Editing Maltese language (section)

==Orthography==

===Alphabet===
{{MOS|section|reason=punctuation and text styling in the table|date=October 2022}}
{{Main|Maltese alphabet|Maltese Braille}}
The modern system of Maltese orthography was introduced in 1924.<ref name="aurp">{{cite book |last=Auroux |first=Sylvain |title=History of the language sciences: an international handbook on the evolution of the study of language from the beginnings to the present| year=2000 |publisher=New York : Walter de Gruyter |location=Berlin |isbn=978-3-11-011103-3}}</ref>
Below is the Maltese alphabet, with [[help:IPA|IPA]] symbols and approximate English pronunciation:

{|class="wikitable"
!Letter !! Name !!IPA (letter name) !! Maltese example !! IPA (orthographically representing) !! Approximate English pronunciation
|-
|''' A a'''||a ||{{IPA|aː}}|| {{lang|mt|aħmar}} {{gloss|red}}||{{IPA|ɐ, aː, æː}}|| similar to 'u' in n'''u'''t in [[Received Pronunciation|RP]]; {{IPA|[aː]}} similar to f'''a'''ther in Irish English; {{IPA|[æː]}} similar to cat in American English, in some dialects it may be {{IPA|[ɒː]}} in some locations as in wh'''a'''t in some American English Dialects
|-
|''' B b '''|| be || {{IPA|beː}} || {{lang|mt|baħar}} {{gloss|sea}}||{{IPA|b}}||'''b'''ar, but at the end of a word it is devoiced to {{IPA|[p]}}.
|-
|''' Ċ ċ '''|| ċe ||{{IPA|t͡ʃeː}}|| {{lang|mt|ċavetta}} {{gloss|key}} ||{{IPA|t͡ʃ}}||'''ch'''urch (note: undotted 'c' has been replaced by 'k', so when 'c' does appear, it is to be spoken the same way as 'ċ')
|-
|''' D d '''||de ||{{IPA|deː}}|| {{lang|mt|dar}} {{gloss|home}} ||{{IPA|d}}||'''d'''ay, but at the end of a word it is devoiced to {{IPA|[t]}}.
|-
|''' E e '''|| e || {{IPA|eː}}|| {{lang|mt|erbgħa}} {{gloss|four}}||{{IPA|eː, ɛ, øː, ə}} || {{IPA|[e:]}} somewhat like f'''a'''ce in Northern England English {{IPA|[ɛ]}} '''e'''nd when short, it is often changed to {{IPA|[øː, œ]}} when following and more often when followed by a ''w'', when at the end in an unstressed syllable it is pronounced as schwa {{IPA|[ə, Vᵊ]}} comm'''a'''
|-
|''' F f '''|| effe ||{{IPA|ɛf(ː)ᵊ}}|| {{lang|mt|faħam}} {{gloss|coal}}||{{IPA|f}}||'''f'''ar
|-
|''' Ġ ġ '''|| ġe ||{{IPA|d͡ʒøː}}|| {{lang|mt|ġar}} {{gloss|neighbour}}||{{IPA|d͡ʒ}}||'''g'''em, but at the end of a word it is devoiced to {{IPA|[tʃ]}}.
|-
|''' G g '''||ge || {{IPA|geː}} || {{lang|mt|gawwija}} {{gloss|seagull}}||{{IPA|ɡ}}||'''g'''ame, but at the end of a word it is devoiced to {{IPA|[k]}}.
|-
|''' GĦ għ '''||[[ayin|ajn]] || {{IPA|ajn, æːn}} || {{lang|mt|għasfur}} {{gloss|bird}} ||{{IPA|(ˤ)ː}}, {{IPA|ħː}}||has the effect of lengthening and [[pharyngealization|pharyngealising]] associated vowels (''għi'' and ''għu'' are {{IPA|[i̞(ˤ)j]}} (may be transcribed as {{IPA|[ə(ˤ)j]}}) and {{IPA|[oˤ]}}). When found at the end of a word or immediately before 'h' it has the sound of a double 'ħ' (see below).
|-
|''' H h '''|| akka ||{{IPA|ak(ː)ɐ}} || {{lang|mt|hu}} {{gloss|he}} || ||not pronounced unless it is at the end of a word (such as ktibnih), even after adding the negating suffix (such as ma ktibnihx) or at the end of a verb even after adding pronomial suffixes (such as xebbaht) in which case it has the sound of 'ħ' (except for in hieni)
|-
|''' Ħ ħ '''|| ħe ||{{IPA|ħeː, heː, xe:}}|| {{lang|mt|ħanut}} {{gloss|shop}} ||{{IPA|ħ}}||no English equivalent; sounds similar to {{IPA|/h/}} but is articulated with a lowered [[larynx]].
|-
|''' I i '''||i ||{{IPA|iː}}|| {{lang|mt|ikel}} {{gloss|food}} ||{{IPA|i̞ː, iː, ɪ}}||{{IPA|[i̞ː]}} b'''i'''te (the way commonly realized in Irish English or {{IPA|[iː]}} in other words as b'''ee'''t but more forward) and when short as {{IPA|[ɪ]}} b'''i'''t, occasionally 'i' is used to display il-vokali tal-leħen (the vowel of the voice) as in words like ''l-iskola'' or ''l-iMdina'', in this case it takes the schwa sound.
|-
|''' IE ie '''|| ie ||{{IPA|iːᵊ, ɛː}}|| {{lang|mt|ieqaf}} {{gloss|stop}} ||{{IPA|ɛː, iːᵊ}}|| sounds similar to y'''ie'''ld or RP n'''ear''', or opened up slightly towards b'''e'''d or RP squ'''are'''
|-
|''' J j '''||je ||{{IPA|jə, jæ, jɛ}}|| {{lang|mt|jum}} {{gloss|day}} ||{{IPA|j}}||'''y'''ard
|-
|''' K k '''|| ke ||{{IPA|kə, kæ, kɛ}}|| {{lang|mt|kelb}} {{gloss|dog}} ||{{IPA|k}}||'''k'''ettle
|-
|''' L l '''|| elle ||{{IPA|ɛl(ː)ᵊ}}|| {{lang|mt|libsa}} {{gloss|dress}} ||{{IPA|l}}||'''l'''ine
|-
|''' M m '''|| emme ||{{IPA|ɛm(ː)ᵊ}}|| {{lang|mt|mara}} {{gloss|woman}} || {{IPA|m}} || '''m'''arch
|-
|''' N n '''|| enne ||{{IPA|ɛn(ː)ᵊ}}|| {{lang|mt|nanna}} {{gloss|granny}} ||{{IPA|n}}||'''n'''ext
|-
|''' O o '''||o ||{{IPA|oː}}|| {{lang|mt|ors}} {{gloss|bear}} ||{{IPA|o, ɔ, ɒ}} ||{{IPA|[o]}} as in somewhere between similar to Scottish English o in n'''o''' {{IPA|[ɔ]}} like 'aw' in [[Received Pronunciation|RP]] l'''aw''', but short or {{IPA|[ɒ]}} as in w'''a'''ter in some American dialects.
|-
|''' P p '''||pe ||{{IPA|peː, pə}}|| {{lang|mt|paġna}} {{gloss|page, sheet}} ||{{IPA|p}}||'''p'''art
|-
|''' Q q '''||qe ||{{IPA|ʔø, ʔ(ʷ)ɛ, ʔ(ʷ)æ, ʔ(ʷ)ə}}|| {{lang|mt|qattus}} {{gloss|cat}} ||{{IPA|ʔ}}||glottal stop, found in the Cockney English pronunciation of "bo'''tt'''le" or the phrase "uh-oh" {{IPA|/ʔʌʔoʊ/}}.
|-
|''' R r '''||erre ||{{IPA|ɛɹ(ː)ᵊ, æɹ(:)ᵊ, ɚ(ː)ᵊ}} or {{IPA|ɛr(ː)ᵊ, ær(:)ᵊ, ər(ː)ᵊ}}|| {{lang|mt|re}} {{gloss|king}} ||{{IPA|r, ɹ}} ||{{IPA|[r]}} as in General American English bu'''tt'''er, or [[International Phonetic Alphabet|ɹ]] '''r'''oad (r realization changes depending on dialect or location in the word.)
|-
|''' S s '''||esse ||{{IPA|ɛs(ː)ᵊ}}|| {{lang|mt|[[sliem]]}} {{gloss|peace}} ||{{IPA|s}}||'''s'''and
|-
|''' T t '''||te ||{{IPA|teː}}|| {{lang|mt|tieqa}} {{gloss|window}} ||{{IPA|t}}||'''t'''ired
|-
|''' U u '''||u ||{{IPA|uː, ʉ}}|| {{lang|mt|uviera}} {{gloss|egg cup}} || {{IPA|u, ʉ, ʊ}} || {{IPA|[u]}} as in General American English b'''oo'''t or in some dialects it may be realized as {{IPA|[ʉ]}} as in some American English realizations of st'''u'''dent, short ''u'' is {{IPA|[ʊ]}} p'''u'''t
|-
|''' V v '''||ve ||{{IPA|vøː, veː, və}}|| {{lang|mt|vjola}} {{gloss|violet}} ||{{IPA|v}}||'''v'''ast, but at the end of a word it is devoiced to {{IPA|[f]}}.
|-
|''' W w '''||ve doppja /u doppja/we ||{{IPA|vedɒp(ː)jɐ, uːdɒp(ː)jɐ, wøː}}|| {{lang|mt|widna}} {{gloss|ear}} ||{{IPA|w}}||'''w'''est
|-
|''' X x '''||xe || {{IPA|ʃə, ʃøː}}|| {{lang|mt|xadina}} {{gloss|monkey}} ||{{IPA|ʃ / ʒ}}||'''sh'''ade, sometimes as mea'''s'''ure; when doubled the sound is elongated, as in "Ca'''sh sh'''in" vs. "Ca'''sh''' in".
|-
|''' Ż ż '''||że/żeta ||{{IPA|zə, zø:, ze:t(ɐ)}}|| {{lang|mt|żarbun}} {{gloss|shoe}} ||{{IPA|z}}||ma'''z'''e, but at the end of a word it is devoiced to {{IPA|[s]}}.
|-
|''' Z z '''||ze ||{{IPA|t͡sə, t͡søː, t͡seːt(ɐ)}}|| {{lang|mt|zalza}} {{gloss|sauce}} ||{{IPA|t͡s / d͡z}}||pi'''zz'''a
|-
|}

Final vowels with grave accents (à, è, ì, ò, ù) are also found in some Maltese words of Italian origin, such as {{lang|mt|libertà}} {{gloss|freedom}}, {{lang|mt|sigurtà}} (old Italian: {{lang|it|sicurtà}} {{gloss|security}}), or {{lang|mt|soċjetà}} (Italian: {{lang|it|società}} {{gloss|society}}).

The official rules governing the structure of the Maltese language are recorded in the official guidebook {{lang|mt|Tagħrif fuq il-Kitba Maltija}} (English: ''Knowledge on Writing in Maltese'') issued by the {{lang|mt|Akkademja tal-Malti}} (Academy of the Maltese language). The first edition of this book was printed in 1924 by the Maltese government's printing press. The rules were further expanded in the 1984 book, {{lang|mt|iż-Żieda mat-Tagħrif}}, which focused mainly on the increasing influence of Romance and English words. In 1992 the academy issued the {{lang|mt|Aġġornament tat-Tagħrif fuq il-Kitba Maltija}}, which updated the previous works.<ref>{{cite book |title=Loan Verbs in Maltese: A Descriptive and Comparative Study |last=Mifsud |first=Manwel |year=1995 |publisher=[[Brill Publishers]] |isbn=978-90-04-10091-6 |pages=31 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=fO5kE8BKf7cC}}</ref>

The [[National Council for the Maltese Language]] (KNM) is the main regulator of the Maltese language (see Maltese Language Act, below). However, the academy's orthography rules are still valid and official.

===Written Maltese===
Since Maltese evolved after the [[Italo-Normans]] ended Arab rule of the islands, a written form of the language was not developed for a long time after the Arabs' expulsion in the middle of the thirteenth century. Under the rule of the [[Knights Hospitaller]], both French and Italian were used for official documents and correspondence. During the [[Crown Colony of Malta|British colonial period]], the use of English was encouraged through education, with Italian being regarded as the next-most important language.

In the late 18th century and throughout the 19th century, philologists and academics such as [[Mikiel Anton Vassalli]] made a concerted effort to standardise written Maltese. Many examples of written Maltese exist from before this period, always in the Latin alphabet, ''[[Il-Kantilena]]'' from the 15th century being the earliest example of written Maltese. In 1934, Maltese was recognised as an official language.

===Samples===
Maltese has both [[Semitic languages|Semitic]] vocabulary and words derived from [[Romance languages]], primarily [[Italian language|Italian]]. Words such as {{lang|mt|tweġiba}} (Arabic origin) and {{lang|mt|risposta}} (Italian origin) have the same meaning ("answer") but are both used in Maltese, rather like "answer" and "response" in English. Below are two versions of the same translations, one with vocabulary mostly derived from Semitic root words and the other using Romance [[loanword]]s (from the ''[http://europa.eu/eu-law/decision-making/treaties/pdf/treaty_establishing_a_constitution_for_europe/treaty_establishing_a_constitution_for_europe_mt.pdf Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151229065750/http://europa.eu/eu-law/decision-making/treaties/pdf/treaty_establishing_a_constitution_for_europe/treaty_establishing_a_constitution_for_europe_mt.pdf |date=2015-12-29 }}'', see [https://op.europa.eu/mt/publication-detail/-/publication/3c32722f-0136-4d8f-a03e-bfaf70d16349 p. 17] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200804014022/https://op.europa.eu/mt/publication-detail/-/publication/3c32722f-0136-4d8f-a03e-bfaf70d16349 |date=2020-08-04 }}):

{| class="wikitable"
!English
!Maltese (Semitic vocabulary)
!Maltese (Romance vocabulary)
|-
|
The Union is founded on the values of respect for human dignity, freedom, democracy, equality, the rule of law and respect for human rights, including the rights of persons belonging to minorities. These values are common to the Member States in a society in which pluralism, non-discrimination, tolerance, justice, solidarity and equality between women and men prevail.
|{{lang|mt|L-Għaqda hija mibnija fuq is-siwi ta' għadir għall-ġieħ il-bniedem, ta' ħelsien, ta' għażil il-ġemgħa, ta' ndaqs bejn il-ġnus, tas-saltna tad-dritt{{efn|{{wikt-lang|mt|dritt}} (pl. {{wikt-lang|mt|drittijiet}}) is derived from Sicilian {{wikt-lang|scn|drittu}} (right).}} u tal-għadir għall-ħaqq tal-bniedem, wkoll il-ħaqq ta' wħud li huma f'minoranzi.{{efn|{{wikt-lang|mt|minoranza}} (pl. {{wikt-lang|mt|minoranzi}}) is derived from Italian {{wikt-lang|it|minoranza}} (minority).}} Dan is-siwi huwa mqassam bejn il-Pajjiżi{{efn|{{wikt-lang|mt|pajjiż}} (pl. {{wikt-lang|mt|pajjiżi}}) is derived from Sicilian {{wikt-lang|scn|pajisi}} (country).}} Msieħba, f'nies li tħaddan il-kotrija, li ma tgħejjibx, li ddann, li tgħaqqad u li tiżen indaqs in-nisa u l-irġiel.}}
|
{{lang|mt|L-Unjoni hija bbażata fuq il-valuri tar-rispett għad-dinjità tal-bniedem, il-libertà, id-demokrazija, l-ugwaljanza, l-istat tad-dritt u r-rispett għad-drittijiet tal-bniedem, inklużi d-drittijiet ta' persuni li jagħmlu parti minn minoranzi. Dawn il-valuri huma komuni għall-Istati Membri f'soċjetà fejn jipprevalu l-pluraliżmu, in-non-diskriminazzjoni, it-tolleranza, il-ġustizzja, is-solidarjetà u l-ugwaljanza bejn in-nisa u l-irġiel.}}
|}
Below is the [[Lord's Prayer]] in Maltese compared to other Semitic languages ([[Arabic]] and [[Syriac language|Syriac]]) with [[cognates]] highlighted:
{| class="wikitable"
!English
!Maltese<ref>{{Cite web |title=Missierna : Malta |url=https://www.wordproject.org/bibles/resources/our_father/m/Missierna%20_%20Malta.html |access-date=2023-08-25 |website=www.wordproject.org |archive-date=2023-08-25 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230825162154/https://www.wordproject.org/bibles/resources/our_father/m/Missierna%20_%20Malta.html |url-status=live }}</ref>
!Standard Arabic (Romanised)<ref>{{Cite web |title=Arabic Prayer-The Lord's Prayer |url=https://www.lords-prayer-words.com/lords_prayer_arabic.html |access-date=2023-08-25 |website=www.lords-prayer-words.com |archive-date=2023-08-25 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230825162154/https://www.lords-prayer-words.com/lords_prayer_arabic.html |url-status=live }}</ref>
!Syriac (Romanised)<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Lord's Prayer |url=https://syriacorthodoxresources.org/Liturgy/Common/Abundbashmayo.html |access-date=2023-08-25 |website=syriacorthodoxresources.org |archive-date=2023-06-10 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230610084344/https://syriacorthodoxresources.org/Liturgy/Common/Abundbashmayo.html |url-status=live }}</ref>
|-
|
Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth, as it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses as we

forgive those who trespass against us;

and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.

Amen
| lang="mt" style="font-style: italic;" | Missier'''na''', '''li''' inti '''fis-smewwiet''', '''jitqaddes ismek''', tiġi saltnatek, '''ikun''' li trid int, kif '''fis-sema''', hekkda f'''l-art'''.
'''''Ħobżna''' ta' kuljum '''agħtina''' '''llum'''. '''Aħfrilna''' '''dnubietna''', bħal'''ma''' '''naħfru''' lil min hu ħati '''għalina'''''.

'''U la ddaħħalniex fit-tiġrib''', iżda eħlisna mid-deni.

'''Ammen'''
| lang="ar-Latn" style="font-style: italic;" |
''ʔabāna'', '''alla''ḏ''i''' '''fī as-samāwāt''', li-'''yataqaddas ismuka''', li-'''yaʔti''' malakūtuka, '''li-takun''' ma''šī''ʔatuka, kamā '''fī as-samāʔi''' ka''ḏ''ālika ''ʕa''lā '''al-ar''ḍ'''''.

'''''ḵ''ubzana''' kafāfanā '''''ʔaʕṭi''nā''' '''alyawm''', wa '''a''ḡ''fir lanā''' '''''ḏ''unūbanā''', kamā '''na''ḡ''firu''' na''ḥ''nu ''ʔ''ay''ḍ''an lil-muḏnibīn '''''ʔ''ilaynā.'''

'''wa lā tud''ḵ''ilna fī tajāriba''', lākin najjinā min a''š-š''irrīr.

'''''ʔā''mīn'''
| lang="syc-Latn" style="font-style: italic;" | Abun, '''d-bashmayo''', '''nithqadash''' '''shmokh''', '''tithe''' malkuthokh, nehwe sebyonokh aykano '''d-bashmayo''' oph bar`o.
''hab lan lahmo d-sunqonan '''yowmono''' washbuq lan hawbayn '''wahtohayn'''''

aykano doph hnan shbaqan l-hayobayn lo ta`lan l-nesyuno elo paso lan '''men''' bisho

'''Amin'''
|}