Our former student Rigu Bovingdon had this to say on our “knowledge of Maltese” (The Sunday Times of Malta, August 23
“During my four years of study under Manuel Mifsud, Albert Borg and Ray Fabri – at the University’s Department of Maltese – I was never impressed by their knowledge of Maltese. Joseph Aquilina privately told me on more than one occasion about his concern for the fantasies in Borg’s endless theorising with the question of aspect in Maltese (Ilsienna) and with his suggested removal of the għ and the h.
“Mifsud, in his radio programme Seħer il-Malti, leaves many unanswered questions, as well as incomplete and even incorrect replies to his audience. Fabri seems to live in a permanent dream world of useless theorising about ‘word order’ and ‘generative grammar’.
“Such is the disparate group of academics in whose care the draconian council’s powers were entrusted.”
We shall refrain from commenting on whether Bovingdon is in a position to judge the professional quality of our academic achievements.
For the time being, it will suffice to quote his judgement on the same three academics on two previous occasions following his experience at the University’s Department of Maltese:
From Bovingdon’s BA (Hons) thesis The Maltese Language in Australia (1998
“As a student in the Arts course at Malta University I feel at a loss to judiciously render my appropriate gratefulness towards my former lecturers as their keen interest in my work as well as their ever readiness to assist, provided me with all the moral support without which, at times, I might have wavered.
“In particular I would like to pay tribute to my four main lecturers in the Department of Maltese, namely Professor Oliver Friggieri and Dr Arnold Cassola in the sphere of literature and Professor Albert Borg and Dr Manwel Mifsud in the field of linguistics. I further acknowledge the more specific help afforded me by the latter two as my thesis supervisors, for their guidance and advice in completing this work.”
From the acknowledgements in the published version of Bovingdon’s thesis: The Maltese Language of Australia: Maltraljan , three years after he graduated: “Towards the final completion of this work I am indebted to my two thesis supervisors and examiners Professor Albert Borg and Dr Manwel Mifsud. These erudite individuals helped me in no mean manner in gaining a finer insight into that most fascinating of human dimensions we call language.
“The enlightening and always challenging linguistics lectures by Dr Ray Fabri weigh just as heavily as my thesis supervisors’ impartings upon the linguistic side of this work.”
We shall leave it to readers to judge the hypocritical nature of these diametrically opposed opinions and to try to figure out the hidden opportunistic motives behind some articles – rife with woolly linguistic arguments – with which Bovingdon and a handful of reactionary friends of his like to regale us in the local press from time to time.
In our dealings with Bovingdon, our main ally is his own reputation.