The present linguistic situation in Malta is a reflection of historical and political
permutations of the past. The simultaneous presence of two languages in Malta –
generally described as a bilingual situation, but which in fact includes a number of
features which can be defined more appropriately through diglossia – gives rise to a
context wherein language contact is extremely frequent: this occurs through both
inter- and intrasentential code-switching as well as through the constant integration of
foreign terms, mainly from Italian and English, into Maltese. Language policies in Malta are frequently caught in the midst of these dynamic diachronic and synchronic linguistic processes and often operate on two fronts: on the one hand internal changes inherent to the Maltese language must be taken into
consideration, on the other hand language use, characterized by the presence of both
English and Maltese, also must be accounted for.peer-reviewe
