Aš-Šidyāq’s Legacy and the Maltese Conundrum: Levantine, North African, and/or Sicilian Arabic Origin?

Abstract

The studies of Aḥmad Fāris aš-Šidyāq, who arrived in Malta from Lebanon in the mid-19th century, along with modern research, both emphasise the Arabic foundations of the Maltese language. While the language’s lexicon and phonetic characteristics reveal a blend of eastern (Levantine) and western (Maghrebi) Arabic elements, with the latter showing a relative predominance, the scholarly mainstream also acknowledges the significant influence of a Sicilian interlude. Phonetic phenomena, such as vowel shifts in standard Maltese and its dialects (particularly on its sister island, Gozo), as well as morphosyntactic parallels, provide further evidence of the diverse origins of the Maltese language. The study balances various theories, shedding light on the complexity of Maltese linguistic development and its multifaceted connections to the Arabic Sprachraum.