The Maltese keyboard now available on mobile devices
Android users can now type in Maltese characters thanks to a small free app.
Users of Android-based smartphones and tablets now have the facility to type in the Maltese language thanks to an app freely available from Google Play, the app market for Android devices.
The Multiling Keyboard is easily downloaded and installed to provide the Maltese special letters and vocabulary when typing anything from SMS to whole documents and social media updates.
The Kunsill Nazzjonali tal-Ilsien Malti (National Council for the Maltese Language) is behind this initiative.
In fact the council’s executive director Thomas Pace and Carl Farrugia worked on the project.
They contacted the creator of the Multiling Keyboard and worked closely with him to include the Maltese language according to the standard Maltese keyboard (MSA 100:2002). The app was tested extensively before it was updated on Google Play. Besides Maltese, this particular app supports many other foreign languages.
Apart from the choice of input of Maltese characters, the app also has a dictionary with suggested words, similar to the English T9.
“The council notes with satisfaction these developments in the use of mobile technology,” Mr Pace told i-Tech. “As a result the Maltese language can be used for expression on smartphones and tablets. These initiatives are to be commended as long as they are practical to implement and helps who wants to use them. The Maltese language is thus present and accessible on the latest means of communication.”
Asked for the reason why this facility is only available for Android-based smartphones and not for the Apple iPhone, iPad, BlackBerry or Microsoft Windows Phone handsets, Mr Pace replied that Android is very popular but they are checking on the availability for other devices from other manufacturers. “We are checking on iOS and BlackBerry. We haven’t come across a similar application to include the Maltese language in it. We would like to make a public call for support in this respect. Ideally the app needs to be free of charge; it must support Unicode, and can be integrated with the keyboard.
“There are other iOS apps where you can type in Maltese and then copy/paste but these are not practical. If we cannot find such a ready-made app we would have to develop one from scratch.”
iPhone and BlackBerry developers who can support this initiative can contact the council on [email protected] or visit its Facebook group page “Il-Malti u l-Informatika”.
For those who are still unsure on how to write jargon in Maltese, Mr Pace suggests that “mobile” can be written as “mobile” (in italics) or “mowbajl” (without italics). The same goes with regard to “tablets” and “teblits”. No official decision has been taken on whether such foreign words have to be written the same way but in italics or a phonetic translation into Maltese is best.
More information on the Maltese keyboard for smartphones and tablets is available from www.kunsilltalmalti.gov.mt
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19 Comments
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A Airony
Jul 9th 2012, 13:52
Thanks a lot. This is awesome. It was very frustrating writing in 'English' and saving new words on autocorrect (in Maltese) to the English Dictionary and having my attempts at writing Maltese words on my Android and having my Autocorrect converting the Maltese words to hilarious English alternatives. Now I can type away in Maltese, very comfortable and handy. Now I am going to wait to see what funny concoctions the Maltese auto-correct will come up with.
Joseph Mifsud
Jul 5th 2012, 16:29
Mr John Sciberras to-day I received the latest issue of the National Geographic magazine and there is an interesting article about the endangered languages which UNESCO wants to protect. READ IT.
Your compulsive disorder is something I call Maltophobia, the fear the elite and pseudo-elit of Malta has of the lower class Maltese.
Donalds Steven
Jul 5th 2012, 16:25
Charles Darwin, back in 1860, published a piece of work which in my opinion is one of the most revealing of all time. If the National Council for the Maltese Language makes an effort and tries to understand this concept of evolution through adaptation the council would soon realize that their controlling manners on the language would cause its premature death. Let me elaborate. If an organism/system/structure is not able to change fast enough such that it fits and adapts to its surroundings it will extinguish itself and hence will not survive. Trying to be creative and make spelling rules such that these rules give guidelines as to how new words are spelled is intrinsically rigid and a slow. As I believe that the Maltese language is nothing more than a hiccup in the evolution of language I am not bothered about it being extinguished, I am just posting this such that everybody will know who will be responsible for its fast extinction. In Maltese this would be its 'daqqa tal grazzja'
Elaine Manduca
Jul 5th 2012, 17:11
I think that some of you are not informed well enough: http://www.kunsilltalmalti.gov.mt/hidma. Far from what you are thinking!
Phyllisienne Mallia
Jul 5th 2012, 15:45
"Tablet" --> 'tabla' u mhux 'teblit'!
It-Tlieta kont qiegħda l-MCAST tal-Mosta, nara l-wirja tal-istudenti u ħadt ħafna gost nisma' l-preżentatur jgħid 'is-sett ċellulari' u mhux 'mowbajl'.
Nemmen li l-Malti qed jinbidel imma nemmen ukoll li l-Malti kapaċi joħloq kliem għalih u mhux nadattaw fonoloġikament biss.
wayne scicluna
Jul 5th 2012, 15:29
Asked for the reason why this facility is only available for Android-based smartphones and not for the Apple iPhone, iPad, BlackBerry or Microsoft Windows Phone handsets, Mr Pace replied that Android is very popular but they are checking on the availability for other devices from other manufacturers.
That's because Android is the KING of open source! Go Android!
Alfred Fenech
Jul 5th 2012, 15:53
Great, now I can converse with my chinese friend.
GL Calleja
Jul 5th 2012, 16:39
@Alfred Fenech........ I agree with you. Only Maltese speak and write Maltese and that is not all of them.
Dunstan Crockford
Jul 5th 2012, 15:24
Big deal!
Franco Farrugia
Jul 5th 2012, 16:41
Mr Crockford, one would expect a more intelligent comment from you.
If you are happy to use the medium use it; if you're not happy to do so (or unable to write proper Maltese), then, don't. I don't think it's going to keep you back from continuing to express yourself in correct English but for those who wish to make use of it, it's there. Anything wrong with that, sir?
J Cachia
Jul 5th 2012, 15:15
Hsieb sabih u ta' min japprezzah. Jalla ma jkunx mezz iehor ta' kif jitfarrak il-Malti. Bizzejjed kissirnieh fl-SMSs (avolja hawn min jghid li l-Malti fl-SMSs miktub hekk biex wiehed jghaggel jikteb). Kull fejn inhares nara Malti miktub hazin: waqt l-ahbarijiet fuq it-TV, fl-avvizi mwahhla fit-toroq, waqt ir-reklami fuq it-TV, fuq il-gazzetti, fuq il-karozzi tal-linja... gharukaza.
Hobbuh il-Malti u jekk ma tafux tiktbuh sew hudu ftit interess u tghallmuh. Dak ilsienna! Ghandna nkunu kburin bih. Pajjizna, tikka fil-mappa, ghandna l-lingwa taghna. Pajjizi ferm u ferm akbar minna m'ghandhomx. Iktbu l-Malti bil-qalb!
Lucas North
Jul 5th 2012, 15:29
I am sorry, but I do not see the reason for such a quest for patriotism for your language.
while this is a commendable initiative, I would prefer if the Kunsill actually started thinking about the proper development of our language.
using words such as mowbajl or teblit...is as another reader pointed out simply pathetic...
Instead of just a phonetic approach maybe these should start inventing new words.... just having a phonetic adaptation is going to kill our language not improve it.
Words such as Bagit, Kowc, maws, etc etc are not a sign of language development. On the contrary to me it says that our language is a dying one.
Unfortunate but true. I would love to see the day when new words are introduced as opposed to this ridiculous phonetic adaptation.
john sciberras
Jul 5th 2012, 15:31
Waste of time and effort. It is very very rare that I misunderstood something because it was misspellt as you can always get the gist of things through the context. To me, this needless push to try to instill discipline in writing 'correct' maltese is symptomatic of someone with obsessive compulsive disorder. And how can you ask people to love Maltese, if they love Maltese they grow in love with it. English is the one and only language that is global and is enough for functionality. Leave Maltese and the study of Maltese for historians, only in such context the Maltese language would be interesting.
J Cachia
Jul 5th 2012, 15:51
Lil John Sciberras: Skont int hu 'obsessive compulsive disorder' li tikteb Malti tajjeb? Allura min ikun irid jikteb b'Ingliz tajjeb ibati mill-istess kundizzjoni?! Allura jekk jien inkun irrid li l-Maltin jiktbu b'Malti tajjeb inkun inbati bl-obsessive compulsive disorder? Tal-Kunsill tal-Malti kollha jbatu minn din il-kundizzjoni? Nies bhalek jaghtu bis-sieq lil-lingwa Maltija.
U int ktibt ukoll li 'Leave Maltese and the study of Maltese for historians, only in such context the Maltese language would be interesting'. Il-lingwa Maltija hi lingwa hajja, dinamika u tiggedded ma' kull jum li jghaddi. Ghall-istorici nhallu l-Latin mela l-Malti!
Ghandna nitghallmu l-Ingliz tajjeb ukoll, mela le! Anki jekk dan ikun sinjal tal-obsessive compulsive disorder ghal dik il-lingwa!
Daniela C Lia
Jul 5th 2012, 15:54
My reply John Sciberras
John, jiddispjaċini ħafna naqra kummenti bħal tiegħek. Jekk inti Malti missek tisħi tgħaddi kumment bħal dak. x'għandu x'jaqsam li l-Ingliż u mifhum minn kulħadd u la ninqdew bih għadna nużaw lilu biss??????
Pajjiżi bħal Franza, Ġermanja, Polonja, u pajjiżi oħra madwar id-dinja kollha jitkellmu bil-lingwa ta' pajjiżhom. Għala għandna nkunu AĦNA li nagħmlu l-eċċezzjoni. Nispera sinċerament li bħalek hawn ftit. Għalhekk inkunu bravi ħafna meta nużaw l-Ingliż għax hawn ħafna f'din il-gżira li jqisu lil Malti tal-kċina u gllura jkellmu lil uliedhom half english half maltese. Il-ħsara li qed jagħmlu lanqas idea. Nispera vera li aktar Maltin jibqgfħu japprezza il-lingwa TAGĦNA u tagħna biss għax għandna nkunu kburin biha. KULL LINGWA GĦANDHA TKUN MIKTUBA U MITKELLMA KIF SUPPOST. ma tantx tara ingliż miktub ħażin jew xi lingwa oħra li nużaw imma il-Malti nieħdu l-attitudni ta' mhux xorta. Għandna nkunu kburin bil-lingwa tagħna u mhux għall-istorja biss. ISTĦI
J Cachia
Jul 5th 2012, 15:59
Lil Lucas North: Jekk int Malti, Sur North, ghandek tkun patriott ghal-lingwa tieghek! Jien Malti u kburi bil-lingwa tieghi! Ara l-Amerikani, minkejja li huma l-aqwa pajjiz fid-dinja, ma jistghux jghidu l-istess haga! M'ghandhomx lingwa taghhom!
U ktibt li 'Bagit, Kowc, maws, etc etc are not a sign of language development. On the contrary to me it says that our language is a dying one.' Vera ma tafx x'int tghid! Dak juri li l-lingwa taghna kapaci taddatta ruhha ghal kliem gdid li jidhol fil-vokabolarju tal-poplu! Turi li hi lingwa hajja! Allura t-Taljani li juzaw termini Inglizi fejn jidhol il-kompjuter ifisser li t-Taljan qed imut bhala lingwa? Ma nahsibx!
Franco Farrugia
Jul 5th 2012, 16:39
Unfortunately, in these comments, you meet opinions such as that of Mr John Sciberras. It is with Maltese people such as the latter that the Maltese language will suffer. Obviously, he simply has no idea about what one's natural language entails. Every single syllable he writes is in error and a fatal dig against our Maltese language.
Alfred Bugeja
Jul 5th 2012, 15:07
Excellent story by Martin Debattista. I don't know how he manages to dig out such information.
Kenneth Bowman
Jul 5th 2012, 14:58
“teblits” ?? Pathetic.
Please choose the reason of your report below: