https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/5005 Sat, 11 Apr 2026 14:17:22 GMT 2026-04-11T14:17:22Z https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/70828 Title: Il-kodifikazzjoni tal-ilsien Malti fis-seklu 18 fl-isfond kulturali Abstract: Din ir-riċerka għamiltha għax ridt nifhem x’kienu l-għażliet lingwistiċi tal-ewwel awturi tal-grammatiki u d-dizzjunarji, fuq kollox liema varjetà għażlu għall-kodifikazzjoni tagħhom. Konna nafu x’varjetà għażel Mikiel Anton Vassalli (MAV) għax hu stess jitkellem fuq l-għażla taż-Żebbuġi, imma ħadd ma ddiskuta x’setgħu kienu l-varjetajiet magħżulin minn Agius de Soldanis (AdS) u P. Pelaġju (PP). Kienet il-grammatika ta’ AdS li xprunat lill-Isqof biex jippubblika t-traduzzjoni tal-katekiżmu, imma kif influwenzatu lil dan il-ktejjeb? Il-katekiżmu kien l-aktar ktejjeb li mexa fil-pajjiż minħabba l-appoġġ istituzzjonali tal-Knisja; b’liema varjetà ġie stampat? U kemm influwenza l-lingwa tal-predikaturi? Il-kotba tal-Iskola tal-Fqar, miktubin minn Cleardo Naudi f’isem il-Metodisti u maħruġin mill-istamperija taċ- Church Missionary Society (CMS), kemm segwew in-norma stabbilita minn MAV? Sal-lum, min kien jitkellem fuq il-formazzjoni tal-Malti standard kien għadu ftit jew wisq trux għall-vuċijiet maħżuna fid-dokumenti, daqslikieku l-ftit li għandna ma jiswa xejn. Ma naħsibx li għandu jkun hekk: xi kummenti fil-grammatiki, l-implikazzjonijiet f’xi tifsiriet tad-dizzjunarji, il-valur ta’ xi grafemi fil-prietki, u mqar daqsxejn ta’ nota fl-ewwel paġni tal-katekiżmu, meħudin flimkien jitfgħu dawl fuq is-sitwazzjoni djalettali fis-seklu 18. Il-ġabra u l-analiżi tagħhom tgħinna npinġu dehra lingwistika li, għall-istudju tal-Malti, hija ġdida. Għalhekk il-qari ta’ dawn id-dokumenti qodma sibtu ta’ fejda biex nikklassifika d-djaletti fisseklu 18 skont humiex rurali jew urbani, dikotomija li kienet viżibbli ħafna fil-fonoloġija taddjaletti. Il-klassifikazzjoni tal-idjolett ta’ kull awtur ma serraħthiex l-aktar fuq id-dettalji bijografiċi tiegħu għax, jekk fis-seklu 18 kien hemm perċezzjoni tal-istandard, l-awtur seta’ ħaddan lilu flok id-djalett ta’ twelidu. Il-profil lingwistiku ta’ kull kittieb slittu permezz talanaliżi tal-ortografija, il-materja prima li għandna. Jekk imbagħad kien hemm xi kummenti diretti, bħal ta’ PP fuq AdS, jew ta’ Panzavecchia fuq MAV, allura żidthom u stħarriġt biex nara jikkonfermawx dak li joħroġ mit-testi. Aktar iva milli le, il-profil lingwistiku ta’ kull kittieb huwa magħmul minn tagħrif approssimattiv ta’ taqsima tal-inventarju fonemiku li tagħżel lil kittieb minn ieħor. Kif jgħid Prevaes: “As the main difference between the various dialect groups was the pronunciation, it is in the field of orthography that we might find out which dialect group was used as the basic norm.” Minħabba li l-bidliet viżibbli li l-Malti ġarrab fit-taqsima tal-fonoloġija laqtu l-konsonanti warranin u l-interdentali, kif isemmu Dun Ġwann Cachia, PP u MAV, se niffoka l-aktar fuq ir-riflessi ta’ dawn il-ħsejjes għaliex huma laktar elementi distintivi fl-inventarji fonemiċi tad-djaletti tas-seklu 18.F’dan ix-xogħol xtaqt irrodd id-dimensjoni lingwistika lil awtur bħal AdS. Għal żmien twil, ix-xogħol tiegħu fuq l-ilsien Malti ma nqarax; forsi tfieh MAV. Min fl-imgħoddi fittex fiddizzjunarju u l-grammatika manuskritti tiegħu, aktarx għamel dan biex jislet tagħrif kulturali milli għal tagħrif fuq il-lingwa. Forsi l-akbar xhieda hija l-qari tal-kelma ewlenija tat-titlu tad-dizzjunarju. Sa fejn naf jien, ħadd ma ġibed l-attenzjoni li AdS semmieh id-Ḋamma, birrealizzazzjoni tal-interdentali. Nittama li l-qari mill-viċin ta’ xogħlijietu jgħin flapprezzament ta’ dan l-awtur li kellu ħafna xi jgħid fuq il-Malti. Description: PH.D.HISTORY Thu, 01 Jan 2015 00:00:00 GMT https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/70828 2015-01-01T00:00:00Z https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/12924 Title: The state of the hospitaller commandery of Santa Maria Maddalena del Tempio di Parma in the 1780s Abstract: The present dissertation is mainly concerned with the Hospitaller Commandery of Santa Maria Maddalena del Tempio di Parma. It focuses on the state of the commandery particularly in the 1780s. One of the main sources consulted were the miglioramenti carried out by Commander Alvaro Ruffo during his tenure between 1782 and 1787. Furthermore, it hopes to provide a thorough understanding of how the Hospitaller Commandery in general functioned, while also attempting to outline the development within Santa Maria Maddalena del Tempio di Parma. The purpose of this dissertation is also to provide an overview of the commandery while keeping in mind that the amount of literature written about the topic is very limited. Predominantly the sources used throughout this study were primary sources, in the form of cabrei and miglioramenti. Hence, in this sense the present dissertation, with all its limitations, hopes to cover up till now unexplored territory. Description: M.A.HOSPITALLER STUD. Thu, 01 Jan 2015 00:00:00 GMT https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/12924 2015-01-01T00:00:00Z https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/10668 Title: Social interaction at Cospicua during the first 50 years of British rule : 1800-1850 Abstract: The term social interaction can have various meanings and interpretations - however the basic or fundamental meaning relates to the behaviour of people and their relationship/s that is created when they live together. When looked through a historical background, the term is used to shed some light on the way people behaved in their day-to-day way of life and how their behaviour resulted in the growth of such a community. Man’s behaviour in this world of men is not random. It follows certain rules which are subject to change with time. Naturally a number of external forces always exert their influence on the course of behaviour of the community and when historians try to interpret and give meaning to the resulting pattern they always look at the whole picture. Historical analysis is commonly used in social research as a background against which a comprehensive study may be set. The most widely used tools to undertake such a historical analysis are written documents as these will enable a reader to draw up a complete picture. These are used to give an interpretation of man’s struggles within society. This study tries to analyse the growth of the community at Cospicua in the fifty year period of 1800 – 1850. The general socio-political situation that was evolving in Malta at that time had a direct influence on the growth of the community. The analysis is carried out via two important sets of documents – the parochial and diocese records and the notarial deeds drawn up by the notaries who resided in the city. One of the key factors that helped to increase this social integration was the influx of a number of merchants who found it to their advantage to take up residence in the city where they could make their financial and commercial transactions within a few metres from where their goods used to be landed and stored. At the end of the period these same merchants were forced to leave due to the arrival of a labouring mass that was drawn to the city by the provision of a regular-wages employment. Description: M.A.HISTORY Thu, 01 Jan 2015 00:00:00 GMT https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/10668 2015-01-01T00:00:00Z https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/6836 Title: Romantic culture in Malta : a historical analysis Abstract: This study attempts to answer two questions, which will be stated better in the introduction. The first looks to analyse the presence of romantic culture in Malta during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, while the second sets out to study its link with the development of Maltese history already studied from the viewpoint of various compartments: political, cultural, social, educational and others. As stated already, I do not pretend to have exhausted the subject; rather, I provide an outline on the subject which can be further studied and exploited. Each section of the dissertation can be developed, but due to the limits stated by the guidelines of this degree, the project had to comply as much as possible with the expected word length. I have chosen to dissect this work into parts according to chronological order, although in every part a thematic approach is favoured. All quotations are translated into English, and where this was difficult, unclear or ambiguous, for instance in literary or proverbial translations, I have chosen to provide the reader with the original text in the footnotes. Texts and titles in old Maltese, which was written in a multitude of ways, are standardised even when reproducing the originals, since this project is not concerned with linguistic and technical analysis, which ultimately makes things less complicated and frustrating. The illustrations are not provided as decoration but as part of the evidence, when and where necessary. Description: M.A.HISTORY Thu, 01 Jan 2015 00:00:00 GMT https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/6836 2015-01-01T00:00:00Z