Languages of Malta

Malta has three official languages: Maltese, Maltese Sign Language and English. Maltese is the national language, and most people in Malta speak it well. Until 1934, Italian was also an official language, and there was a long debate about which languages should be used most in the country.

Today, almost everyone in Malta can speak more than one language. About 90 percent of people know Maltese, and 96 percent know English. Many also understand Italian and some can understand Darija, a type of Arabic spoken in North Africa.

Over the years, more people in Malta have learned to speak English and Italian. In 1995, only 76 percent could speak English, but now it is 96 percent. Italian fluency has also grown, partly because Italian TV shows are popular in Malta. Other languages studied in schools include French, Russian, Spanish, and German.

Background

Greek became an official language of Malta in 553 AD when it was part of Sicily under Emperor Justinian. Even though Siculo-Arabic was used officially, Greek was still spoken by important families until the Norman rule ended in 1194. Around 1130, Greek began to be replaced by Latin.

For many years, Malta was ruled by the Knights of Malta, who came from many parts of Europe. During this time, Tuscan Italian and Latin were used for important official work, like at the Castellania. Many knights were from France, and French was used in daily life, but Italian stayed the main language for official matters. Even maps and documents often used Italian because many of the order’s important military engineers were French. French was the official language during the short time Malta was ruled by France, from 1798 to 1800, known as the French occupation of Malta.

Maltese

Main article: Maltese language

Maltese is the national language of the people of Malta and one of the official languages of Malta and the European Union. It comes from an old Arab language but uses many words from Sicilian and Italian. Over half of its words have Latin roots because of Italy's influence, especially from Sicily, and some from France.

Malta is special because it is the only country in Europe where a language from ancient Arab roots is spoken. Maltese is written using a version of the regular Latin alphabet with some extra letters like ż, ċ, ġ, ħ, and għ. People in Malta also use Maltese Sign Language to communicate without speaking.

English

Before Malta became independent in 1964, it was a British possession. Because of this history, English is one of Malta’s official languages. The government uses both English and Maltese, and most students learn English in school. In higher education, lessons are only in English. Today, about 88% of people in Malta can speak English, but only around 10% use it as their first language, with most speaking Maltese instead.

The English spoken in Malta is based on British English but has influences from Maltese and Italian. This creates a mix sometimes called Maltenglish, where words from other languages are pronounced in an Italian style. However, a more standard form of English is still used by many people in Malta.

Italian

See also: Maltese Italian

For many years until 1934, Italian was the official language of Malta. It was seen as the language of culture since the Italian Renaissance. In the 19th century, some people wanted to use Italian more in Malta, hoping to connect it closer to Italy.

In the early 1900s, there was a big discussion in Malta about which languages should be used. This happened before World War II.

In 1933, there were changes because of a decision about teaching Italian in schools. Some groups used the Italian language to keep things the way they were.

Today, about 66% of people in Malta can speak Italian, and 8% prefer to use it in daily talks. This is because many Italian people have moved to Malta recently. Even though Italian is not an official language anymore, it is still used, especially in some jobs by Italian immigrants. Many Maltese people learn Italian by watching Italian TV.

Foreign languages

Many people in Malta can also speak French, and some understand or speak Spanish or German. Schools offer several other languages to learn.

For students around age 11, schools can teach Arabic, French, German, Italian, or Spanish for five years. For students around age 13, schools can teach Arabic, French, German, Italian, Russian, or Spanish for the last three years of secondary school.

Media

Publications

There are the same number of newspapers in English and Maltese, but none in Italian.

Most people like to read in English. About 61% of people choose English for books, and 71% prefer English for magazines. Only about 36% like to read books in Maltese, and 23% prefer Maltese for magazines.

Radio

For radio, Italian is more common than English. Most radio stations are in Maltese and Italian, with a few in English too.

A study from 2004 found that 82% of people listen to Maltese radio regularly, 25% listen to Italian radio, and 15% listen to English radio.

Television

Local television shows are mostly in Maltese and sometimes in English. Many people also watch television from Italy, the UK, or other European countries, and from the United States. They can watch these shows using cable, digital terrestrial services, or satellite.

Online usage of Maltese language

In 2005, Maltese was not often used on the internet. Most websites in Malta were in other languages. A survey of 13 websites found that 12 were only in English, and one had two languages, but not Maltese. A later survey in 2011 showed that only about 7% of people in Malta prefer to use the internet in Maltese. Many people think that every website in Malta should have a Maltese version.

Future

People are unsure what will happen to the Maltese language in the future. Some think it might change a lot because many people mix Maltese with English and Italian when they speak. Maltese is also starting to sound more like English in some words and rules. A few wealthy families even use English more often at home, but this is still rare. Even with these changes, most people in Malta still speak Maltese.