Re: Merhaba (was: Re: Icelandic)

Trebor Jung scripsit:

> Maltese is _not_ a dialect of Arabic - it's a separate language! That's
> like saying Estonian and Finnish are dialects...
>
> I just can't believe this... Maltese a dialect of Arabic (or anything
> else)?  Just totally unbelievable...
Maltese is well within the range of variation for Arabic colloquials.
Nigerian and Chadic Arabic, for example, are much more remote from modern
standard Arabic than Maltese is, especially if you neglect the large
number of English and Italian loan words.  The main reason Maltese is
treated as a separate language is sociolinguistic: it doesn't use modern
standard Arabic as its acrolect (for writing, formal speeches, etc.)

--
John Cowan  jcowan@reutershealth.com  www.ccil.org/~cowan  www.reutershealth.com
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