1 Introduction

This article will provide you with some concise and basic tips so that you can transfer part of your knowledge of Modern Standard Arabic (MSA), also known as فصحى [fuṣħā], to start learning the basics of the Maltese language and vice versa.

Both Arabic and Maltese are Semitic languages. Throughout history, the Maltese language (Malti in Maltese) has slowly moved away from the Arabic sphere of influence. Over the centuries Maltese has been influenced by several languages, especially Sicilian and Italian but at its core Maltese has developed from the variety of Arabic once spoken in Sicily (Siculo-Arabic) when it was the Emirate of Sicily.

2 Alphabet: Arabic & Maltese Have 2 Different Writing Systems

One of the most obvious differences between the Maltese language and Arabic is that they use 2 different writing systems. Arabic uses the Arabic script and Maltese uses a modified version of the Latin alphabet. In the list below you can see the equivalences between the Arabic script and the Maltese alphabet. Remember, the list only shows what happens the majority of the time, there will always be instances where these patterns don’t occur:

For more detailed information on this, read the section below:

3 ع & غ Don’t Exist

The ع [‘ayn] and غ [ghayn] sounds have disappeared in Standard Maltese and are only present in certain varieties of Maltese. In Maltese orthography, the ع [‘ayn] and the غ [ghayn] have merged into one digraph għ. The għ is, for the most part, silent. However, it can modify vowel sounds and if it appears at the end of a word it is pronounced as a ħ and a silent għ at the end of a word is replaced by an apostrophe.

Here are some examples:

4 The Alif (ا) Frequently Becomes IE

The alif in Arabic represents a long a sound whereas in Maltese this long a sound has developed into ie (a long i sound, similar to ee in English). This linguistic phenomenon is known as an إمالة [imāla] which is also a feature of some varieties of Arabic.

5 Some Letters Stay The “Same”

There are many letters which don’t change if we compare Arabic to Maltese, excluding the change from the Arabic to the Latin alphabet:

In Standard Modern Maltese, you pronounce the q as a glottal stop which is the equivalent of the hamza (ء) in Arabic. Yet, in some varieties of Maltese, the q may still be pronounced as in MSA or as a k.

H in Maltese is silent unless it appears at the end of a word.

6 Merged Sounds

ط, ت & ث become t

Arabic has both emphatic (ط) and non-emphatic (ت) t’s. Plus, there is also a voiceless dental fricative (ث), like the th sound in think. In Maltese they have all become non-emphatic t’s:

د & ض become d

The non-emphatic (د) and emphatic d (ض), plus, the voiced dental fricative (ذ) (like the th in the word breathe) and its emphatic (ظ) counterpart have all become d in Modern Maltese:

س & ص become s

In Arabic, there are two types of s’s: an emphatic s (ص) and a non-emphatic s (س). In Maltese, these two phonemes have merged and have become non-emphatic:

ح & خ become ħ

In Maltese, ħ (ح) and kh (خ) have merged to become ħ:

7 Vocabulary: Basic Vocabulary Usually Derives From Arabic

Maltese vocabulary is mostly made up of words of Arabic, Sicilian, Italian, English and French origin. Yet, the basic vocabulary of Maltese derives, for the most part from Arabic, for example:

8 Verbs: Differences In Verb Conjugations

Present

There are two major differences when conjugating a verb in the present tense in Maltese and Arabic. In Maltese, the 1st person singular will take an n- and when conjugating the 1st person plural you prefix an n- and you suffix a -u. In Arabic, you prefix an a- and an n- for the 1st person singular and plural respectively. The conjugation used in Maltese is a feature of Arabic varieties spoken in the Maghreb.

Past

Past tense conjugations vary slightly from Arabic to Maltese as you can see below:

Future

The future in both Arabic and Maltese is very similar. Whereas in Arabic you add س [sa-] or سوف [sawf], in Maltese you add se before the verb:

9 Negation

Making statements negative in Maltese is simpler than in Arabic. In Arabic, the way you negate a statement depends on whether the verb is in the present, past or future. In Maltese, there are also a few ways of doing this.

Present and Past

For both the present and past tense, in Maltese, you place the word ma before the verb and then you suffix an -x to the conjugated verb. This differs with how statements are negated in Arabic:

Future

For the future tense, in Maltese, you negate the personal pronoun rather than the verb:

Imperative

To negate a verb in the imperative in Maltese you place the word la instead of ma before the conjugated verb and then you attach an -x to the verb.

10 Personal Pronouns

Maltese derives all of its personal pronouns from Arabic. However, Maltese has reduced the number of personal pronouns from twelve to seven. Maltese does not distinguish between genders for you and instead only uses inti (you feminine in Arabic) as in Tunisian Arabic. This also occurs with the 2nd and 3rd person plural (you plural / they) where no distinctions are made between masculine, feminine and dual:

11 Conclusion

Despite Arabic and Maltese sharing many similarities there are also a wide variety of differences that you have to be aware of. If you are a Maltese speaker who wants to learn Arabic or vice versa this article will have provided you with some basic tools to use the language you already know to develop your language skills.

Learn Maltese and Arabic to discover a world full of culture.