The Times regularly publishes letters or articles on people from all walks of life who defend or run down the Maltese language. This is not the issue.

As a foreigner I have tried to learn the language but feel that here nobody really cares: Some schools organise lessons for two or three months and then no follow-up!

Not enough time has been spent by academics to ponder on how to teach the language to foreigners and they tend to teach it as they do to the Maltese. As a linguist I am afraid to say that shows either lack of interest or lack of professionalism.

Now I have found a private teacher and am very happy about my progress. The language is very interesting indeed, albeit quite hard for non-Arabic speakers. But it is very rich and a challenge for anybody's brain.

There is, however, a dark point: Why are so many mistakes found on official writings in Maltese? On dustbins on Tower Road: użhom where it should be użahom ("use them")... When contacted the Sliema local council did not even bother to answer; but then maybe they do not like to be told by a foreigner. How do the Maltese expect their lovely language to live on if they do not bother to write it properly and teach it properly?

As a linguist I feel the language is being pidginised too much and this is a pity. Why not keep up the challenge? It is a difficult language, so what - brains can work and it should make life even easier for the Maltese who should then master English whose grammar is so much less tricky....