The language of young people and language change in Maltese

Abstract

This article is based on the idea that the language variety of young speakers can be taken as an indicator of potential change and developments in the language. After a discussion of the phenomenon of language change and of the role of young people in language development, I briefly examine specific features of the language variety of young Maltese speakers and speculate about them as potential trends in the development of the Maltese language. The changes involve and have repercussions on various levels of grammar, namely, phonetics/phonology, morphology, syntax, semantics and pragmatics. Finally, it is suggested that there should be an on-going programme that regularly monitors developments in the language.