ITALIAN LANGUAGE IN MALTA

Press, Volume LXX, Issue 21257, 31 August 1934, Page 18

ITALIAN LANGUAGE IN MALTA

TO THV EDITOR OT THE FRESH. Sir,—l suppose all your readers will have noticed a short cablegram printed in the issue of "The Press" yesterday, informing us that the legal profession in Malta is asking that the Italian language should remain the languge used in the legal courts of that beautiful island. We Italians have always fought for the total adoption of our language in Malta and our claim was one of community of religion, of racial sympathy between the Maltese and ourselves, and of the pride we have in our beautiful tongue, but we certainly refuse to become the tools of political intriguers and selfish schemers. Everyone knows by now why constitutional government has been temporarily suspended in Malta, but for those who do not know I shall repeat that in Malta some time ago a great number of Italian schools sprang up and were subsidised by that great saviour sent by Providence to save Italy, called Mussolini! But soon it became evident that the Italian language was an excuse, and the real object was political, and such a dangerous state of affairs was created that the suspension of the constitution became inevitable to deal with the secret underground work of these intriguers. But now I shall deal with the legal profession. Why do these gentlemen ask for the Italian language to be maintained in the legal courts in Malta? To put it bluntly but honestly it is in order to skin their victims with greater safety; for the Maltese people cannot speak Italian, except the educated class, and therefore they are completely at the mercy of some of the unscrupulous legal sharks. There is not such a thing as a Maltese language although many attempts were made to introduce the Arabic characters and form a proper idiomatic tongue. At present, however, Maltese is still an Arabic dialect. However, we Italians are too proud of our heritage to allow it to be used for nefarious purposes and refuse to become tools.—Yours, etc., UMBERTO COLONNA. August 30, 1934.