Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1004621
14 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 15 JULY 2018 NEWS A few days ago, Xarabank up- loaded a clip of Amici contest- ant, Emma Muscat, struggling to speak an entire sentence in Maltese without resorting to the aid of another language, and all hell broke loose. Later on Peppi Azzopardi uploaded a video of himself criticising the controversy which arose and voiced praise to the Eng- lish language. And all hell broke loose. I'm an aspiring interpreter. Of course, I was going to chime in at some point or another. I imagine many people will find it ironic to be writing this in English rather than Maltese. But that's entirely the point that I want to make: I have the absolute privilege – which is effectively something given to me from birth – to have two languages at my disposal that I can communicate fluently in. I choose to use both. Because embracing one does not neces- sitate the neglect of the other. This is not going to be one of far too many insensitive posts attempting to victimise and demonise Emma Muscat (I empathise with her situa- tion, if anything). Rather, the inspiration for this essay is this follow-up to Peppi Azzopar- di's original statement, which, quite frankly, if I begin to suf- fer from chronic migraines, you now know the reason why. See, by instigating this (very poorly executed) dialogue, Azzopardi has perpetuated an oversimplified argument that generates and sways across two extremes but never reaches a middle point, which is the linguistic elitism of Mal- tese versus English. The Emma Muscat incident provoked the rise of the pseu- do-patriots misspelling more words than I did at age nine, and whose ardent fervour for Maltese puritanism makes my native language seem as at- tractive as indentured servi- tude. The Peppi Azzopardi re- sponse, to me, was both typical and unoriginal, favouring Eng- lish as a result of the shocking and previously unbeknown revelation that more people, surprisingly, speak it; this nat- urally went hand in hand with the "more work opportunities" dialogue. Besides that, another key point in his argument is that not enough people seem to know English – which to me, is laughable in and of it- self. Perhaps it's the obnoxious inner pacifist in me that al- ways tries to find a middle ground, but right now, I feel that that's exactly what is nec- essary, especially in a situation of extremely unbalanced bilin- gualism. The importance of each The main problem has al- ways been the ignorance that comes with promoting the benefits of one language while undermining the benefits of the other, because it is the same mentality to be expected from a 12-year-old, not from fully-grown adults. I don't need to underline the often repeated benefits of Eng- lish: whilst I think Azzopardi's approach is highly flawed, what he did address cannot be declared as false. English is, in essence, the world's lingua franca. To know English in the 21st century is synonymous to knowing how to speak hu- man. To not know English is to forfeit access to the absolute majority of mass media, enter- tainment, ad infinitum. What I do suppose needs to be stressed, though, is that Maltese is neither a dead nor a moribund language, and that its utility extends far more than simply knowing some- thing for shits and giggles. The retaliation often used against pro-English culture involves aesthetic reasons. Language is ingrained in cul- ture, and Maltese is no ex- ception. It's something that makes us stand out. It gives Dun Karm Psaila and Ġużè Muscat Azzopardi that feel- ing of unfaltering Malteseness that distinguishes us from them. However, it's impossible to simply stick to this reasoning and expect the language to be taken seriously. This percep- tion of the Maltese language gives it the impression of a tourist attraction, rather than a device with practical ben- efits. The more obvious follow-up entailing its practical use, and expectedly so, is that Maltese is the first language of most people living in Malta (incred- ible, I know). For this reason, it is the preferred language of a sizeable portion of people, es- pecially for extended periods of speech. The less obvious follow- up I often feel gets ignored. I am a person who attempts to equilibrate both languages as much as possible, such that I effectively consider them as mother tongues rather than respective first and second languages. What I also expe- rience are the effects of a pri- vate primary school which was evidently in favour of English; notwithstanding, I attempt to maintain my creative writing in a balance of both tongues. It is for this reason that I feel that, albeit a young creative person, I can truly attest to what I'm about to say. In everyday speech and per- sonal expression, simply as a bilingual, there is always going to be a paradigm whereby it is altogether easier to express a specific message in Maltese than in English. Vice-versa, there is also always going to be situation whereby a mes- sage may be better conveyed in English rather than Maltese. The point being, it is effec- The Emma Muscat 'incident' on Maltese and English provokes the wrong responses, and ignores the power of using both languages: because embracing one does not necessitate the neglect of the other Lingua Nostra, Lingue Nostre PHOTO XARABANK/FACEBOOK English setting: Emma Muscat's preference for the English language sparked the inevitable online debate from fans who were stunned by her unwillingness to speak Maltese The Peppi Azzopardi response: typical and unoriginal Kurt Gabriel Meli The main problem has always been the ignorance that comes with promoting the benefits of one language while undermining the benefits of the other