View Full Version : Sapir-Whorf
The Sapir-Whorf hypothesis is about the relationship between language and thought. It suggests that the structure of a language determines the way it's speaker percieves and understands the external world. In a few words language shapes the tought.
It has a lot of criticism from today linguistics, but hypotesis also exist ,that suggest language shapes tought to some degree.
Language is the house in which man dwells.
"The real world is to a large extent built up on the language habits of the group. We see and hear and otherwise experience very largely as we do because the language habits of our community predispose certian choices of interpretation. The worlds in which different societies live are distinct worlds, not merely the same world with different labels attached." (Sapir '56)
"We cut nature up, organize it into concepts, and ascribe significances as we do largely because we are parties to an agreement to organize it in this way; an agreement that holds throughout our speech community and is codified in the patterns of our language. The agreement is, of course, an implicit and unstated one, but its terms are absolutely obligatory; we cannot talk at all except by subscribing to the organization and classification of data which the agreement decrees." (Whorf '56)
Sapir and Whorf view that we all have a basic need to make sense of the world and thus we impose an order to it.The main tool for that is language. From the two quotations above,their view is that language we use determines how we experience the world and how we express that experience.
The limits of my language indicate the limits of my world.
Marco Polo
24thMay2005, 09:30
think about it guys!
Norman argues exactly the same thing. The jews have always known this. Take the old testament - in the beginning there was the WORD, i.e. language. Even in the new testament, Jesus is the WORD of God made flesh.
"Knew I then that in Words are power to open the planes that are hidden from man. Aye, that even in Words lies hidden the key that will open above and below." - Thoth.
The hebrews knew about the power of language.In the book of enoch,he(enoch)travels far to learn the secret of languages.
Just a simple example,:
a brother went.
un fratello se ne ando'.
try to say it in maltese without refering, like our\my\his\the brother.
imagine its the 1st sentence of a poem.
This theory has a lot of criticism.
It could be that language=thought and vice-versa.
Maltese has his beauty like other languages.
It's not true that it is an inferior language.
Presently, Maltese is spoken in all the Maltese islands and among emigrants, who love to boast about how well they can speak their mother tongue.
It's damaging to use non-Maltese words when these are available.
When words are imported into Maltese should be spelt in Maltese.
A case in point is kompjuter. From the international word, which the maltese started spelling in Maltese, came several derivatives such as ikkompjuterizzajnihomlom-a whole sentence in English which could be said in just one word in Maltese. This show the strenght of the Semitic concept in Maltese.
Naggar, a brother went
un fratello se ne ando
If you study Maltese you can easy find the answer.
We must respect Maltese because it's the backbone of our identity.
Maybe as a semetic based language, the maltese helps us do better calculations , but still lacks intellect in my opinion.Semetic material in roman tounge.
A semetic with a superstratum of latin or viceversa.It's not a pure language.We must think what's good for our peope ,not the language. As we are not semites,we don't need a semite language.
The sapir-whorf hypothesis is regarded as racist,so it has a lot of cons.It needs to be researched in depth.
a brother went, un fratello se ne ando'....x'iktar? :D
Maybe as a semetic based language, the maltese helps us do better calculations , but still lacks intellect in my opinion.Semetic material in roman tounge.
That is the beauty of our language.
No, Maltese doesn't lack intellect.
A semetic with a superstratum of latin or viceversa.It's not a pure language.We must think what's good for our peope ,not the language. As we are not semites,we don't need a semite language.
Which languages are pure?
Today, there is much that is not semitic, due to the immeasurable Romantic influence from our succession of (Southern) european rulers through the ages.
Are we going to destroy which others have left?
This will be madness.
The sapir-whorf hypothesis is regarded as racist,so it has a lot of cons.It needs to be researched in depth.
a brother went, un fratello se ne ando'....x'iktar? http://www.vivamalta.org/forum/images/smilies/biggrin.gif
Wiehed minn huti telaq.
You seem to love the language,which is a good thing. We need more people, who like 'something' made in malta.In that ,i respect you. Still i see no wrong in trying ,to at least better ones language.
It is not to destroy,it's to perfect ones self. I think it's the romantic influence which kept us to our roots,which kept us artists of ideas. ;) When you practice another language everyday,you begin to see the difference.Culture plays of course ,it's part too.
Wiehed minn huti telaq = One of our brothers went. :p
Naggar, every language has its beauty.
You can't translate literally from a language to another.
We have the example of our translaters, they done a mess.
There are nations that are deprived from a native language.
I'm proud to speak Maltese.
I hope that your motivation to right this article was based on constractive critique.
Yes, constructive critique. I only want the best for my people, based on my experience,and not based on hate.
Naggar, I agree with you.
Malta l-ewwel u qabel kollox.
Viva Malta.
Crieket
17thJune2005, 20:45
"Sapir and Whorf view that we all have a basic need to make sense of the world and thus we impose an order to it.The main tool for that is language. From the two quotations above,their view is that language we use determines how we experience the world and how we express that experience.
The limits of my language indicate the limits of my world."
The Maltese language has taken in elements from the Semitic, Latin and Anglo-Saxon experience. This has happened gradually over a long period of time and is still happening today. This means that the Maltese experience is constantly evolving to remain in tune with the world.
The Maltese language mirrors the Maltese social, political and historical experience and is one of our main cultural assets.
No language is 'pure' - all languages are derived from earlier languages and constantly borrow from others. The moment a language stops changing, it starts becoming fossilized and starts losing its adaptability to the current situation.
Manuel
17thJune2005, 21:36
Just because it is virtually impossible to translate certain phrases like a brother went/un fratello se ne ando` into Maltese, it does not mean that Maltese is in any way inferrior. There are countless examples of universal (believe it or not) concepts which can be expressed in Maltese, but cannot be articulated in English or in the Romance languages. To name but one glaring illustration of this:
Could any detractor of Maltese please tell us how to differentiate between zmien and hin in English, Italian, or even in the hallowed language of the Imperium, i.e. Latin?
Just because it si virtually impossible to translate certail phrases like a brother went/un fratello se ne ando` into Maltese, it does not mean that Maltese is in any way inferrior. There are countless examples of universal (believe it or not) concepts which can be expressed in Maltese, but cannot be articulated in English or in the Romance languages. To name but one glaring illustration of this:
Could any detractor of Maltese please tell us how to differentiate between zmien and hin in English, Italian, or even in the hallowed language of the Imperium, i.e. Latin?
Main Entry: time Part of Speech: noun 1 (http://thesaurus.reference.com/features/howtousethesaurus.html) Definition: period Synonyms: age, allotment, bit, bout, chronology, clock, continuance, date, day, duration, epoch, era, eternity, extent, future, generation, go, hour, infinity, instance, instant, interval, juncture, lastingness, life, life span, lifetime, moment, month, occasion, pace, past, point, present, season, second, shift, space, span, spell, stage, stint, stretch, tempo, term, ticks, tide, tour, trick, turn, week, while, year Source: (http://thesaurus.reference.com/help/about.html) Roget's New Millennium™ Thesaurus, First Edition (v 1.1.1)
Copyright © 2005 by Lexico Publishing Group, LLC. All rights reserved.
Main Entry: time Part of Speech: noun 2 (http://thesaurus.reference.com/features/howtousethesaurus.html) Definition: opportunity Synonyms: break, chance, heyday, look-in, occasion, opening, peak, shot, show, squeak Source: (http://thesaurus.reference.com/help/about.html) Roget's New Millennium™ Thesaurus, First Edition (v 1.1.1)
Copyright © 2005 by Lexico Publishing Group, LLC. All rights reserved.
:D:p
Manuel
17thJune2005, 21:48
I did not ask for a list of associated terms, but for a translation. Do you think you could try again?
I did not ask for a list of associated terms, but for a translation. Do you think you could try again?
Well, take your pick dammit. Depends on what you mean:
zmien = age? duration? epoch? era? interval?
hin = time? interval? occasion?
Boq. Give me an equivalent list of maltese words comparable to the english.;)
Manuel
17thJune2005, 22:04
Ghaddielu l-hin.
Zmien twil ilu.
Translate please
Ghaddielu l-hin.
Zmien twil ilu.
Translate please
His time ran out. He ran out of time. He was late.
A long time ago. Aeons ago. Ages ago. A month of Sundays ago. In the remote past. In the far past. Days beyond recall. Long ago. Long since. Once upon a cookoos nest. :p
Just because it is virtually impossible to translate certain phrases like a brother went/un fratello se ne ando` into Maltese, it does not mean that Maltese is in any way inferrior. There are countless examples of universal (believe it or not) concepts which can be expressed in Maltese, but cannot be articulated in English or in the Romance languages. To name but one glaring illustration of this:
Could any detractor of Maltese please tell us how to differentiate between zmien and hin in English, Italian, or even in the hallowed language of the Imperium, i.e. Latin?
Oh, btw - Italian
zmien = tempo (Molto tempo fa)
hin = ora (Che ora e'?)
L-ilsien Malti sfortunatament huwa handicap kbir ghalina. Lingwa fqira. Bastardizzazjoni bejn Gharbi, Taljan u Ngliz. Ftit vale la pena tahli hin u taghaddi z-zmien mieghu. Dment li ma tkunx xi profs tal-bigilla timpala l-liri taghti l-privat ghal Matricola, biex imbaghad jintesa minnufieh li jaghaddi l-ezami.
Ghad-dagha, mahluq pero'.
Artist
17thJune2005, 23:01
Argo, ma naqbilx mieghek kompletament.
Ghidli liema lingwa li mhix imhallta?
Hawn hafna nazzjonijiet li m'ghandhomx lingwa taghhom.
Il-Maltin minn dejjem esprimew l-esperjenzi u s-sentimenti taghhom bil-lingwa nattiva taghhom.
Mela ghaliex il-Malti jkassbar il-lingwa tieghu?
Crusader, ara fejn hu s-sabih tal-Malti :'ikkompjuterizzajnihomlom' fl-ingliz trid sentenza shiha biex tiktibha.
Kull lingwa ghandha l-ghodda taghha.
Marco Polo
17thJune2005, 23:15
but ikkompjuterizzajnihomlom is hardly legible is it? we computerised them no?
but ikkompjuterizzajnihomlom is hardly legible is it? we computerised them no?
There are several ways to say it in English. We computerised them for them?
Notwithstanding my little bout teasing Manuel, I find these kind of arguments inconclusive. One language says it one way, the other says it the other. Frankly I find that irrelevant. What is more serious, though, is when a language lacks whole concepts. Some time ago I posted the example of science & technology, where english is used almost exclusively.
Very often, we Maltese find it difficult to imagine having a language that is limited for the simple reason that we are bilingual - what we can't say in Maltese, we say in English.
But sometime, observe a Maltese who knows only Maltese and no other language. Speak to him. You will notice that he will find it very hard to imagine or conceive of certain ideas. In general Maltese is very suited for discussing everyday items, occurrences round the house etc., and agriculture. But when you start to move into other areas you will start to quickly start having to interject words in other languages. Try discussing science, IT, technology, philosophy, military matters, etc., and you'll see what I mean. If you had no knowledge of english, all these subjects would be virtually closed to you.
Manuel
17thJune2005, 23:33
Marco Polo,
ikkompjuterizzajnihomlom not legible?? Do you have any inkling of what you are talking about?
Crusader,
Translating: 'Aeons ago' is not a precise translation of 'Zmien twil ilu'. Aeon is not impart the sense of limitlessness that 'time' necesssitates. It's as id I were to translate " a brother went out' with 'Wiehed minn ahwa" , a correct but imprecise rendering of the original phrase.
Argo: Most european languages (prominent among which is English) are 'Bastardised' languages, and yet suit their purpose - communication- admirably an dled themselves to sublime forms of litereary expression. Maltese does that too - in the hands of skilled users
Marco Polo,
ikkompjuterizzajnihomlom not legible?? Do you have any inkling of what you are talking about?
Well, he does have a point, although the problem is not unique to Maltese. Ever seen German?:p
Crusader,
Translating: 'Aeons ago' is not a precise translation of 'Zmien twil ilu'. Aeon is not impart the sense of limitlessness that 'time' necesssitates. It's as id I were to translate " a brother went out' with 'Wiehed minn ahwa" , a correct but imprecise rendering of the original phrase.
Well, obviously the first phrase that comes to your mouth for "Zmien twil ilu" is "a long time ago", but my point was to indicate that there are many ways of saying approximately the same thing with different shades of meaning. I challenged you to find a similar list of words in Maltese as I gave you in English, but you haven't obliged yet.;)
Argo: Most european languages (prominent among which is English) are 'Bastardised' languages, and yet suit their purpose - communication- admirably an dled themselves to sublime forms of litereary expression. Maltese does that too - in the hands of skilled users
Most European languages have common roots, so it is not surprising to find similarities between them. Literary beauty is not the point, in my view. See my previous post.
Artist
17thJune2005, 23:44
Manuel, ghidt kollox.
Crusader, hemm lingwi ohra li kellhom idahhlu kliem xjentifiku jew ta' IT. Allura dawn mhumiex validi bhala lingwi?
Manuel
17thJune2005, 23:53
Well, obviously the first phrase that comes to your mouth for "Zmien twil ilu" is "a long time ago", but my point was to indicate that there are many ways of saying approximately the same thing with different shades of meaning. I challenged you to find a similar list of words in Maltese as I gave you in English, but you haven't obliged yet.;)
Ok...I'll oblige when I have a bit more time (hin, mhux zmien :))
Most European languages have common roots, so it is not surprising to find similarities between them. Literary beauty is not the point, in my view. See my previous post.
You completely misunderstood (or else I made a hash of explaining myself). The commonality of the roots of Romace languages has nothing to do with the fact taht they are bastardised English is a 'hybrid' of Anglo-Saxon. and French. Yet it's the lingua franca of the world.
Manuel, ghidt kollox.
Crusader, hemm lingwi ohra li kellhom idahhlu kliem xjentifiku jew ta' IT. Allura dawn mhumiex validi bhala lingwi?
Jiena lanqas ghedtlek li l-Malti mhuiex validu bhala lingwa. Jien ghedlek li il-Malti huwa addattat ghal certi sferi hafna izjed minn ohrajn. Issa ejja. Vera li irridu nkunu nhobbu l-lingwa tghana etc. etc., imma ma tistax ma tammettix dak li qieghed nghid jien. Il-Malti huwa limitat izjed mill-bicca l-gbira tal-lingwi Ewropej.
Illum hemm zaghzagh li qed johorgu mill-iskola minghajr mank ikunu jafu kelma bl-inglis. Dan jidirlek li ghal gid taghhom? Ma tahsibx li dawn ha jkollom handikap kbir fil-hajja moderna? Wara kollox Norman qatt ma qal li l-Malti jrid jigi meqrud. Kull ma qal hu li ghandu jigi ridimensjonat. Il-Malti huwa parti mill-istorja u l-kultura tghana, u dan hadd qatt ma jista jhassru. Imma jekk ghemm ghodda ohra li tista' taqdina ahjar m'hemm l-ebda raguni ghalfejn m'ghandniex nghamlu uzu minnha.
Ok...I'll oblige when I have a bit more time (hin, mhux zmien :))
Okay. I'll be waiting.:p
You completely misunderstood (or else I made a hash of explaining myself). The commonality of the roots of Romace languages has nothing to do with the fact taht they are bastardised English is a 'hybrid' of Anglo-Saxon. and French. Yet it's the lingua franca of the world.
Actually, the argument of the language being mixed was made by Argo, not by myself, but anyhow - Anglo-Saxon (which are a number of different, but related languages) and French are ultimately derived from a single root (proto indo-european). This can be seen even today in the similarities of certain words, for example father in English, vater in German, pater in Latin, and pitr in Sanskrit.
This is in contrast to Arabic and any other indo-european language, as these do not have any common ground.
Artist
18thJune2005, 00:28
Naqbel mieghek Alla hares il-Malti jitkellem bil-Malti biss.
Dan ikun dnub mejjet.
Kif jista' jikkomunika ma' l-Ingliz, il-Franciz, it-Taljan ecc ecc.
Li qed nghid hu li l-lingwa Maltija jisthoqilha rispett.
Kif ghidt qabel fil-kuncett ta' IE naqbel ma' Norman li bhala Ewropej ghandna jkollna lingwa wahda li taghqaddna.
Marco Polo
18thJune2005, 00:41
Marco Polo,
ikkompjuterizzajnihomlom not legible?? Do you have any inkling of what you are talking about?
9 sylables! that is a sentence, not a word. but as crusader said, german is similar. i like to use 'weltanshauung'
Crusader,
Translating: 'Aeons ago' is not a precise translation of 'Zmien twil ilu'. Aeon is not impart the sense of limitlessness that 'time' necesssitates. It's as id I were to translate " a brother went out' with 'Wiehed minn ahwa" , a correct but imprecise rendering of the original phrase.
ages ago, long time ago would do fine!
Argo: Most european languages (prominent among which is English) are 'Bastardised' languages, and yet suit their purpose - communication- admirably an dled themselves to sublime forms of litereary expression. Maltese does that too - in the hands of skilled users
it has its uses. i would really love to see you try to translate nietzsche into maltese! its hard enough to try to convert him into english.
like crusader pointed out so accurately, try and have a serious discussion about the subjects he spoke of solely in maltese. good luck!
Marco Polo
18thJune2005, 09:40
my prob is the vocabulary. i get so frustrated trying to express accuratly in maltese. then again some things are best said in maltese like haq dik il-********************
fimt?
Manuel
18thJune2005, 10:15
Skilled Maltese users can converse about ANYTHING in the language. Just because of a couple (well a few more) of well-publicised translation errors (mostly, btw, due to negligence and NOT to ignorance or inherent untranslatability), there is this misconception that we cannot translate EU documents. RUBBISDH!! Dozens are translated...every day.
It all boils down to knowledge and effort.
PERICLES
18thJune2005, 12:38
Skilled Maltese users can converse about ANYTHING in the language. Just because of a couple (well a few more) of well-publicised translation errors (mostly, btw, due to negligence and NOT to ignorance or inherent untranslatability), there is this misconception that we cannot translate EU documents. RUBBISDH!! Dozens are translated...every day.
It all boils down to knowledge and effort.
I agree. The infamous "igsma tal-pariri" for "advisory bodies" could have been easily translated to "awtorita appropjata" jew "esperti tas-settur"
The morons who did the translation (Law graduates :( ) translated everything WORD by WORD. Its not the fault of the Maltese language. Its the fault of the stupidity of the translators. :mad:
Artist
18thJune2005, 12:45
L-aqwa xoghlijiet letterarji nqellbu ghall-malti. Nies bhal Oliver Friggieri, Alfred Palma, Trevor Zahra u ohrajn urew li huma kompetenti f'dan il-qasam.
Manuel
18thJune2005, 15:46
I agree. The infamous "igsma tal-pariri" for "advisory bodies" could have been easily translated to "awtorita appropjata" jew "esperti tas-settur"
The morons who did the translation (Law graduates :( ) translated everything WORD by WORD. Its not the fault of the Maltese language. Its the fault of the stupidity of the translators. :mad:
My own opinion is that it was due to shoddiness rather than ignorance. The translation software does part of the work itself, and the translator has to be alert enough to spot any automatic errors and correct them. I would be more inclined to think that the translators were negligent - I can hardly believe a law student would be so pathetically idiotic as to belive that 'advisory bodies' hould be translated as 'igsma tal-pariri'.
I would have translated as 'korpi ta' konsulenza' myself, although 'esperti tas-settur' might have been appropriate in certian contexts.
Manuel
19thJune2005, 00:17
Okay. I'll be waiting.:p
......Anglo-Saxon (which are a number of different, but related languages) and French are ultimately derived from a single root (proto indo-european). This can be seen even today in the similarities of certain words, for example father in English, vater in German, pater in Latin, and pitr in Sanskrit.
This is in contrast to Arabic and any other indo-european language, as these do not have any common ground.
1. I think you know very well that amny (though definitely not all) experts believe that all languages derive from one common language - although nobody knows (so far) what sort of language this was.
2. Even if we we were to discard the hypothesis of the Basic Common Language, the fact is that the Romance Element has adapted itself magnificently to the Semitic morphology of Maltese. This mirrors other processes ( biological-for which read racial -, cultural) on other levels. That is what Malta is about...a hybrid of European and North African. No amount of ideological filtering of reality will ever change that fact.
1. I think you know very well that amny (though definitely not all) experts believe that all languages derive from one common language - although nobody knows (so far) what sort of language this was.
Well so do most scientists believe that all animals evolved from a single ancestor, but it doesn't mean that all animals are the same. Even assuming that the common language hypothesis is true, which it well may be, it seems obvious to me that the divergence of languages from such a remote origin would be much larger that that of the Indo-European languages from proto Indo-European, by virtue of the simple fact that the divergence originated much earlier in time.
2. Even if we we were to discard the hypothesis of the Basic Common Language, the fact is that the Romance Element has adapted itself magnificently to the Semitic morphology of Maltese. This mirrors other processes ( biological-for which read racial -, cultural) on other levels. That is what Malta is about...a hybrid of European and North African. No amount of ideological filtering of reality will ever change that fact.
I do not dispute the fact of the Maltese language easily incorporating foreign vocabulary. In fact I think it is its saving grace. What I object to is the so-called "professuri tal-bigilla" constantly calling for an artificial migration towards the semitic side of the language, when the common usage of the language naturally gravitates towards greater incorporation of European vocabulary. Is it the place of the accademja tal-malti to dictate what is the correct word to use? Is a word of semitic origin more "Maltese" than one of romance origin? Why Mitjar rather than ajruport for eg.?
As for the biological and cultural aspects - ejja ma nhalltux il-hass mal-bass. The Maltese has always known on what side of the Mediterranean he stands - he has always considered himself and was always considered a European not a north-african. This concept that the liberals want at all costs to inculcate the Maltese with, that the Maltese are racially semitic is nothing but lies. Semitic input into the Maltese gene pool has always been kept to a minimum. This is an excerpt of an article I posted a while back on the site (by C.A.Gauci)
Like many Mediterranean countries, the Maltese islands were once under Arab domination. The period of Arab occupation ranged from 200 years in Malta and Gozo and 400 years in Sicily and parts of Italy while the longest occupation was 800 years in Spain. The Normans started to rule Malta in 1090. The Arabs left their mark in the place names and the language. This was to be expected since the original Maltese language derived from Phoenician was, like Arabic, a Semitic language.
Prior to the 200 years of Arab domination, Malta had been Roman (later part of the Eastern Empire) from 216B.C. to 869 AD-just short of 11 centuries. Contrary to popular belief, the Arabs, wherever they occupied were on the whole fairly benign; they did not go in for mass slaughter of their defeated foes (which is more than can be said for many 'Christian' European powers); people who refused to convert to Islam were subjected to a special tax. When the Arabs expelled the Byzantine rulers they did not put the Maltese population to the sword or in any way try to deport them from the islands. It is true that they tried to convert as many as possible to Islam; the degree of this conversion has still to be definitely ascertained. The view that the entire Byzantine population simply deserted the islands allowing the Arabs to move in does not stand up to historical scrutiny; the islands were far too strategically important to be simply abandoned to a hostile power.
From the advent of the Normans up to 1530, Malta was part of the Kingdom of Sicily; thus from 1091 to 1530 when the Order of St. John came to Malta, the original Italic and Byzantine population from the Roman period was further reinforced by other European elements-a period of 440 years.
It also bears stating that the island of Malta under Moslem rule had a very tiny population; the population of the island grew under the Norman rule which started in 1090AD; this was followed by a steady migration of people from Sicily and the European mainland over the ensuing centuries.
The Euro-ethnicity of the Maltese race stands out even from a cursory perusal of the island's telephone directory! In culture and tradition the Maltese are European and Christian; thus for example Heraldry, a concept totally alien to the Arab world, is deeply rooted in the Maltese islands. The Maltese can also boast of an old and illustrious nobility deeply rooted in the traditions of European chivalry.
As for the cultural aspect - I don't understand exactly what you're driving at. The Maltese culture is European through and through, much of it having sicilian origins. The muslim population in Malta was nil prior to building the mosque in Corradino courtesy of the socialist government.
Crusader you are quite right that the professuri tal-bigilla will precipitate towards the semitic side. They are not needed if the language goes the other way to Italian or English.
It is simply their survival instinct at work. You don't need a doctorate in bigillology to translate football into futbol, or computer into kompjuter.
Anway bigillology was never my stong point.
Manuel
20thJune2005, 21:21
Crusader and Argo,
On the question of the Semitic element of Maltese, and is place in the contemporary state of the language, I'm afraid you're at least a decade behind the times. No scholar worth his salt would today insist that Maltese speakers should make make strenuous efforts to find 'le mot semitique'. The Romance element is as important as the original elemt- and is considered so in literature as well. Read Ġuże Stagno's novels, for example...and wait unti the newly-appointed Kunsill tal-Malti issues its guidelines.
Argo, your gratuitious insults to the national language sit uncomfortably with your much-vaunted patriotic views. Language is part of identity, just as much as customs and history are. To cast aspersions at it is to insult all that is essentially Maltese. On the other hand, people who lack linguistic skills may be tempted to denigrate the language they cannot utilise well......a sort of linguistic sour grapes.
Artist
21stJune2005, 08:43
L-Gharab hadu 'l Malta fit-870 A.D., u b'hekk qieghdu s-sisien ghall-ilsien li llum hu maghruf bhala l-Malti. Mill-hakma Normana (1090 A.D.) 'l quddiem l-ilsien tal-gzira beda jinfetah ghal influwenzi mhux Gharbin, process li wessa' l-medda lessikali u kattar il-mudelli sintattici tieghu, u li fis-sewwa esponieh ghal bixra ta' hajja differenti hafna. It-tlaqqigh bejn iz-zewg ilsna, jew zewg sferi ta' kulturi, kellu maz-zmien isir il-qofol tal-kitba letterarja bil-Malti stess. F'dan il-qafas storiku rridu naraw il-kwistjoni tal-lingwa.
Il-Malti huwa parti mill-identita' taghna u ma jistax jigi mkassbar.
patriaomuerte
21stJune2005, 17:58
L-ilsien Malti sfortunatament huwa handicap kbir ghalina. Lingwa fqira. Bastardizzazjoni bejn Gharbi, Taljan u Ngliz. Ftit vale la pena tahli hin u taghaddi z-zmien mieghu. Dment li ma tkunx xi profs tal-bigilla timpala l-liri taghti l-privat ghal Matricola, biex imbaghad jintesa minnufieh li jaghaddi l-ezami.
Ghad-dagha, mahluq pero'.
Ghadni kif qrajt il-post tieghek u nghidlek il-verita dardritni! Inti xi professur tal-lingwitstika biex titkellem dwar il-malti hekk?
Il-malti huwa handicap? Fuq liem bazi qed tghid hekk? Il-malti jghamilna poplu uniku! Il-malti b differenza tal-latin ghadu lingwa hajja.
Go fieh il-malti hemm l-istorja tal-poplu taghna [kif crieket u artists qalu]. Xi haga li hija essenzjali li nzommu u niehdu hsieba.
Hafif tatakka l-universita Argo! Ehe hafif hafna? Jien ma studjajtx il-malti f' livell universitarju u forsi ghalhekk nikteb il-malti b xi zbalji ta l ortografija. Biss int li tajjeb hafna tmaqdar din il-lingwa tant sabiha, liem lingwa qatt studjajt b certu detal?
Il-malti ma jghamilnix inqas minn hadd iehor. Anzi jgghalna nitghallmu lingwi ohra. Hares lejn l-ingliz. B ghira jharsu lejna ghax kapaci nitkellmu 3 lingwi differenti. Taljan Malti u Ingliz. Hawn maltin jafu anka aktar!
U x hemm hazin fil-lingwa gharbija! Qatt studjajt xi naqra gharbi int? Qatt pruvajt tara il-komplikazjonijiet fil-lingwa gharbija.
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