An Italian student is seeking to have the Italian language re-introduced as an official language in Malta. The student, Gabriele Bini, has set up a petition urging people to sign for Italian to be added to Maltese and English as official languages in Malta.
The petition, as at the time of writing, has attracted 7,800 signatures. It says that Article 5 of the Maltese Constitution provides for the possibility of introducing other official languages, thus leaving a door open.
“Italian is still spoken and understood by a large portion of the population, thanks in part to its geographical proximity to Italy and Italian television broadcasts, and is taught in all public schools,” the petition continues.
Bini says Italian is spoken fluently by 41.34% of Maltese people in Malta. According to other estimates, 86% of the population speaks Italian: 67% speak it fluently, another 17% have a basic knowledge of the language, and 2% are native Italian speakers.
Italian was an official language in Malta, having being introduced by the Knights of the Order of St John. English and Maltese became the official languages, with Italian removed from the list in 1936 by the British in an attempt to limit Italian influence, the petition continues. Public signs and restaurant menus are often in Maltese, English, and Italian, and the national holiday of Sette Giugno celebrates the connection with Italian culture.
Until 1964, the Maltese Government Gazette was also published in three languages: Italian, Maltese and English, the petition says.
Another link between the island and Italy is the presence in Malta of many surnames of clearly Italian origin, due to the progressive settlement of Sicilian-Arabs from the year 1000 and subsequent waves of immigration. Maltese culture itself is the result of the influence of various cultures, including Italian. Malta has an Italian Cultural Institute, and the Dante Alighieri Society is the only Italian institution to organize Italian courses, attended by 300 students annually, the petition says.
