On 29 April 2025, the Department of Languages and Humanities in Education, in collaboration with the Department of Artificial Intelligence, officially launched the Verbi Maltin Onlajn website during an event held at the ERIL boardroom at the University of Malta.
At the launch, Prof. Antoinette Camilleri Grima acknowledged that while computational tools like rule-based systems can assist in generating verb conjugations, they frequently produce linguistically incorrect forms. Therefore, Camilleri Grima emphasised the importance of human intervention to maintain accuracy and ensure the system's quality and practicality.
Prof. Claudia Borg, who collaborated closely on the project together with Dr Marc Tanti, elaborated on the technological aspects. She explained that it builds upon the infrastructure of the Ġabra digital lexicon and reflects a sustained effort to merge computational tools such as the rule-based system with educational needs. Borg explained how this platform marks an important step forward.
Authored by Prof. Antoinette Camilleri Grima and Dr Jacqueline Żammit, the booklet “Il-Verbi Maltin Onlajn” (The Maltese Verbs Online) provides a comprehensive educational tool to support the teaching and learning of Maltese verbs. The booklet describes how the website works, and how it can be used to address the linguistic and orthographic challenges posed by the Maltese verb morphological structures, particularly for international learners.
At the launch, Prof. Antoinette Camilleri Grima acknowledged that while computational tools like rule-based systems can assist in generating verb conjugations, they frequently produce linguistically incorrect forms. Therefore, Camilleri Grima emphasised the importance of human intervention to maintain accuracy and ensure the system's quality and practicality.
In her address, Dr Żammit highlighted the pedagogical value of the resource, describing the site as an aid for both formal instruction and independent study. She presented practical examples of classroom integration and emphasised the site’s contribution to building vocabulary, grammar, and writing skills.
Prof. Claudia Borg, who collaborated closely on the project together with Dr Marc Tanti, elaborated on the technological aspects. She explained that it builds upon the infrastructure of the Ġabra digital lexicon and reflects a sustained effort to merge computational tools such as the rule-based system with educational needs. Borg explained how this platform marks an important step forward.
This launch was attended by senior University officials including Rector Prof. Alfred J. Vella who addressed the audience, Pro-Rector Prof. Carmen Sammut, Faculty of Education Dean Prof. Colin Calleja, and Department Head Prof. Mario Pace. The event also featured short interventions in Maltese by two international students who shared their personal experiences learning the Maltese language.
For further information, contact the project team by email.
The project has benefitted from the support of the University’s Research Seed Funds and from the contributions of a dedicated team of educators. The MaltiTek site is freely accessible online.
For further information, contact the project team by email.
