Revel Barker in his letter Maltese and English (TMID, 20 October) took me to task for having dared to say that foreigners living in Malta are arrogant for not learning to speak Maltese.

His interpretation of my letter demands a better explanation.

I never said that the “outside world” should learn Maltese. I know that this is spoken only in our country and by Maltese who have emigrated, although, sadly, successive generations seem to lose their Maltese as time goes by.

What I think is that foreigners who live here, and have been here for many years, should have at least learnt the basic words in Maltese, if anything out of courtesy to the country that is hosting them.

I know that they pay taxes as others, but at the same time, I cannot understand why there is no effort from their part to try to learn the language. It would be much easier for them to integrate themselves into our society and be accepted as part of the community.

Foreigners, mostly English people, expect the Maltese to speak to them in English in Malta, and while this is of course acceptable for tourists who come here for a week or two, it is certainly a different thing when it comes to foreigners who have been here for many years.

It should not be the case that Maltese people feel at a disadvantage, in their own country, on the basis of a language that does not come naturally to them. Yes, they do learn it at school as from a young age and English is, as Mr Barker says, a national language. But at the same time I do believe that foreigners coming over to live here ought to make the effort to make themselves understood in Maltese and understand what they are being told in the language.

Joseph Zammit

Paola