A
TREASURE
AT
RISK

By

JOSEPH
VELLA

The heart and soul of a nation is embellished in its cultural roots, of which language is a most paramount factor in giving it unique character and heritage. Yet one must be careful of not falling victim to illusion, much like beholding a self-image in a mirror, where reality and subjective judgment fuse to create a composite reflection of intended distortions. The "mirror, mirror on the wall, who is the fairest of them all" fabled syndrome fits well with those who champion Maltese as a national language enshrined in eternity, forever sheltered against fast undercurrents of change in lifestyles, which continue to buffet its idyllic shores and coves.

In their patriotic fervor to preserve the Maltese language, its staunch defenders fail to appreciate that nothing in nature is static. A single stone, a range of mountains, and vast oceans all deceptively static, have in fact a life span or cycle of their own which attests to birth, growth and death. This same immutable law of physics which regulates the order and motion of objects thru time and space, is equally applicable to the formulation of native tongues and dialects, which help define people in terms of nationality and regional characteristics. A language is the sum total of all its parts. It capsules the historic convolutions imposed upon a captive nation by external forces of occupation, with heavy overtones of religious and cultural implications. The linguistic development of Maltese is likewise replete with the confluence and connotation of semantics and cultures borrowed from North Africa, Asia Minor and Europe. A fortuitous act of geography thus played a key role in the birth and evolution of the modern Maltese vernacular.

Paradoxically the very same dynamics which gave rise to the Maltese language will over time relegate it to the "delete" bin of history. The unpalatable transition is in fact already underway. Through necessity more than choice, the Maltese are noted for their ease at absorbing foreign tongues. Multi-lingual at birth they are much at ease conversing in Maltese as in English, Italian and to a lesser degree Spanish, French and German. Their extraordinary language skills are punctuated by the quaint Latin habit of gesturing in a loud tone with exaggerated hand motions, finger pointing and passionate debate bordering on verbal aggression, traits equally pronounced in regions of Southern Europe and the Arab world. These different facets, together with the spoken word form the foundation of any language. Nowhere else in Europe but in Malta, are local folks so fluid and amenable to foreign influence and speech, without giving second thought that the process of assimilation might be a key factor in the contingent destruction of their own language and national identity. Unlike France, with its inordinate fear of French making way for English as a universal language , Malta has no "language" police tearing down commercial signs to preserve the purity and integrity of its mother language.

The increasing acceleration of foreign tongues spoken, particularly English, in the daily affairs of Malta's commerce, industry, schools and judiciary, will relegate Maltese to a state of creeping dormancy observed with other Indo-European languages such as Welsh, Gaelic and less so Irish. Further the innate Maltese ability to tolerate and absorb other nation's cultures, which has helped the island nation survive countless centuries of despotic occupation, is now in a fast forward process of diluting its native tongue with newer words of American origin, in an effort to keep up with an ever expanding lexicon of technical terms taught at the University of Malta and other institutions of higher learning. This shift is more pronounced within the engineering, medical and computer science disciplines, than studies in literature or liberal arts. Attempts to introduce a substitute Maltese formation of equivalent words have at best been pathetic and dismal. Maltese may be amply adequate for romantic novels, classical books and poetic license, but therein lies its limitations. The accelerating inability to keep par with modern technology will clearly hasten its demise. Another critical factor which will help stilt Maltese, is Malta's firm determination to join the E.U. and its assumed obligation to retain English as its sole official language.

A paradox with Maltese as a language is that its heavy dependency on Arab roots is in sharp conflict with its people's growing desire to declare and uphold their European identity. The glaring contradiction which best highlights Malta's split personality, between two sharply different cultures, is evident in that Maltese is expressed in Romanized script, rather than its cursive Arabic alphabet of origin. Notwithstanding objections from a small but vocal group of academicians, who hold vested interests in the preservation of Maltese as a national language, its intermediate future is at best bleak. For the long term it will most certainly take its place amongst other linguistic dinosaurs . No wishful or sentimental thinking will ever change the odds.

The obfuscation of the Maltese vernacular is not cause for joy or snug displays of superior analytical prowess. It rather reflects a sad irreversible reality of a cherished tongue, elbowing aside to the greater force of rapid advancement within a unifying world at large, and within a nation so small, yet also so enduring. It is also a reminder of the world's transformation into a small village. In predictable fashion history will repeat itself, for the past is also Malta's future. The language of Malta brought to its fair shores by the fortunes of geopolitical events will once again give way to the path of least resistance --- the overwhelming avalanche of foreign pressure and influence.

The tide of progress ebbs gently in the Mediterranean, yet it flows in synch with lunar gravity. The latest flow stems southwards from Europe and beyond the Atlantic in North America. In its wake Malta will change its skin color in chameleon fashion to transparently fit in, as part and parcel of a redefined secular Judo Christian Europe. For many generations yet to come its cherished Semitic language will be spoken less often amongst its native born inhabitants, until such time that it will eventually cease to exist. No person possessed with an objective mind can possibly fault such findings as to render them without substance.


E-mail to Joseph Vella: joevella@prodigy.net

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