Language evolution or mutilation? (2)

Oscar Mifsud

Feb 21st, 22:59

It hurts me to hear English spoken badly, like most people who prefer to speak it instead of their mother tongue. All I hear around me is: diss and dat, go fort, brave soul, your instead of you’re, its instead of it’s, Gaud instead of God, bawl instead of bowl, woderers instead of wanderers(team), bazic instead of basic, witout, day daunt know, etc... etc...
I dare say that, in spite of the fact that most Maltese use English (their second official language), all their life, they never get to use it properly. In fact, a good British born can always tell we are not British just by hearing us speak only one sentence or even only one word, as shown above.
But if the above hurts, the following kills! Our dear Maltese language is being murdered continually. The most popular and effective teaching tool TV is being used (unwittingly, I admit) to broadcast all the newly misconceived atrocities in our language. Examples are: ġie appuntat, or worse, appuntjat, instead of maħtur; at the end of the day, instead of:
fl-aħħar mill-aħħar; and so many other direct translations from English, too numerous to mention here. However, certain long established English words, such as player, skorja, goal, team, toast and so many others, have become part of our language, and are perfectly acceptable, and welcome to remain. But other newfangled expressions, such as; il-player il-ġdid għadu ma sabx saqajh, are absolutely unacceptable aberrations.
I’ve just mentioned TV. You hear the word “xelta” on TV, and in no time, all Malta repeats it – forgetting the beautiful Maltese term għżla. True enough, lately it seems that someone intervened about this and whoever is respobsible, obliged. Well done! After all, why houldn’t the authority lay down some much needed rules for those who place adverts on TV, by monitoring the proper use of our national language? Another extremely widespread and shocking aberration is the way most, if not nearly all Maltese are mispronouncing all words beginning with a vowel, an għajn or an akkha. I am sick and tired of hearing the letter Q as the first letter of such words. The pure vowels a, e, i, o, u, are being rendered as qa, qe, qi, qo, qu! I find it impossible to accept that we have lost the ability to lisp those vowels without putting a Q infront of them. Why say: “qGħada qimmorru qGħawdex qgħand qoħi qommi, qgħax qirridu qinduru dawra ma’ dwarna.” Why stop after each word to make it easy to stick that oboxious Q infront of each? If you think I am exaggerating, just try to listen very carefully with this in mind, and you will agree. The remedy is so easy. Just don’t stop after every word, but keep going smoothly: Għada mmorru Għawdex għand oħt ommi, għax irrudu nduru dawra ma’ dwarna. That is proper Maltese!
While I was typing this opinion of mine, there was a quiz in progress on TV, and the quiz master asked a question about a certain place or town called Amu. As I have just pointed out he actually said “Qamu”, and the responding pair together asked: Qamu? He replied” Qamu, A, M, U; qAmu! Others say, qinti qatt... instead of int għidt... qAlla qgħandu qimħabba kbira..
qImbierka qhi qomm qgħammiela! There is no end to this horrible massacre. Why? Oh why?
Who can denay that the Brits are simply unable to pronounce a Maltese word with a q somewhere in it; and yet they a saying it all the time infront of every word beginning with a vowel – exactly like the Maltese! qAll qI can say qis, that qin this qinstance we qare qall ...
Are we just imitating them – as in many other things?

Joe Morana

Feb 21st, 14:45

Sir, methinks you missed the point of the letter you referred to. The lady twice used the word 'Americanise" in her her letter of Feb. 15. Perhaps, it was the word 'Anglicise' that she intended to use! The Good Lord knows the Maltese put up with quite a bit of that during the British Colonial period! It is the responsibility of all Maltese to uphold the preservation of our rich language. In this day and age however, given the diversity of cultural and linguistic intrusions on Maltese society, maintaining a unique linguistic identity is most certainly a challenge. It remains to be seen if the Maltese are up to the task.

Wenzu Vella

Feb 21st, 13:56

I blame the education department because it is not encouraging and enforcing the teaching of proper Maltese Language in schools. When I went to school in the 1940’s we where a British colony we were thought and spoke better Maltese than now that Malta has been independent from the British for decades.
I watch PBS “Lahabarijiet” on our Australian SBS TV channel and most of the interviewees by design they replace perfect Maltese words to English words as if to show that they are of a more sophisticated class, but they fail to realise that by doing so they are denigrating their own intelligence.
A people and a nation are distinguished from others by their language and their flag and this sacred emblem of ours has been denigrated by a war medal in the upper left hand corner by a foreign governor while our politicians stood by and said nothing.

Charles Zammit

Feb 21st, 13:01

The great pity is to hear academics using such words when Maltese words are available ie Nikkumpara how utterly disgusting , when we can say tqabbel etc .Obviously modern technological words are used , but using smashed up words in lieu of good perfectly suitable Maltese words ?

Francis Sammut

Feb 21st, 12:42

You should hear our MP's when they are holding sessions in Parliament, the highest institution of the land.. It's a disgrace!

Carmelo Aquilina

Feb 21st, 12:19

it's called evolution - get over it - if you look at English it has survived by absorbing Norman French, Danish, Norwegian, etc . If you are not convinced read or see Melvin Bragg's The adventure of English to see what a mongrel language English is - and its continuing strength and relevance is that it absorbs new words from other countries and new technologies. As for American English it as as valid as the English spoken in Australia, India, or provinces such as Northumbria in the UK itself.

Victor Pulis

Feb 21st, 10:06

Ken unfortunately it's the Maltese themselves who are mutilating Maltese.
I understand that new words will inevitably enter any language but not at the detriment of already existing and established words. Rediculous words like niffrajja(!) for naqli Nipplejsja(!) for inpoggi and many similar wordstoo numerous to include here are inexcusable.
You are right about the Americans detroying the English language of course. They are also responsible for the abbreviated words used on sms which is wreaking havoc on the language.