La diffusione della lingua e della cultura l'Italiana tra gli allievi Maltesi della quarta media

Abstract

Despite the fact that Maltese and English are the two official languages in Malta, the Italian language and the diffusion of the Italian culture have always played an important role in the Maltese islands. From studies carried out in the past, it appears that Italian media, especially television, plays a fundamental role in the acquisition of the Italian language and in introducing and encouraging students to study the language at school. This study analyses the relationship of this generation's younger students with the Italian language and culture with the aim of determining whether Italian a foreign language in Malta is in danger or not. To investigate this, a questionnaire was conducted with a group of 251 Form 4 students coming from two different State and Church schools in Malta. The results of this study show that the exposure to the Italian language through the media has decreased dramatically. Furthermore, the results show that very often, students consider the Italian language as another culture to appreciate and another exam to study for. It emerged that most of the students believe that learning English is much more important in order to survive in the competitive and technological world of today. In conclusion, the data shows that nowadays, learners prefer spending their free time in front of a computer rather than watching television programmes.