Malta Languages
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Description[edit | edit source]
Maltese — the most common language for daily conversation — resulted from the interaction and fusion of North African Arabic and a Sicilian form of Italian. It is the only Semitic language written in the Latin alphabet. Total estimations for Maltese vocabulary are: 52% Italian/Sicilian, 32% Siculo-Arabic, and 6% English, with parts of the remainder being French.[1] It became an official language of Malta in 1934. English is the other official language and is used for all instruction. Italian was the language of church and government until 1934, and consequently, is still spoken by a sizable portion of the islands’ population.
Records are written in Latin, Maltese, Italian, and English.
Word List(s)[edit | edit source]
For word lists and help researching in Maltese records, see:
Alphabet and Pronunciation[edit | edit source]
Alphabet[edit | edit source]
| Letter | A a | B b | Ċ ċ | D d | E e | F f | Ġ ġ | G g | GĦ għ | H h | Ħ ħ | I i | IE ie | J j | K k |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pronunciation (IPA) | [ ɐ ] | [ b ] | [ t͡ʃ ] | [ d ] | [ ɛ ] | [ f ] | [ d͡ʒ ] | [ ɡ ] | [ ˤː, ħː ] | [ ħ ] | [ ɪ ] | [ iɛ, iː ] | [ j ] | [ k ] |
| Letter | L l | M m | N n | O o | P p | Q q | R r | S s | T t | U u | V v | W w | X x | Z z | Ż ż |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pronunciation (IPA) | [ l ] | [ m ] | [ n ] | [ ɔ ] | [ p ] | [ ʔ ] | [ r ] | [ s ] | [ t ] | [ ʊ ] | [ v ] | [ w ] | [ ʃ / ʒt͡s ] | [ t͡s / d͡z ] | [ z ] |
Language Aids and Dictionaries[edit | edit source]
Online Dictionaries:
Lessons in the Maltese Language:
Additional Resources[edit | edit source]
- Maltese dictionary. New York: Hippocrene Books, Inc, 1998. Available at: WorldCat.
- English and Maltese Dictionary. G.P.O.: Malta, 1906. Available at: WorldCat.
- Aquilina, Joseph. Concise Maltese English, English Maltese dictionary. Sta Venera, Malta: Midsea Books, 2006. Available at: WorldCat.
- Bugeja, Paul. Maltese dictionary: English-Maltese, Maltese-English. n.p.: n.p., 1953. Available at: WorldCat.
- Bugeja, Pawlu. Kelmet il-Malti : Maltese-English, English-Maltese. Malta: AN Books, 1988. Available at: WorldCat.
- English-Maltese Dictionary. Dizzjunarju Ingliż-Malti. n.p.: n.p., 1939. Available at: WorldCat.
References[edit | edit source]
- ↑ Brincat, Joseph M. (2005). "Maltese – an unusual formula" (27). MED Magazine. Archived from the original on 5 September 2005. Retrieved 22 February 2008.