I refer to the letter by Joseph Muscat (The Sunday Times of Malta, August 10) about the Maltese spelling of English words and their plural. He has no cause to worry about having to use words like ‘imejlijiet’ for the plural of the noun.

The educated people of Malta have long accepted the English plural by adding ‘s’ to the new singular noun. Words like ‘e-mail’, ‘computer’, ‘refrigerator’, ‘washing machine’, ‘cooker’, ‘plumber’, ‘foul’, ‘goal’, ‘corner’, ‘penalty’, ‘offside’, ‘referee’, ‘microwave’, ‘weekend’ and many others add the ‘s’ for their plural. These words have become Maltese, fitting in beautifully off the loan word shelf of new arrivals.

With regard to the spelling, one notes that even in Italy, loan words from English have been fully accepted, spelling and all. Enriching the language, it makes it easier to read and write, doing away with clumsiness.

Meaning and spelling ride on the river of time and are all subject to change in any language. Thus many scholars believe that the retention of the original is indeed enriching.