MALTA

MALTA 

Geographical situation

   Malta is a country, formed of some islands, which is in the Mediterranean sea. It's placed between Libia and Sicily coasts, in an estrategic position for trades and communications. Malta has an area of 316km2 and a poblation of 423,282 inhabitants. It's an independent country since 1964 and it's part of the European Union since 2004.

How did English become an official language?

   British helped to expel French people of Malta, who had invaded them. However, after 1802, the islands belonged to the Order of St John again (like it has been until 1798). When the Napoleonic wars started, the British defended the Maltese islands and, when the conflict finished, they became part of England (Treaty of Paris, 1814). After that, Malta was an important settlement of the Bristish Empire, it adopted his language and other features.

   In the same way, the other official language in Malta is Maltese, their own one. It's semitic and it has a lot of Arabian influences. Italian was also official until 1934, and most of Maltese people can speak it.

   Malta is a mix of different cultures: Roman, Arabian, Italian, English, the Knights os St John... In fact, the Order of St John (or Order of Malta) is very important for the country. The Order has been in the islands since 1530, when Carlos I of Spain gave them up to the knights, to 1798, when Napoleón Bonaparte occupied Malta.

You can see some curiosities of Malta's culture here

Some interesting places to see and activities to do in Malta

   

   Malta's English has a particular accent which is influenced by Maltese, but there aren't many differences between its English and other countries, because they have their own language. There aren't special structures in Maltese English, but we can see some peculiarities in the colloquial and spoken English. This is a Mediterranean accent, but its English is easier to understand than American English. 

   

   In addition, some expressions used in Malta (only in the spoken English) are "Ta", which can be used like a synonym of "You know?", or to emphasise a statement . Also, "Ux" what colloquially means agreement or asking for agreement. Another one is "Ejja", which one we can hear if someone is being lazy, like anyone of these expressions: "Hurry up!", "Come on!" or "Get over here!". Finally, we've found the term "hi". It is not the same as "hello", but it references a person in a conversation in a friendly way, like "mate" or "buddy", although it can be used in a sarcastically way.

Click here to listen to some people speaking the two official languages of Malta

This is an advertisement from the Maltese Government to show young people that they can learn English in Malta 

   In conclusion, Malta is a very beautiful country in which we can see a lot of different cultures. We should visit it at least once.

José Trashorras Martínez, 2ºB