Languages of Malta

The official languages of Malta are Maltese and English.

Maltese, a language of Semitic origin written in the Latin script, is the national language of Malta. Over the centuries, it has incorporated many words derived from English, Italian and French. Italian is also widely spoken.

Malti - The Maltese Language

The Maltese language is a source of fascination to both visitors and linguists. The Maltese speak a unique language, Malti, the only Semitic language written in Latin characters.

Through the ages, many foreign words, particularly English and Italian, have become part of the language. English, which is also an official language, is widely and fluently spoken and is the language of international business.

What is surprising is that the islanders managed to retain a unique language in face of so many others brought by various powers over the centuries. Maltese was largely only a spoken language until the latter half of the 19th century when its grammatical rules were defined and written down.

The earliest written evidence of Maltese is a ballad by Pietro Caxaro, (d.1485). The Knights attempted to script it as well. The survival of the language is perhaps testament to the resilience of the Maltese to remain a distinct people and culture. Malti is thought to derive from the language of the ancient Phoenicians who arrived in Malta in 750 B.C.

The influence of the Arabs who made the Islands home from the 9th to 13th centuries is clear in the Maltese language whose roots are closely akin to Arabic. Place names and numbers are the most obvious examples of Arabic influence on the language.

For non-native speakers trying to learn Malti, the most awkward sound is similar to the Arabic q - an almost silent, but difficult to master, glottal stop. If you are interested in learning Maltese, several language schools on the islands run courses in Maltese for non-native speakers

Enjoying it from the start

Is speaking Maltese easy?

Well nothing is easy at first. Is speaking French easy? It isn't either. However I believe that in life we tend to do good in what we like doing. So if you like the 'sound' of the spoken Maltese language you will soon start to get familiar with the pronounciation in your head. In fact I need to add some video/audio here to introduce you to the pronounciation.

We have 30 letters in our alphabet and the 'y' is missing. Other peculiarities: we have 2 'g', a 'gh', 2 'h' , an ie and 2 'z'. Not to worry, but just note that the ċ, the ġ and the z' are dotted, The 'ħ' is crossed as it is in the 'għ'.
Let's start with the English pronounciation of each letter.

a .......................pronounced ah (as in English 'a' in apple)

b .....................beh

ċ .....................ch eh (like in channel)

d .....................deh

e ......................eh

f .......................eh f feh

ġ.......................jeh (like in general)

g.......................geh (like in garden)

għ ....................aye-n. Changes its sound according to the vowel preceeding or following it.

ħ........................heh

h .......................ak kah. This is an 'h' mute and takes the sound of the vowel following it.

i ........................e (like in instant)

ie ......................e (like in instant - but prolonged)

j ........................ yea

k ........................keh (like in khaki)

l .........................eh l leh

m .......................eh m meh

n ........................eh n neh

o ........................oh (like in ohms)

p ....................... peh

q ........................ guttural sound like the 'k' in Cokney, pronounced Coqney

r ......................... eh r reh

s .......................... es as in street

t .......................... te as in tea

u ........................ oo as in zee

v ........................ vee as in van

w ....................... w as in wet

x ......................... sh as in sheet

z (without a dot) ts

z (with a dot) ...... zet as in zoo

Languages of Malta

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