Decline in use of English at gatherings

I am Maltese and very proud of it. I returned to my homeland nearly five years ago together with my British wife after an absence of 40 years. Recently, I have noticed a big change in attitudes concerning the use of English. We belong to a number of societies, clubs and charities that used both Maltese and English in the past but now seem to favour Maltese alone.

I am all for the use of my mother tongue but there has got to be some consideration when foreign people are present and are actively involved in the subject matter being dealt with in gatherings. Some compromise ought to be in place for either a direct translation from Maltese to English or some kind of written matter that indicates what is happening.

Malta has become a very cosmopolitan island so there are very few occasions when the audience is solely Maltese-speaking. Consideration must be given to ensuring that the proceedings are understood, otherwise we risk becoming alienated from the very same people our economy has come to depend on.

Some might respond by saying that anyone electing to live in Malta should be able to speak Maltese. In an ideal world that would happen but one cannot overlook the fact that our language is unique and difficult to master. One has also to acknowledge the fact that there are some Maltese born and bred who still find it difficult to speak their mother tongue and this is very prevalent in certain parts of the island.

Long live the Maltese language. However, we must not get carried away with thinking that just because occasionally someone makes a presentation abroad in Maltese then all of a sudden Maltese has become an international language.