Maltese - a mature standard language [Editorial]

Abstract

In 2004 the Maltese language was proud to have found its place among the officially designated European Union languages. No small feat for a language spoken by less than half a million people, on an island-state that is just over 300 sq. km., and that has been dominated by major empires like the British. Over the last hundred years it has developed to a stage termed ‘mature standard language’. Language standardisation refers to the historical process by which a speech community develops a particular dialect for use as a medium of discourse in science, education, administration and literature. In the case of Maltese, the process of standardisation was initiated within the literary and legal fields, supported by crucial developments in linguistics whereby dictionaries and grammars were produced, and finally recognised as an official and national language in the 1964 Independence Constitution. When Malta joined the European Union in 2004, Maltese became an official language of the EU, and as such carries out all the related tasks of translation and interpretation involving all the subjects under the sun.