Is Maltese Really a Mix of Arabic and Italian? The Truth Might Surprise You

Is Maltese Really a Mix of Arabic and Italian? The Truth Might Surprise You

Have you ever heard someone speaking Maltese and thought, “Wait… is that Arabic? Or is it Italian?” You are not alone! Maltese is one of the most unique languages in the world, and the truth is pretty cool.

So, what is Maltese really made of? The answer: a bit of both — and even more!

Maltese started out as a form of Arabic, brought to Malta over 1,000 years ago when Arab rulers came to the islands. But Malta is right in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and over the centuries it was ruled by lots of different people, like the Italians, French and British.

As a result, the language picked up loads of Italian and Sicilian words, especially when it comes to food, feelings and family stuff. That is why “thank you” in Maltese is “grazzi”, just like in Italian.

But the grammar and basic structure of Maltese still come from Arabic. For example, the Maltese word for “house” is “dar”, which is the same in Arabic.

To make things even more interesting, Maltese is the only Semitic language in the world written using the Latin alphabet — just like English.

Fun fact: Around half of everyday Maltese words come from Arabic, while many others come from Italian, French and even English.

So, is Maltese really a mix of Arabic and Italian? Yes – but it is also 100% its own thing, with a long, exciting history that makes it totally unique. Pretty impressive for a small island, right?

#MaltaDaily