Letter from Malta

The development of Maltese English

“…Geographically within comfortable sailing distance of Italy, these ties remained firm up until and well into the arrival and settlement of the British in the 1800s. The English language gradually put down some roots primarily through its settler community, initially, coming into close contact with both Maltese and Italian, where, as Frendo (1975) puts it, ‘Maltese had an Italo‐Arabic duality, epitomized by the language itself, and represented best of all by the Maltese‐speaking bilingual educated classes’. Maltese English therefore developed in a multilingual context involving increasing recognition of Maltese as the language of national identity, pride and patriotism, alongside Italian as a palpable and culturally strong influence.…”