Languages of Malta

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The national language of Malta is Maltese, which, along with English, is one of the official languages.

Contents 1 Maltese 2 English 3 Other languages 4 See also

[edit] Maltese

Maltese, a Semitic language with significant Sicilian influence, is the national language of the Maltese people. Malta holds the distinction of being the only country in Europe with a Semitic language as the main spoken vernacular. The Maltese language is written with the Maltese Alphabet, a Roman-based script which includes the letters ż (also used in Polish), ċ, ġ, ħ, and għ. Although the main body of vocabulary is of Semitic origin, up to 40% of Maltese words are said to have Romance origin, a result of significant influence from Sicily.

[edit] English

Before independence in 1964, Malta was a British possession, and a result of this is the fact that English is still an official language, with government business being carried out in both English and Maltese. Many Maltese learn English in school as well.

[edit] Other languages

Because of the tourist industry and proximity to other European countries, many Maltese people have some degree of proficiency in Italian, French, and German.

[edit] See also

• Minglish – code switching between Maltese and English

This article contains material from the CIA World Factbook (2006 edition) which, as a US government publication, is in the public domain.