The public exhibition by my friend Giovanni Bonello of Castagna’s celebrated work (The Sunday Times, July 24 and 31) makes interesting reading indeed; especially to true lovers of Maltese in whatever form this may appear.

True lovers of English, for instance, appreciate the linguistic value of the Venerable Bead, Chaucer and the entire entourage of learned writers of yesteryear.

I would hazard to say that the same judgment applies to all true lovers of language, in whatever form this may take.

Unfortunately I am very uncertain about the situation in Malta with particular reference to the ‘political’ discourse in relation to our ancient and treasured Maltese language.

The current trend seems to be solely engrossed in the ‘political’ discourse in preference to the linguist’s preferred scholarship (the ethical and academic aspect).

Much is being made of the ascent of Maltese into the EU as an official language, while scholars of Maltese like myself, unique in Australia, are totally ignored despite the fact that there is a living treasure of linguistic (Maltese) information waiting to be tapped.

But it seems, despite my formal qualifications in Maltese linguistics along with a number of academic monographs I have published internationally since graduating in 1998, this unique aspect of Maltese does not rate as important or even significant.

The local authorities are fully aware of this situation both on the political level as well as within academe.

I am specifically referring to the currently extant Maltese vocabulary and idiomatology yet to be harvested from around the entire Australian continent wherever there are settlements of Maltese.

In Australia there are individuals, scattered as they are around the country, who collectively constitute a living remnant of idioms and vocabulary no longer used in Malta.

I am not referring to ‘Maltraljan’. This material, which also includes Maltesedialectal variations and peculiar pronunciations of long ago, no longer extant in Malta, is another layer of language in addition to the Maltraljan phenomenon.

In his presentation of Castagna’s work, Dr Bonello correctly referred to some missed insertions in Aquilina’s monumental dictionary.

This mishap only enforces my oft repeated lament that any national dictionary of such magnitiude and significance should never be confined solely to one person alone.

It is high time the Maltese nation appointed a standing body solely concerned with Maltese lexicography.

A national dictionary should include all known archaic and obsolete vocabulary as well as idiomatology.

Meanwhile, well done to our erudite contributor Dr Bonello for bringing to the fore works of the likes of Castagna to the nation’s attention.