Written and spoken languages are the most effective tools for communication. In a bilingual country like Malta one needs to be proficient in both our official languages to communicate properly in social as well as business life. However, it seems that some are struggling to achieve this aim, especially through the use of Maltese.
According to Bernard Micallef, the head of the University’s Department of Maltese, “students struggle to express themselves and to write grammatically correct Maltese, leading to more than a quarter failing their Sec exams”. Some argue that this failure rate is not alarming and is in line with the situation in other main subjects like English and mathematics.
The antidote for this communication malady, according to Mr Micallef, is to introduce a new literature syllabus that is specifically designed with students in mind. For this reason, as from the next scholastic year, new textbooks will replace older literature books that have been used for about two decades. The new textbooks will focus on “the best examples of Maltese literature”.
Moreover, the subjects tackled will “include themes that appeal to young people like immigration, the environment and love”.
Few could argue against this move. But the real question is whether this will help students read more, understand the syntax of the Maltese language better and help them be more articulate in their communication.
Social researchers would argue that the way we communicate has changed so much in the past two decades that a simple change in language syllabuses cannot on its own enable younger people to be proficient in the use of any language as a means of communication.
It is a fact that today younger people communicate differently from their parents. The exponential growth in information and communication technology has promoted the widespread diffusion of electronic social communication, like texting and e-mail.
This has changed the way in which we communicate where grammatical and lexical correctness is less important than the instant gratification of immediate communication that has no geographical boundaries.
No one can deny that younger people today read far less than the previous generation. Linguistic elegance is seen as an old fashioned value that is not really needed in the instant communication culture of today. An added complication for the promoters of the better use of the Maltese language is that the stock of good reading material published in Maltese is a small fraction of publications in English.
Many language lovers argue that our young people’s command of the English language is not much better than that of Maltese. In fact, many locals speak a hybrid language that is made up of elements of both Maltese and English that are linguistically substandard.
Tactical changes in the language syllabuses in our schools, as well as more modern methods of teaching languages, will have a beneficial effect on the proficiency of our students to communicate effectively in both Maltese and English.
But what is more important is a new strategy to make reading of well written literature a desirable and rewarding activity for young people leading to better proficiency in the use of language skills. This is not just a nostalgic urge to move the clock back to where it was a few decades ago. It is a pragmatic way to promote better communication in our social and business interactions.
This strategy is desperately needed for the effective use of both Maltese and English by our students.