Over the last few years, Maltese has become sought after by many foreigners living on our islands. The last decade has seen an unprecedented number of foreign students wishing to learn Maltese. For this reason, we must try to understand who these people are, why they want to learn our language and, more importantly, how to help them start and continue learning a language like ours.
Immigration to Malta has increased, particularly since joining the European Union. Even though many of these immigrants have been living here for several years, they often continue feeling like outsiders due to their inability to integrate into the community. This, in spite of their curiosity about Malta and its culture. They soon realise that the cause of this discomfort is a result of not yet having learnt the language properly.
Amongst the main reasons for learning the language are those linked to family. Several foreigners are in relationships with Maltese citizens or have relatives who are Maltese nationals, and do not wish to continue being excluded from their conversations. Like speakers of other languages, Maltese people use Maltese to express their emotions in different situations. Therefore, foreigners’ ability to understand Maltese helps them participate more easily in such moments in their daily lives. It may also be the case that, if their children have learnt Maltese well, the parents might not feel as comfortable when their own children speak a language in their presence that they do not understand.
Foreigners may also feel the need to learn Maltese for work or their career because, for some, a qualification in Maltese could result in a higher position or salary within the company or agency that employs them. On the other hand, when foreigners are unable to speak Maltese, they are prevented from communicating directly with colleagues and clients, patients, and buyers.
There are a number of foreigners who choose to learn Maltese for the purpose of polyglotism, even in countries which are officially monolingual. In other words, some foreigners choose to learn multiple languages because they consider them exotic or special, so they choose Maltese as their third or fourth language. There are other reasons that may compel some people to learn other languages, such as interest in cultures different from their own, linguistic research, and to keep mentally active. It is worth noting that, until a few generations ago, most Maltese people could speak three languages, if not more, from a young age. They learned these languages at home or secondary school, by watching television, at university, or by working overseas.
Foreigners also learn Maltese because it is accessible through similar words in some of the most spoken languages in the world. At the same time, they are aware that Maltese can be a stepping stone to Semitic languages like Arabic, Hebrew, and Aramaic, all of which use structures which do not exist in the languages of Continental Europe. The beauty of having a good command of Maltese is that it can help you learn languages like Chinese, Japanese, and Korean since these have similar structures, such as topicalisation and verb forms, that are familiar to speakers of Maltese.
Nowadays, there are more print and digital resources available such as books, dictionaries, and face-to-face or online courses, all of which can help foreigners learn Maltese. Nevertheless, there is a great deal that still needs to be done to help foreign students, particularly in terms of research, grammatical resources, and levelled learning materials.
When we encourage foreigners to learn and speak Maltese, we are also helping ourselves and safeguarding our uniqueness. Therefore, the most supreme effort for the continuation of Maltese must be made primarily by Maltese people.
Ayrton-Didier Brincat is a linguist and teacher of Maltese as a foreign language. This article forms part of the campaign ‘l-ilsien Malti għal qalbi’, organised by the Office of the President and the Maltese language organisations. This is a translation of an article written in Maltese.
The Department of Maltese at the University of Malta offers 5 online programmes at different levels for those interested in learning Maltese as a foreign language. For more information, please visit: www.um.edu.mt/arts/malti/korsijiet/malteseforeign