Say 'tagħrif', not 'informazzjoni', President urges Maltese speakers
People who speak Maltese must make an effort to use words that have deeper Maltese roots than other words influenced by Italian and English, President George Vella said on Monday. He said learning other languages and using English wherever necessary remained important, but Maltese speakers had a duty to guard their language, making sure the original, semitic Maltese words live on for generations to come. "I'm not saying we should find a Maltese word for everything. Some words, like 'kompjuter' (computer) should stay. We don't need to go as far as to create a Maltese word for it, as some other languages do," Vella said. "But don't say 'informazzjoni' (information) when you can say 'tagħrif'. Don't say 'vettura' (vehicle) when you can say 'karozza' (car). Don't say 'assistenza' (assistance), because we have a Maltese word for it - 'għajnuna'. And say 'itemmu' (end), not 'jitterminaw' (terminate). "If we have Maltese words that everyone already understands, why do we need to change them, just for the sake of it," he asked. The President was speaking at the launch of 'L-Ilsien Malti għal Qalbi' (I cherish the Maltese language) - a campaign by the Office of the President in...