What language did Malta speak before Arabic?

For many centuries and until 1934, Italian was the official language of Malta. Indeed, it was considered the language of culture in Malta since the Italian Renaissance.

What is the first language of Malta?

The official languages of Malta are Maltese and English. Maltese, a language of Semitic origin written in the Latin script, is the national language of Malta. Over the centuries, it has incorporated many words derived from English, Italian and French.

Who invented the Maltese language?

Maltese is a latinised variety of spoken historical Arabic through its descent from Siculo-Arabic, which developed as a Maghrebi Arabic dialect in the Emirate of Sicily between 831 and 1091.

What languages is Maltese related to?

Maltese developed from a dialect of Arabic and is closely related to the western Arabic dialects of Algeria and Tunisia. Strongly influenced by the Sicilian language (spoken in Sicily), Maltese is the only form of Arabic to be written in the Latin alphabet.

What language is spoken in Malta and Gozo?

Maltese is a dialect of Arabic and has roughly 450,000 native speakers in the island of Malta and Gozo. Maltese is the only surviving language of the Arabic dialects that were spoken in Spain and Sicily in the Middle Ages. Maltese is also the only Semitic language written in the Latin script.

What race are the Maltese?

Ethnic groups Malta’s population is composed almost entirely of ethnic Maltese, the descendants of ancient Carthaginians and Phoenicians as well as of Italians and other Mediterranean peoples.

Who were the Arabs in Malta?

The Arabs were among Malta’s early occupiers. The conquest of 870, during which Arab armies swept through North Africa and into the seas, changed the region beyond recognition. In their path was the small Byzantine-ruled island of Malta, which fell to their advance and remained so until 1090.

Is Malta Greek or Italian?

The official and national language is Maltese, which is descended from Sicilian Arabic that developed during the Emirate of Sicily, while English serves as the second official language….Malta.