A crucial step towards fluency is engaging with authentic media. This chapter will give you the tools and practice to start understanding Maltese as it's used on television, radio, and online news sites.
By the end of this chapter, you will be able to:
Imagine you are watching the evening news. Here is a typical report. Notice the formal tone and use of the passive voice.
Preżentatur (Presenter): "L-Għodwa t-tajba u merħba għall-bullettin tal-aħbarijiet tat-tmienja. Il-Prim Ministru llum se jkun qed jindirizza konferenza dwar it-turiżmu. Jingħad li se jitħabbru miżuri ġodda biex jgħinu lis-settur." (l-OW-dwa t-TAI-ba oo MERH-ba all-bul-let-TEEN tal-ah-ba-ri-YEET tat-TMYEEN-ya. il-prim min-IST-ru il-LOOM se ykoon 'ed yin-di-RITS-tsa kon-fe-REN-tsa dwar it-tu-RIZ-mu. yeen-AD li se yit-hab-BRU mi-ZU-ri JO-da byesh yigh-NU lis-set-TUR.)
Ġurnalist (Journalist): "Iva, eżatt. Kelliema għall-Ministeru kkonfermaw li d-dettalji se jingħataw aktar tard matul il-ġurnata. Is-sidien tar-ristoranti qed jittamaw li dawn il-miżuri jinkludu għajnuna finanzjarja." (EE-va, e-ZATT. kel-LEE-ma all-min-is-TE-ru kon-fer-MAW li d-det-TAL-yi se yeen-a-TAW AK-tar tart ma-TOOL il-joor-NA-ta. is-si-DEEN tar-ris-to-RAN-ti 'ed yit-TA-maw li dawn il-mi-ZU-ri yin-KLU-du ay-NOO-na fi-nan-ZYA-rya.)
This is a short excerpt from a fictional online news story. Notice the written, formal style.
Nhar is-Sibt li ġej, se tiftaħ għall-pubbliku wirja ġdida tal-arti kontemporanja fiċ-ċentru kulturali tal-Belt. Il-wirja, li għandha t-titlu "Kuluri tal-Gżira", se tinkludi xogħlijiet minn għaxar artisti lokali. Id-dħul huwa b'xejn. Il-pubbliku huwa mħeġġeġ jattendi bi ħġaru.
Review the new vocabulary from these media samples.
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The media in Malta is vibrant and diverse, but also highly politicized. The two main political parties, the Labour Party (Partit Laburista) and the Nationalist Party (Partit Nazzjonalista), each own their own television station (ONE and NET, respectively), radio stations, and newspapers. This means that news coverage can often have a strong political slant depending on the source.
The public broadcaster, PBS (Public Broadcasting Services), provides the national television station TVM and radio stations, which aim for a more neutral stance. There are also several independent newspapers in both Maltese and English. To get a balanced view of current events, it's often necessary to consume news from multiple sources.
`bullettin tal-aħbarijiet` (news bulletin), `preżentatur` (presenter), `ġurnalist` (journalist), `Prim Ministru` (Prime Minister), `konferenza stampa` (press conference), `kelliema` (spokesperson), `settur` (sector), `wirja` (exhibition), `arti kontemporanja` (contemporary art), `dħul` (entrance), `b'xejn` (free of charge).
Prosit! Engaging with authentic media is a massive step. In the next chapter, `Formalità u Reġistru` (Formality & Register), we will explore the differences between formal and informal language, helping you choose the right words for the right situation.