Malta has two official languages: English and Maltese. And
most people also speak, or at least understand, Italian. For those of you who
don’t know where Malta is: it’s right below Sicily. It’s tiny, but it has the
history of a giant – temples older than Stonehenge, a marvellous capital city that
showcases centuries of art, and one church or chapel for every day of the year.
And it also has its very own language!
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| Republic Street, Valletta |
When I moved here, I thought communication wouldn’t be a big
issue, since everyone is supposed to speak English. FAIL. Maltese is really and
truly the first language. It’s a really strange, but fascinating language - a
mix of English, Italian and Arabic. I figured I have to at least know what
people around me are saying. So I threw a notepad and a pen in my handbag and
headed to the University of Malta, where I completed two courses in Maltese for
foreigners. An unforgettable experience.
After that, I puckered up the courage to occasionally
communicate with the locals in their native language. I feel it’s more
respectful for me to adapt to them, than the other way around. That proved to
be quite a challenge. No course can prepare you for real-life conversations.
And believe it or not, there are different accents in Maltese – when you go to
Gozo, Malta’s sister island, the tone completely changes and some words become incomprehensible.
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| And this is Gozo |
When hubby-to-be, a.k.a. the Malteser, and I bought our
flat, we had quite a few workers coming in and out of our very first home. One
of the first things that needed to be installed was the telephone line,
otherwise there was no way for me to work. And that’s when I realised that
knowing at least some basic Maltese can be a godsend. The technician spoke no
English at all. Nothing. So he mumbles something and all I understand is “bejt”.
Aha, bejt – I know what that means:
roof. So we go up to the roof – five floors, in complete silence. God, this
lift is slow. Here we are, standing on the roof, staring at each other. Awkward
smile. Jiena nofs Belgjana u nofs
Taljana. Nistudja l-Malti l-università. Imma mhux faċli…* (“I’m half
Belgian and half Italian. I’m studying Maltese at university. It’s not easy.”).
End of conversation. Reschedule appointment. Preferably with an
English-speaking installer.
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| Maltese. Be honest, it doesn't look easy, does it? |
Today, I can safely say that my Maltese has improved dramatically.
Not to the point where I can keep up with an entire discussion. But I
understand a lot. I’m still a bit uncomfortable speaking this odd language,
though. My intonation is that of a drunk Italian and I invent words, usually by
adding a “u” to Italian words – for some reason my brain thinks that Maltese is
an offshoot of Sardinian. Mhux hekk?
* If you’re Maltese, I apologise for butchering your language.
