By now, the erosion of the Maltese language seems unstoppable. Incorrectly written Maltese, and an influx of English and Italian words that are being used in our spoken language in the form of do-it-yourself coined words, are the order of the day. Another prevalent cause is the frequent use of a mixture of English and Maltese words in our spoken language and often in the same sentence. Not much importance is being given to this situation, especially by the media which, I believe, is one of the main offenders in this present state of affairs. Other offenders are a good number of professional and high-ranking Maltese personalities who have important roles in our society.

One such high-ranking offender put on quite a sorry show on a local TV station during the evening news bulletin on Friday, 16 September. He is none other than the Maltese army chief, Brigadier Martin Xuereb, who was being interviewed by a local journalist. His replies were in a mixture of English and Maltese – actually more English than Maltese. Whatever reasons the brigadier might have for justifying such behaviour, I find it utterly unacceptable for a man leading and representing the Maltese army.

During the same news bulletin, two Malta-based Egyptians were interviewed about the protest in which they were taking part vis-à-vis the current situation in Egypt. Ironically, they replied in Maltese as well as they could. It was funny and at the same time a sorry situation, where a Maltese replied in a mixture of the English and Maltese languages while the Egyptians tried their best to reply in Maltese.

I have nothing against the brigadier in person, particularly after the way in which he handled our army during the Libyan crisis. He certainly made a pretty good job out of it. However, I urge Brig. Xuereb and everyone else, especially those in high office, to set a good example and communicate in Maltese as much as possible, both in its spoken and written form. Only then will we have taken a step forward in safeguarding the future of our mother tongue from further deterioration and erosion. After all, no one in the world apart from us has an interest in preserving our unique language.

Charles Cirillo

HAMRUN