Dialects
Richards says that to understand the sound of the language in this country, one must understand its recent history, that is starting with the arrival of the English two hundred years back. These came on eleven ships from different locations in England, bringing with them the local English dialects. They sounded different, and had different words as well, and in order to communicate, with time the dialect variations started to decline.
At the end of the nineteenth century, there was an attempt to establish a standard for spoken English in Australia. The dialect of the educated classes in southern England was chosen, where the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge are located, which was considered 'correct'. The rest of the dialects, naturally, were 'incorrect'. This 'standard' dialect today is called Received Pronunciation - RP.
•Cultivated (derived from RP), an example of which may be taken to be the actress Cate Blanchett;
•General, with an example being possibly the ex Australian Prime Minister, Julia Gillard;
•Broad, an example being the late personality Steve Irwin.
Two thoughts sprang to mind as I was reading this.
The first was that there was no mention on the mass of Aboriginal languages and dialects in the country. These naturally have nothing to do with English, except when lending to English their ancient words and names, such as 'billabong' for a lake, or Parramatta as a place name.
The second was that there are differences but also some similarities between the process behind, and the state of, Australian English and Maltese dialects.
1.dialects of Valletta and around the Grand Harbour
2.eastern dialects
3.central dialects
4.western dialects
5.Gozitan
I can personally attest to the last group. Both sides of my family are from Gozo, and when young often used to visit the island. I remember very well my parents, upon hearing somebody speak, would immediately remart “Oh, I'm sure that guy is from Ta' Sannat”, or “She seems to be from Rabat (in Gozo)”.
Given they were specifically from Għarb in Gozo, sometimes I would hear somebody on the streets or the village square voicing a word with the Maltese silent consonants 'għ' or 'h' sounding like a hard 'ħ', like the Maltese word for 'his back' (dahru).
In these two years I've been teaching Maltese here in Sydney, I've marvelled at noting that the Maltese dialects are still very much alive here in Australia, and not only as you would expect amongs the first generation immigrants that came over, but also in those of the second and third generation, which were not born in Malta but in Australia.
Though naturally I teach the standard language and accent, I have to admit I enjoy hearing my students speak, one with the dialect from L-Imġarr (in Malta), another with the Mellieħa accent, another with her 'q' sounding like a 'k'.
A similarity with Australian dialects is some people's attitude that dialects are to be avoided, or are shameful. I remember one of my grandmothers who, when I used to visit, used to be very careful to talk the 'proper Maltese', sometimes too proper. I've also hear the case of a boy asking his mother why such a village person sounded so rude!
It's clear that dialects are alive and well even far from our ancestors' shores, still far from being dead, though their use is declining. They are just waiting to be fully rediscovered and celebrated. My dream is to be a part of celebrating this facet of our Maltese heritage.
Id-Djaletti
Richards jgħid li biex tifhem kif il-lingwa tinstema f'dan il-pajjiż, trid tifhem l-istorja riċenti tal-pajjiż, jiġifieri mill-wasla tal-Ingliżi mitejn sena ilu. Dawn ġew fuq ħdax-il bastiment minn postijiet differenti fl-Ingilterra, u lkoll kellhom id-djaletti Ingliżi tagħhom. Kienu jinstemgħu differenti, u kellhom kliem differenti wkoll, u biex ikunu jistgħu jikkomunikaw, biż-żmien il-varjazzjoni fid-djaletti bdew jitnaqqsu xi ftit.
Fl-aħħar tas-seklu dsatax kien hemm attentat sabiex jiġi stabbilit mod standard kif jiġi mitkellem l-Ingliż fl-Awstralja. Intgħażel id-djalett tal-klassi edukata tan-nofsinhar tal-Ingilterra, fejn hemm l-Universitajiet ta' Oxford u Cambridge, li ġie kkunsidrat bħala it-'tajjeb'. Il-bqija tad-djaletti, naturalment, kienu 'ħżiena'. Dan id-djalett 'standard' illum jissejjaħ Pronunzja Rċevuta (Received Pronunciation - RP).
•Ikkultivat (li ġej mill-RP), li eżempju tiegħu tista' titqies l-attriċi Cate Blanchett;
•Ġenerali, eżempju jkun l-ex Prim Ministru Awstraljana, Julia Gillard;
•Wiesa', eżempju jkun il-persunaġġ Steve Irwin, illum mejjet.
Ġewni żewġ ħsibijiet meta kont qed naqra dan kollu.
L-ewwel hu li ma kien qed jissemma xejn fuq il-massa kbira ta' lingwi u djaletti Aboriġini tal-pajjiż. Dawn naturalment m'għandhomx x'jaqsmu mal-Ingliż, ħlief li sellfu lill-Ingliż il-kliem u l-ismijiet antiki tagħhom, bħal billabong għal għadira, jew Parramatta bħala post.
It-tieni kien li hemm differenzi imma anke xi similaritajiet bejn il-proċess u l-istat tad-djaletti fl-Ingliż Awstraljan u dawk ta' Malta.
1.Djaletti tal-Belt Valletta u ta' madwar il-Port il-Kbir;
2.Djaletti tal-Lvant
3.Djaletti Ċentrali
4.Djaletti tal-Punent
5.l-Għawdxi
Jien personalment nista' nikkonferma dan tal-aħħar. Jien il-familja tiegħi minn Għawdex, miż-żewġ naħat, u meta kont żgħir kont immur spiss sa din il-gżira. Niftakar sew lill-ġenituri tiegħi jisimgħu lil xi ħadd jitħaddet, u minnufiħ jirrimarkaw “Eh, dak żgur minn Ta' Sannat”, jew “Dik qisha mir-Rabat (t'Għawdex)”.
Peress li huma kienu speċifikament mill-Għarb, Għawdex, kultant kont nisma' f'xi triq jew pjazza xi kelma bl-ittra 'għ' jew 'h' jinstemgħu qishom 'ħ', meta illum ikunu mistennija li ma tinstemgħux, bħall-kelma 'dahru' (his back) tinstema 'daħru'.
F'dawn is-sentejn li ilni ngħallem il-lingwa Maltija hawn ġewwa Sydney, bqajt immeraviljat ninnota li d-djaletti Maltin għadhom ħajjin anke hawn l-Awstralja, u mhux biss kif tistenna fl-immigranti tal-ewwel ġenerazzjoni li ġew hawn, imma wkoll f'dawk tat-tieni u anke t-tielet ġenerazzjoni, li ma twildux Malta imma l-Awstralja.
Għalkemm jien naturalment ngħallem il-lingwa u l-aċċent standard Malti, ikolli nistqarr li nitpaxxa nisma' lill-istudenti jitkellmu, min b'djalett mill-Imġarr (ta' Malta), oħra b'aċċent mill-Mellieħa, oħra titkellem bil-'k' minflok bil-'q'.
Similarità mad-djaletti Awstraljani hija l-attitudni ta' xi wħud li d-djaletti huma ta' min iwarrabhom, jew huma tal-mistħija. Jien niftakar lil nanna waħda tiegħi, li meta kont inżurha, kienet toqgħod attenta ħafna li titkellem 'bil-Malti pulit', kważi pulit (pooleet) iżżejjed. Smajt b'każ ieħor ta' tifel li staqsa lil ommu għaliex it-tali persuna raħlija 'titkellem bil-pastaż'!
Huwa ċar li d-djaletti għadhom qawwija anke 'l bogħod minn xtut missirijietna, u għadhom ukoll il bogħod milli jmutu, għalkemm l-użu tagħhom jonqos. Qed jistennew biss biex jerġgħu jiġu misjuba fis-sħiħ, u ċċelebrati. Il-ħolma tiegħi hi li nkun parti miċ-ċelebrazzjoni ta' dan il-wirt qawwi tagħna l-Maltin.
1http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-03-16/the-story-behind-australian-english/6315078, retrieved 24/3/2015
2http://dialectblog.com/2011/07/10/types-of-australian-accents/, retrieved 24/3/2015
3Ktŷb yl klŷm Mâlti mfysser byl-Latîn u byt-Taljân; Michaelis Antonii Vassalli; 1796; p16
4http://campusfm.um.edu.mt/pages/webcastspages/kollumalti.htm, retrieved 24/3/2015
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