https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/35696 Wed, 08 Apr 2026 15:47:55 GMT 2026-04-08T15:47:55Z https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/8649 Title: Segni dell’architettura antica sul Gran Monastero di S. Giovanni di Pantelleria Authors: Sechi, Giuseppe Abstract: In the Middle Ages, the island of Pantelleria was the southernmost frontier of the Christian empire, and it had been chosen by a hermit called Giovanni as the right place where to lead a penitential life. A steep hill rose from the sea to an extinct volcanic crater where he found a cave in what had become a typical Pantelleria garden. With another monk called Basilio, there he founded a monastery where the Rule of St John was written, the one that was later adopted in Russia. The author has researched the place, matching the physical characteristics of the path from the sea to the crater and evidence found on the rocks and among the stones of dammusi (girna-like habitable constructions) with readings of the Carolingian Chronicles dating to 803 (discovered by Henri Bresc) and the Tipiko of St John (Dujčev 1971), following the aerial method of Braudel which combines historical and geographical evidence to identify the ancient monastery. Thu, 01 Jan 2015 00:00:00 GMT https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/8649 2015-01-01T00:00:00Z https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/8648 Title: La società sotto processo, ovvero Così è (se vi pare) Authors: Muscat, Arthur Abstract: The 19th-century was characterized by unshakable trust in both political and spiritual authority. However, towards the end of the century trust in all aspects of life dwindled and uncertainty became the order of the day. All across Europe one could easily observe a literature based on mistrust and relativism. From now on, Man’s beliefs and certainties were put on trial and previous convictions severely challenged. Periodicals such as Il Regno, Lacerba, and, most of all, La Voce were the first to inject a new perspective in the stagnant Italian literature. The author who wholeheartedly hurled himself against the mediocre literature was Luigi Pirandello (Nobel Prize in Literature, 1934) who continually questioned reality as perceived by the majority. This is, in fact, one of the basic themes in the play Così è (se vi pare) where the playwright derides individuals who uphold conventional beliefs, that is to say who are unable to see what lies beneath the surface. Pirandello confronts Man with himself so that he should feel the pain that would lead him to an authentic existence, even if this is extremely difficult for presumptuous individuals. Thu, 01 Jan 2015 00:00:00 GMT https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/8648 2015-01-01T00:00:00Z https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/8647 Title: L’ultima isola musulmana in Italia, Pantelleria (Bint al-riyāḥ) Authors: Staccioli, Giuseppe Abstract: After the Norman conquest of Sicily, the islands of Pantelleria and Malta still sustained important Arabic communities but their eventual linguistic destinies were quite diverse: the former was submerged by continuous Italian admissions, whereas the latter survived the Italian cultural onslaught. However, traces of Arabic influence are still recognizable on Pantelleria, particularly in the name of its capital and of some old villages. The toponyms usually describe the structure of the soil, the devices to extract water, the controlled use of it, the names of ancient proprietors or tribes, etc. Much less evident, but still consistent, was the influence of the Arabic language on the Pantelleria dialect, as it remained in contact with Arabophones for several centuries. Loanwords and calques are numerous: some Italian words effectively changed their gender according to their Arabic counterparts; some verbs were affected by Arabic conjugation patterns. The great similarity between some Maltese and Arabic words present in the present Pantelleria dialect enables an easier identification of Arabic original words, even when the structure of some has actually changed. References to surnames of Arabic origin are rather scanty, as most family names derive from Sicilian and Spanish sources; only two, Casano and Tatania, seem to have originated in Pantelleria itself. Thu, 01 Jan 2015 00:00:00 GMT https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/8647 2015-01-01T00:00:00Z https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/8646 Title: Il-forma ortografika u t-tifsira semantika fl-għażla tal-lessiku Malti fl-oqsma tat-traduzzjoni u tat-terminoloġija Authors: Zahra, Paul Abstract: Din l-analiżi turi kif is-Semitiku, ir-Rumanz u l-Ingliż li minnhom magħmul il-Malti jippermettu dinamiżmu u flessibilità kbira fil-qasam tat-traduzzjoni kemm letterarja kif ukoll nonletterarja. Il-forma ortografika u t-tifsira semantika tal-kliem Malti-Rumanz huma ħafna drabi l-istess bħal dawk tal-kliem Malti-Ingliż u dan għax kemm l-Ingliż kif ukoll it-Taljan għandhom fil-lessiku għadd ta’ għeruq komuni li etimoloġikament imorru lura għal-Latin Medjevali. Ir-rwol tat-traduzzjoni hu li jwassal it-test sors b’mod awtentiku lillqarrej tat-test mira u mhux li jippreserva l-element Semitiku fil-Malti. Għalhekk għandha ssir distinzjoni bejn lingwa u traduzzjoni sabiex jiġi osservat id-determiniżmu lingwisitku stabbilit mill-awtur tal-lingwa sors fl-għażla tal-lessiku li twassal għar-replika vera tat-test oriġinali fil-lingwa mira tat-traduttur. Thu, 01 Jan 2015 00:00:00 GMT https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/8646 2015-01-01T00:00:00Z