The main language of Malta is Maltese , which, along with English , is the official language of the country. Another common language is Italian .
| Languages of Malta | |
|---|---|
| Official | Maltese (100%) English (88%) |
| Unofficial | Italian (66%) |
| Major foreign languages | French (17%) |
| Keyboard layout | |
| Sources | [one] |
Language correlation
According to the data at the end of 2005, almost the entire population of Malta speaks Maltese, 89.2% speak English, 66% speak Italian and 17% speak French [2] . In general, the Maltese are quite multilingual: 92% know at least one foreign language, 68% - two languages, 23% - three languages, and only 8% do not know a single foreign language [2] .
| Tongue | They can say 2006 [2] | They can say census 1995 [3] | Prefer use, 2004 [3] |
|---|---|---|---|
| Maltese | 100 % | 98% | 86% |
| English | 89.2% | 76% | 11.76% |
| Italian | 66% | 36% | 1.84% |
| French | 17% | ten % | - |
These languages are related in different ways in different areas. Thus, according to a study conducted in 2001 [4] , Maltese is the first language for 98.6% of the population of Malta, while English is only for 1.2%. It is noted that 0.2% name both languages as the first. Despite this, 14% of the population say that they use English in the family, and 29% - at work. Maltese in the family use 90%, and at work - 70% [3] .
According to another study recently published by the National Statistical Office [3] , 86% of Maltese people prefer to use Maltese, 12% prefer English and less than 2% use Italian.
Notes
- ↑ http://ec.europa.eu/public_opinion/archives/ebs/ebs_243_en.pdf
- ↑ 1 2 3 Europeans and their Languages: Eurobarometer. (Fieldwork: November - December 2005, Publication: February 2006) Question D48T: Which languages do you speak well enough in order to be able to have a conversation, excluding your mother tongue? + 1.2% who called English their native language (see next source).
- ↑ 1 2 3 4 Ignasi Badia i Capdevila. A view of the linguistic situation in Malta. Archived July 4, 2008.
- ↑ Sciriha L .; Vassallo M. Malta. A Linguistic Landscape. Malta: 2001.