Arab traveler to Malta can hear familiar dialect on the isle
Regional, Culture, 1/27/1999

Any Arab national arriving for the first time in Malta can be surprised by airport agents asking him for routine information in correct Arabic dialect.

The traveler may take this as an over-zealousness. But the Arabic terms, like Kounyo (name), mata u fin tawlidt (where and when were you born?), are indeed part and parcel of Malta's language.

The similarities between the Arabic dialects, especially those of the Maghreb (Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia and Libya) are so apparent that listening to a conversation between Maltese nationals gives one the impression that he is in a Maghreban land.

Despite this linguistic similarities and the apparent phoenician stamp in Malta, the island's history does not tell much about a special reference to relations with the Maghreb.

During the 19th century, successive waves of Maltese immigrants sailed to the Maghreb in quest for a better life. Some of them returned to the island, after amassing wealth in the Arab lands of North Africa.

In the 9th century, the Island of Malta --then under the rule of the Byzantines-- had been conquered by Muslims from what is presently known as Tunisia.

The influence of the Arabic language in Malta started as early as 870, although the overall Arab impact on life on the island at that time is not very apparent.

The Arabs lost control over the island following their defeat in 1090 at the hands of Comte Roger the Norman, who established a kingdom in southern Italy.

Despite the end of the Arab rule on the Island, the Arabic language, with a Maghreban accent, survived as testified by the daily conversations of the island's inhabitants.

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