The Maltese bilingual classroom : a microcosm of local society

Abstract

Malta presents an interesting case of societal and educational bilingualism. The Maltese nation can be described, by and large, as a mono-ethnic and mono-cultural community that operates in two languages: Maltese and Eng- 1ish. Maltese is the first language of about 98% of the population (Borg, Mifsud & Sciriha, 1992) for whom it functions as the means of everyday communica- tion. Maltese is designated as the national language in the Constitution of the Republic of Malta; it is the official language of Parliament, of the Law Courts and of the Church. English, on the other hand, is spoken as a home language by a minority, and simultaneously used for a variety of purposes by everyone: in public administration and industry, for written communication, by the mass media, and in education.