Maltese considered primary language by 97% of Maltese

Apr 27 2023

It was revealed during the conference ‘L-ilsien Malti għal qalbi – Konferenza dwar l-użu ta’ lsienna’, that 97% of Maltese nationals consider the Maltese language as their primary language.

The conference was organised by the Office of the President of Malta, wherein experts, linguists and exponents of the Maltese language analysed the language’s place and the challenges it faces to adapt to changing times.

Speaking on the statistic, psychologist Stephanie Borg Bugeja said that this resulted from the National Council for Maltese Language and the University’s Maltese Department.

The study showed that Maltese strong even though Malta is a largely bilingual country, with the language being strong even among the youth.

Minister for National Heritage Owen Bonnici addressed the conference, saying that such events promote the use of Maltese further and make the jump it needs even in the digital sphere.

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There are 426,720 motor vehicles on Maltese roads

Apr 27 2023

According to newly released information by the National Statistics Office, it was found that, as of March 2023, there are a whopping 426,720 vehicles on Maltese roads.

Out of this total, 74.5% were passenger cars, 12.4% were goods-carrying vehicles and 12.3% were motorcycles, e-bikes, PA-bikes, special purpose vehicles, e-kick scooters, agricultural vehicles and/or minibuses.

During the quarter under review, the stock of licensed motor vehicles increased at a net average rate of 20 motor vehicles per day.

Newly licensed motor vehicles put on the road during the period under review amounted to 4,704, with the majority of newly licensed motor vehicles at 64.6% being passenger cars.

As at the end of March 2023, 58.6%, or 250,079 motor vehicles, had petrol powered engines. Diesel powered motor vehicles reached 36.5% of the total, whereas electric and plug-in hybrid motor vehicles accounted for 2.9% of the entire stock.

When compared to the previous quarter, increases of 43.5 per cent, 15.4 per cent and 10.6 per cent were registered in combined (diesel-LPG), plug-in hybrid (diesel-electric) and plug-in hybrid (petrol-electric) motor vehicles respectively.

Read full report here.

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New study backs idea that men resist giving up meat to maintain masculinity

Apr 27 2023

A new study has continued to back an already observed phenomenon of men being reluctant to give up meat in order to preserve their perception of masculinity.

An Australian research study took a sample of 4,897 men and women to complete an online survey about attitudes and intentions regarding meat consumption and abstention.

The study measured the participants’ self-rate gender typicality (which is the extent to which men view themselves as masculine and women view themselves as feminine).

The study found that men in Australia may resist giving up meat because eating meat is a way of enacting their masculinity.

The study also found that more feminine women (along with more masculine men) viewed meat as ‘more natural, necessary and nice.’

‘This raises the interesting possibility that self-rated gender typicality may be equally predictive of men and women’s meat-related attitudes, though men’s masculinity more strongly predicts meat-related behaviours’ the study notes.

Previous studies, like one conducted in 2021 in Los Angeles, also corroborated this phenomenon. It found, through 1,706 American adults, that ordering steaks to standing over BBQs can feel and be seen as masculine behaviour.

The two studies both recommend taking into consideration gender conceptualisation when it comes to appealing for meat reduction for any reason.

Read the full study here.

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Pearl the Chihuahua: World record for shortest living dog

Apr 27 2023

Guinness World Records have officially found the shortest living dog – and its a two-year old Chihuahua from Florida.

The dog has been named the world’s shortest dog by the record brand, and with reason, as the dog measures around the same length as a dollar bill.

She is 5 inches long and weights a tiny 1.22 pounds, which is a huge gain on the less than one ounce that she weighed at birth.

Pearl is in fact related to previous record holder Miracle Milly, who measured 3.8 inches tall but passedaway in 2020 before Pearl was born. Milly was an identical sister of Pearl’s mother, according to Guinness World Records.

Putting her up next to various objects shows just how tiny she actually is – almost shorter than a vertically held TV remote control. She can even fit perfectly in the palm of a hand or be placed in one’s pocket without an issue.

#MaltaDaily