ΤΟ ΕΛΛΗΝΙΚΟ ΣΤΟΙΧΕΙΟ ΣΤΗ ΜΑΛΤΕΖΙΚΗ ΓΛΩΣΣΑ

Abstract

Even though Arabic and Romance languages, particularly Sicilian, are the predominant elements making up the Maltese language, with some influence from the English language, a study of the Maltese lexicon reveals that a number of lexical items are of Greek origin. These can be traced in placenames, in a few religious words, and items of material culture. A number of these lexemes were diffused into Maltese via the Sicilian and the Greek dialects of southern Italy. It is interesting to note that, in some cases, Maltese does not share the Greek loans with Sicilian dialects but rather shares them with the southern Italian Greek dialects. Some of these lexemes may have been diffused into Maltese by means of the Mediterranean lingua franca