Maltese dialects: the effects of globalization and changing attitudes on Malta's linguistic diversity

Abstract

My three weeks in the country of Malta during July of 2011 was an enlightening linguistic-anthropological experience, but one that I left with more questions than when I arrived. Thus, my analysis of Maltese dialects tries to be more than just an insightful examination. In taking note of the linguistic situation today, I pose questions about how it will be tomorrow. The collection of my research varied from conversations I had with different Maltese people, my observations, notes, scholarly literature, and even Facebook groups supporting different dialects. My research is largely linguistic-anthropological, but as Bucholtz and Hall explain, this field is shifting to “describe not merely kinds of speech but kinds of speakers, who produce and reproduce particular identities through their language use,”(2004; 369). Therefore, I focus on the formation of varying Maltese social identities with regard to native dialect. Specifically, I ponder how these identities may change with changing trends in communication. Ultimately, in this essay I attempt to temporally theorize about the potential future of Maltese linguistic variation within an ethno-historical framework, using anthropological concepts of globalization.