There’s been plenty of genuine criticism that the Maltese don’t speak their language properly. They use foreign words when there is the equivalent in the vernacular. The main culprits for this sad state of affairs are the media, especially the various TV stations. They are to blame for the bastardisation of our language. The people responsible for the respective stations should exact that the presenters always speak proper Maltese and tell their guests beforehand to do the same if it’s a Maltese programme. Newscasters are not to blame if what they have written in front of them is badly construed or not up to standard. In the old days these were seen beforehand by a man responsible to check the script. The recent unforgiveable howler which was repeated a number of times by the different newscasters was saqajn ix-xellugija (left feet) as if the writer never heard the singular word sieq.

And why are not the telephone numbers and street names in the commercials not always said in Maltese? Why, for example, use neighbours, bathroom, parents, thank you, Christmas presents when we have the common everyday words ġirien, kamra tal-banju, ġenituri, grazzi and rigali tal-Milied? The various TV drama programmes are being extremely lax here. The script writers should be made to pull up their socks. Is nobody responsible anymore?