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History
Maltese people
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The Maltese people are an ethnic group native to Malta who speak Maltese, a Semitic language and share a common culture and Maltese history. Malta, an island country in the Mediterranean Sea, is an archipelago that also includes an island of the same name together with the islands of Gozo and Comino ; people of Gozo, Gozitans are considered a subgroup of the Maltese.
Maltese women have historically worn the għonnella, a traditional dress which became a symbol of Maltese identity, religious devotion and modesty, whi
Maltese women have historically worn the għonnella, a traditional dress which became a symbol of Maltese identity, religious devotion and modesty, which gradually disappeared after the 1960s.
Child Migrants' Memorial at the Valletta Waterfront, commemorating the 310 Maltese child migrants who travelled to Australia between 1950 and 1965.
Child Migrants' Memorial at the Valletta Waterfront, commemorating the 310 Maltese child migrants who travelled to Australia between 1950 and 1965.
Image: Klederdrachten van het eiland Ghozo Costume de l'île de Ghozo (titel op object) Voyage en Italie, en Sicile et à Malte 1778 (serietitel), RP
Image: Klederdrachten van het eiland Ghozo Costume de l'île de Ghozo (titel op object) Voyage en Italie, en Sicile et à Malte 1778 (serietitel), RP T 00 494 17B
Image: Klederdrachten van eiland Gozo Costume de Ghozo (titel op object) Voyage en Italie, en Sicile et à Malte 1778 (serietitel), RP T 00 494 19C
Image: Klederdrachten van eiland Gozo Costume de Ghozo (titel op object) Voyage en Italie, en Sicile et à Malte 1778 (serietitel), RP T 00 494 19C
Maltese language
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Maltese is a Semitic language derived from late medieval Sicilian Arabic with Romance superstrata spoken by the Maltese people. It is the national language of Malta and the only official Semitic and Afroasiatic language of the European Union. 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. As a result of the Norman invasion of Malta and the subsequent re-Christianization of the islands, Maltese evolved independently of Classical Arabic in a gradual process of latinisation. It is therefore exceptional as a variety of historical Arabic that has no diglossic relationship with Classical or Modern Standard Arabic. Maltese is thus classified separately from the 30 varieties constituting the modern Arabic macrolanguage. Maltese is also distinguished from Arabic and other Semitic languages since its morphology has been deeply influenced by Romance languages, namely Italian and Sicilian.
Vassalli's Storja tas-Sultân Ċiru (1831), is an example of Maltese orthography in the 19th century, before the later standardisation introduced in 192
Vassalli's Storja tas-Sultân Ċiru (1831), is an example of Maltese orthography in the 19th century, before the later standardisation introduced in 1924. Note the similarities with the various varieties of romanised Arabic.