Samenvatting
Maltese and its status in education in Malta
Maltese, or il-Malti, is a Semitic language closely related to Arabic in structure and morphology but is written from left to right and in the Latin script. When Malta became an independent state within the Commonwealth in 1964, the new Constitution highlighted the importance of Maltese by giving it both a national and an official status. Since 2002, Maltese has also been recognised as an official language within the EU. The systematic teaching of Maltese started in the early 20th century, and since 1946, Maltese has always been one of the core subjects in both primary and secondary education. Malta’s current guiding educational framework, the National Curriculum Framework from 2012, does not outline a policy regarding the language of instruction, but does recognise the need for such a policy, and efforts have been undertaken to address these issues of entitlement, culture, and implementation. In response to the increasing numbers of pupils in Maltese schools whose first language is neither Maltese nor English, courses have recently been developed to teach Maltese as a foreign language.
Maltese in educational research
Educational research has shown that, in most schools, educators are aware of the need to introduce both Maltese and English at an early age and to create activities where both languages are used. The majority of State school educators focus on Maltese, while in Independent and Church schools, however, there is an emphasis on English. Research on Maltese in education is mainly carried out at the University of Malta. Maltese linguistics is also studied internationally, and the International Association of Maltese Linguistics was founded to serve as a platform to stimulate the study of Maltese and connect researchers interested in Maltese linguistics.
Prospects for Maltese in Malta
Malta has now become a country with a high non-Maltese population. It is therefore not surprising that spoken Maltese is slowly becoming less widespread, since English has de facto taken its place. Maltese does not have the same market value and power as its co-official language, English, and many migrants decide to come to work in Malta because they know that the language of communication will not present a barrier. If the Maltese language is to survive and be appreciated fully, it must be given more importance. This could be achieved by supporting migrants of all ages in learning the Maltese language in order to integrate effectively into Maltese society.
Maltese, or il-Malti, is a Semitic language closely related to Arabic in structure and morphology but is written from left to right and in the Latin script. When Malta became an independent state within the Commonwealth in 1964, the new Constitution highlighted the importance of Maltese by giving it both a national and an official status. Since 2002, Maltese has also been recognised as an official language within the EU. The systematic teaching of Maltese started in the early 20th century, and since 1946, Maltese has always been one of the core subjects in both primary and secondary education. Malta’s current guiding educational framework, the National Curriculum Framework from 2012, does not outline a policy regarding the language of instruction, but does recognise the need for such a policy, and efforts have been undertaken to address these issues of entitlement, culture, and implementation. In response to the increasing numbers of pupils in Maltese schools whose first language is neither Maltese nor English, courses have recently been developed to teach Maltese as a foreign language.
Maltese in educational research
Educational research has shown that, in most schools, educators are aware of the need to introduce both Maltese and English at an early age and to create activities where both languages are used. The majority of State school educators focus on Maltese, while in Independent and Church schools, however, there is an emphasis on English. Research on Maltese in education is mainly carried out at the University of Malta. Maltese linguistics is also studied internationally, and the International Association of Maltese Linguistics was founded to serve as a platform to stimulate the study of Maltese and connect researchers interested in Maltese linguistics.
Prospects for Maltese in Malta
Malta has now become a country with a high non-Maltese population. It is therefore not surprising that spoken Maltese is slowly becoming less widespread, since English has de facto taken its place. Maltese does not have the same market value and power as its co-official language, English, and many migrants decide to come to work in Malta because they know that the language of communication will not present a barrier. If the Maltese language is to survive and be appreciated fully, it must be given more importance. This could be achieved by supporting migrants of all ages in learning the Maltese language in order to integrate effectively into Maltese society.
| Originele taal-2 | Engels |
|---|---|
| Plaats van productie | Ljouwert/Leeuwarden |
| Uitgeverij | Mercator European Research Centre on Multilingualism and Language Learning |
| Aantal pagina's | 74 |
| Uitgave | 2nd |
| ISBN van geprinte versie | 1570-1239 |
| Status | Gepubliceerd - 22 mei 2024 |
Publicatie series
| Naam | Regional Dossier series |
|---|---|
| Uitgeverij | Mercator European Research Centre on Multilingualism and Language Learning |
| ISSN van geprinte versie | 1570-1239 |