Żejtun dialect

One of the dialects found in the Maltese language is the Żejtuni Dialect (Standard Maltese: Djalett taż-Żejtun or Żejtuni; Żejtun Maltese: Żejtewni). This dialect is used by many of the Żejtun inhabitants and in other settlements around this city like Marsaxlokk, that consists of about twelve thousand people.[1]

The following two words are an example, there are many more that make it into the list of vocabulary found in this Dialect.

  • For kite the Maltese word is tajra but in this dialect it is found as manuċċa.
  • For foggy weather the Maltese word is ċpar but in this dialect it is found as ċlambu.

All the vocal letters in this dialect possess a liquid versatility which allows the position, emphasis and tone of the vowels to change without any distinct rule; in some words the consonant letters are found to change as well. Such variations in the dialect are innate to native speakers.

The Vocal 'A'

The vowel 'A' in the Żejtun dialect is changed into 'U' or 'E'. Example:

EnglishMalteseŻejtun Dialect
newspapergazzettagezzette
meatlaħamleħem
fatxaħamxeħem
coalfaħamfeħem
waterilmailme
burnerspiritieraspiritiere
homedardur

This form happens to roughly all of the words that end in the vowel ' A ', but when the sentence construction does not allow the vowel 'A' to transmute into 'E', such as in the Maltese equivalent of potato, i.e. ' patata ', a different vowel has to be used to elongate the syllable. Here, the word does not become petete but changes into ' Û ', becoming patûta.

The Vowel 'E'

The vowel 'E' changes into the vowels 'A' or also 'I'. Example:

EnglishMalteseŻejtun Dialect
wildselvaġġsalvaġġ
seriousnessserjetàsirjitu
seminaryseminarjusiminurju
whenmetamite

The Vocal 'O'

The vocal ' O ' in this dialect changes into ' U ', however it demands an element of phonetical emphasis to differentiate this changed ' U from the previous one. In philology such emphasis requires an accent, hence ' Ù '. Example:

EnglishMalteseŻejtun Dialect
schoolskolaskùla
wheelrotarùta
panbormabùrma
sackxkoraxkùra
cornerroknarùkna
rollromblurùmblu

This form occurs in many other words that have 'O' as their first vocal letter.

The Vocal 'U'

When the last vocal of the word is the U, it is changed into the vocal O with the consonant W with a muted-ending . Sometimes the U is changed into EW. Example:

EnglishMalteseŻejtun Dialect
shipvapurvapowr
Mr.sinjursinjowr
stickbastunbastown
vasevażunvażown
moneyflusflews
fishħutħewt
shopħanutħenewt

References

  1. Pascale, Natalie (2020). Maltese Dialects: the Effects of Globalization and Changing Attitudes on Malta's Linguistic Diversity. Malta: omertaa. p. 14.
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