Maltese language retention and citizenship among the Maltese community in Australia

Abstract

Language constitutes an essential ingredient in the formation of culture, its transmission and maintenance. It encapsulates all the values of the group, often expressed in nuances that only 'insiders' can properly decipher. Language is not merely a communicative tool, but it also serves to identify one particular group from another. It is the symbol or emblem of groupness and is thus considered to be one of the most important pillars of identity maintenance. 'Among mainstream populations, the language of daily use is also the variety which carries and reflects group culture and traditions: (Edwards 1985: 110) This paper focuses on the use of Maltese by the Maltese community in Australia. Maltese, the indigenous language of the people of Malta belongs to the Semitic language family and is basically Arabic in structure and word formation. Though it had been the language of the islanders for many decades, it did not achieve official status until 1934, when it became the language of the law courts and English the language for administrative purposes. When Malta became an Independent state within the Commonwealth in 1964, the indigenous language became official together with English. Furthermore, Maltese was also given preferential treatment in that it was then also decreed to be the national language and the language of the law courts. [Excerpt]