Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1004621
15 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 15 JULY 2018 NEWS tively useless to attempt to discredit one in favour of the other when communication suffers and benefits at both ends, irrespective of how many people speak either. Besides that, what many people fail to realise is just how ingrained Maltese syntax and structure are in our brains when brought up with equal ex- posure to both Maltese and English. Try having a conversation entirely in English, as a Maltese-English bilingual. Now try replicating that same conversation without the interference of interjections such as illami, ta, Allaħares, me- la, hux, ħi… I can go on. See, the reality is that many (and I daresay the majority) of the fervent and extreme pro-English remain heavily dependent on Maltese structure, and this is the reason why, upon taking a photo, one would confidently exclaim, "Illami how nice we came here!" (which, if you aren't aware, is the technical and grammatical butchery of the Eng- lish language as we know it). My intention isn't to criticise speakers like these. We all fall victim to them. But let's be honest: if you're going to favour one single language, then at least avoid hypocrisy and prioritise the whole language, not bits and pieces you deem fit. Solution? I don't favour elitism from either end; to me, it is more detrimental than it is constructive. I also suppose I'm not really in a position whereby I can affect change. What I can give is some sort of advice, which you may consider to be a crock of shit, but hey, I tried. English is the dominant world language, and it doesn't seem to be going away any time soon. Re- gardless, I do encourage people to be more open to experiencing the beauty and advantages of both languages, and to not simply undermine one or another by promoting a very useless culture of preference or comfort, as it is exactly why I wish to engage in such dialogue. If you are granted the opportunity to do so, take the time to explore and reap the benefits of both. Admittedly, it does irritate me when people favour English over Maltese simply because it's "easier" to learn. However, at the same time, I very much empa- thise with people who make this claim. Another issue is that the people in power – that is, the big institutions – also seem to favour Eng- lish, including schools, the media, and online fo- ra. Given just how much more accessible English is than Maltese due to its international status, it is no surprise that it is entirely logical for people to instinctively pronounce "enough" as "enuff" de- spite little graphic-phonetic correspondence, yet it is a challenge to identify where the għ digraph should be placed in a word such as nibagħtu. On the other hand – and this might be swaying towards subjective tendencies – Maltese media and art is oftentimes perceived as limited to cen- tury-late romantic literature and vapid television shows, which – in my opinion at least – are far from being intellectually stimulating or attention grabbing. So, whilst it is a problem that some do not wish to learn, a bigger problem includes institutions not offering much opportunity to learn, and therefore, little motivation to learn, or to take the language seriously. It is for this reason that I strongly believe in the equilibrium I've been going on and on about, and not simply an equilibrium of word of mouth, be- cause it is clear that the reality is quite different. The answer should not be to completely (and consciously) eradicate access to one language in favour of the other, but change will not happen unless there is a readiness, from all ends, to em- brace both. Kurt Gabriel Meli is a university student and blogs at abrakadabriel.wordpress.com Requiem for the airline bezzun MARIA PACE THE Maltese national airline ditched the last vestige of its in- flight service as the mediocre 'bezzun' – the baguette – makes way for a gourmet-style selection against payment. The price list surely won't break the bank, but the move from a free meal to a €10 meal deal now epitomises Air Malta's final tran- sition from the legacy airline it was, to another 'low fares' hybrid that ditches the frills of flying. The older generations will re- call an airline whose in-flight service included the full English breakfast on early flights, meals with pasta and meat servings, wine and alcohol miniatures, but also extended freebies: when Air Malta operated its own tour agency it gave out free bags, even free tube tickets for London hol- idaymakers. Flying itself was a rare and ex- pensive endeavour for budget tourists, where the treat of eating on board was often accompanied by metal cutlery – an expensive accoutrement that was substi- tuted for cheaper plastic and fi- nally eradicated by the 9-11 ter- ror attacks. But there has been a radical shift. The younger traveller cares little about the end of the free baguette, because they are accus- tomed to more frequent travel and are therefore motivated sim- ply by the low pricing ushered in by low-cost giants Ryanair and EasyJet. Already on these air- lines, the buy-on-board concept is standard and adopted by oth- er European legacy airlines. Air Malta itself said consumers had indicated they preferred having a larger choice of what to eat, and will now offer over 70 quality food and drink items on board, while business class fliers will re- tain an upgraded inflight menu. "The glamour of flying has gone," the aviation journalist Terence Mirabelli, told Malta- Today, saying LCCs like Ryanair turned air travel "into an aerial bus service", and that legacy airlines' business models have changed. "I suspect most people don't mind not having free food if flights are short and up to three hours or so. It reduces ticket prices. If flying coach, people do not mind. But when paying a premium rate for first or busi- ness class I would expect some sort of VIP treatment. Paying extra for a seat just barely wider than one's derrière is not on." "Air Malta is not a low-cost airline," Brussels-based Sears Debono said, adding that the na- tional airline should not remove its in-flight food. "The airline in- dustry is moving towards a more corporate profit approach rather than providing comfort and ser- vice to passengers. Air Malta already charges a premium over low-cost airlines – by remov- ing these 'incentives' it doesn't give travellers any incentive to choose Air Malta over low-cost airlines." But both Mirabelli and Sears Debono agree travellers will fly according to price and timing, with or without food. "If LCCs offer cheaper flights with the same services as Air Malta, trav- ellers will pick those cheaper flights," Sears Debono says. Michelle Zammit, who runs the blog Cheeky Passport, uses Air Malta infrequently because she has spent the last year travelling around Asia. When she is travel- ling within Europe, pricing is her first consideration. "As long as removing free in-flight food will result in appreciable cuts in cost, there is no problem with remov- ing this amenity," she said. It's a rationale that seals the debate on the free food service on European airlines: travel- lers can simply pack themselves some lunch or buy it aboard, be- cause eating aboard is anyway no longer the luxury it was once perceived. Air Malta's humble 'bezzun' provoked media outrage and gave vent to the Maltese passion for complaining. This time, no- body is worrying about the end of one of the poorest ever lunch options to be offered at 30,000 feet above the ground: strikes, cancellations and unexpected delays are what fliers get riled about. mpace@mediatoday.com.mt Just an aerial bus service. The glamour of Air Malta's last freebie, the most humble 'baguette' finally makes way for a sumptuous buy-on-board menu From the heartiness of a full English and metal cutlery, to the parsimoniousness of the baguette, Air Malta bucks the trend and ditches the 'free food'