Maltese language

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Maltese Malti Semitic language of the Southern Central group spoken on the island of Malta. Maltese developed from a dialect of Arabic and is closely related to the western Arabic dialects of Algeria and Tunisia. Strongly influenced by the Italian dialect spoken in Sicily, Maltese is the only form of Arabic to be written in the Latin alphabet.

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"Maltese language." Encyclopædia Britannica. 2008. Encyclopædia Britannica Online. 19 Jan. 2008 <http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-9050379>.
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Maltese language. (2008). In Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved January 19, 2008, from Encyclopædia Britannica Online: http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-9050379


	More from Britannica on "Maltese language"...


15 Encyclopædia Britannica articles, from the full 32 volume encyclopedia
>	Maltese language Semitic language of the Southern Central group spoken on the island of Malta. Maltese developed from a dialect of Arabic and is closely related to the western Arabic dialects of Algeria and Tunisia. Strongly influenced by the Italian dialect spoken in Sicily, Maltese is the only form of Arabic to be written in the Latin alphabet.
>	Semitic languages group of languages spoken in northern Africa and the Middle East that constitutes one of the branches of the Afro-Asiatic (formerly Hamito-Semitic) language family. (The other branches are Egyptian, Berber, Cushitic, and Chadic.) The Semitic languages are divided into four groups: (1) Northern Peripheral, or Northeastern, with only one language, ancient Akkadian; (2) ...
>	Government from the Malta article The 1964 Independence Constitution, under which Malta was a constitutional monarchy and parliamentary state, was amended in 1974 to make Malta a republic within the Commonwealth. Its head of state is a president appointed by the Maltese Parliament, which is elected by universal adult suffrage for a term of five years and is basically derived from the British model. Local ...
>	History from the Malta article The earliest archaeological remains date from about 3800 BC. Neolithic farmers lived in caves like those at Dalam (near Birzebbuga) or villages like Skorba (near Nadur Tower) and produced pottery that seems related to that of contemporary eastern Sicily. An elaborate cult of the dead of Stone Age or Copper Age culture evolved about 2400 BC. Initially centring around ...
>	Karm, Dun Malta's national poet, sometimes called “the bard of Malta,” or “the Chaucer of Malta.” His work has both romantic and classical affinities. His love of nature and his motherland together with his religious sensibility exemplify the former; his fondness for traditional metre (notably in his sonnets, which are considered particularly fine) exemplifies the latter.
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4 Student Encyclopedia Britannica articles, specially written for elementary and high school students
	Semitic languages A language family that covers a broad geographical region and a vast historical period, the Semitic language group is part of an even larger language family known as Afro-Asiatic, or Hamito-Semitic. Such modern languages as Hebrew, Arabic, and Ethiopic belong to the Semitic language group.
	Language from the Europe article The majority of the 50 to 60 languages spoken in Europe fall into the classifications of Indo-European, Uralic, and Altaic. Germanic, Slavic, and Romance are the three major linguistic groups within the Indo-European family, but Greek, Albanian, Celtic, and Baltic are also part of the family. The Germanic language group includes German, English, Norwegian, Swedish, ...
	Malta An island country, Malta is located in the central Mediterranean Sea 58 miles (93 kilometers) south of Sicily. Covering an area of 122 square miles (316 square kilometers), the country consists of five islands—Malta (the largest), Gozo, and Comino, which are inhabited, and the uninhabited islands of Cominotto and Filfla. The capital and chief port is Valletta, located on ...
	Lorre, Peter (1904–64). In his more than 70 films, Hungarian-born actor Peter Lorre portrayed some of Hollywood's most memorable evildoers. He projected a sinister image as a round-faced villain with a soft, lisping voice. His appearance and voice were so distinctive that he became a popular subject for comic impressionists and animators.