It seems that Maltese life moves strictly to an effective ding dong sound. It is a reality reflected in all aspects of Maltese society, as if it cannot escape the temptation to go in twos or end up being fragmented in even numbers.

The ding dong chimes clearly in differing fields - culture (two band clubs, two saints), politics (two parties, two colours), sports (two clubs, two championships) etc. The same sound controls the everyday lives in parishes, festas, socio-cultural organisations, the stage, and the two main islands of the Maltese archipelago. Two tribes? Even the national flag is in two colours!

The ding dong sound, though, gets louder in the way the 21st Century Maltese speak among themselves, at home, in the street, in church, at the club, on radio and television...and the way they write and print in newspapers and electronic news portals.

Il-Lingwa tad-Ding Dong focuses on the state of the Maltese Language today as seen from the lens of a frustrated journalist who has spent an entire career trying to disentangle this linguistic phenomenon by having worked, and still works, in both Maltese and English, the two (here we go again!) official languages of Malta.

This book is a live commentary on the strange animal called bilingualism. The obvious question is: does bilingualism mean the Maltese can fire away in piecemeal Maltese and English at the same time, or that, when needed or desired, one can speak and write in either of the two languages?

Charles Flores deals with Maltese bilingualism during a trip on two parallel lines - an intended sarcasm and inevitable realism. During his trip, however, he delves into his inner self to tackle matters and home truths which are often overlooked at other, possibly hotter, moments of discussion.

At the end of the trip, there is also time for some reflection from the experts on linguistics to help paint the bigger picture of the situation today as regards the use of the National Language in Maltese life.