowts'; 'bowl' and 'bowling', not 'bawl' and 'bawling'; 'cabinet' not 'kebinet'.

Then we have those people who are so powerful that they have the power to 'give' us a good day or night (nagħtikom il-jum it-tajjeb).

As if this were not enough, we have to endure unnatural voices and intonation. Some sound like they would be better suited to singing lullabies or reading horror stories than presenting the news.

The list is endless and no one seems to dare lift a finger to start changing this unbearable situation.

Since the introduction of pluralism in broadcasting, things have deteriorated. This non-sense would not have been heard in the time of rediffusion - the time of professionalism in broadcasting.

Those were the days. Shame on those who did their utmost to destroy them and reduce broadcasting to ridicule, derision and mockery.