Save the Maltese language!

Maltese politician Owen Bonnici protests in the Times of Malta against the neglect of the Maltese language - at the national as well as at the EU level: "The government should be ashamed that after nearly five full years of European Union membership it is still allowing the Maltese language to be treated as a kind of third class language in the EU. ... For the benefit of foreigners who might be reading this article, Maltese is the epitome of inter-cultural dialogue in that it is structurally unique and rich, embracing two apparently distinct worlds: the Semitic and Latin worlds. Irrespective of the fact that it is spoken by fewer than half a million people worldwide, Maltese per se is every linguist's dream and music to the ears. ... We need a law that would create a regulatory authority promoting the use of Maltese and ensuring compliance with a basic set of rules, like obliging all organisations and quangos in the public sector providing services to the public to treat Maltese and English on an equal basis in everything they do."

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