Do you consider the Maltese to be Semites?

[Mingle]

There was a thread here regarding if they considered Ashkenazi Jews to be Semites. Many said no since their native tongue is Yiddish and they're mixed with Europeans whereas others said that yes since they're of Jewish/Semitic origin. So similar case here. The Maltese speak a Semitic language, but are of Sicilian origin. Personally, I don't see the Maltese as Semites since their recent origin is non-Semitic (Sicilian) and I also don't think they self-identify as Semitic. I don't know how much Semitic admixture they have, but it's about the same as Sicilians if it exists in any significant quantity so it wouldn't affect my opinion on whether I view them as Semitic or not. However, if the Maltese were to self-identity as Semitic, I wouldn't think they were crazy to do so.

[Hadouken]

Nope

[Bobby Martnen]

There was a thread here regarding if they considered Ashkenazi Jews to be Semites. Many said no since their native tongue is Yiddish and they're mixed with Europeans whereas others said that yes since they're of Jewish/Semitic origin. So similar case here. The Maltese speak a Semitic language, but are of Sicilian origin. Personally, I don't see the Maltese as Semites since their recent origin is non-Semitic (Sicilian) and I also don't think they self-identify as Semitic. I don't know how much Semitic admixture they have, but it's about the same as Sicilians if it exists in any significant quantity so it wouldn't affect my opinion on whether I view them as Semitic or not. However, if the Maltese were to self-identity as Semitic, I wouldn't think they were crazy to do so.

Fixed that

Also, less than half of the words in Maltese are of Semitic origin, although the grammatical structure and most of the most common words are.

I don't see them as Semites, I see them as wayward Sicilians. I hope they find a nice nightclub to get their photo taken in.

[Mingle]

Fixed that

Also, less than half of the words in Maltese are of Semitic origin, although the grammatical structure and most of the most common words are.

I don't see them as Semites, I see them as wayward Sicilians. I hope they find a nice nightclub to get their photo taken in.

It could be cool if they made Sicilian their national language and replaced Maltese (Sicilian Arabic) with Sicilian, since it's part of their heritage. But I guess that is off topic and better for another thread.

[JohnSmith]

I didn't think so, but IDK.

[Smeagol]

Maltese are more Semitic than Ashkenazi Jews linguistically and genetically. They're close to Sicilians but with additional Semitic admixture and they speak a Semitic language. Culturally they're mostly European though.

[JohnSmith]

How many of them are from the UK? It was a UK procession.

[Mingle]

Maltese are more Semitic than Ashkenazi Jews linguistically and genetically. They're close to Sicilians but with additional Semitic admixture and they speak a Semitic language. Culturally they're mostly European though.

They don't have additional Semitic admixture. They migrated to Malta after Sicily got linguistically Arabized.

Most Maltese have European Y-DNA whereas most Ashkenazi Jews have Semitic Y-DNA. From an autosomal POV, I think they are roughly equal. The Maltese are genetically identical to Sicilians and I don't think the Sicilians are genetically more Semitic than Ashkenazi Jews are. The Maltese are probably a little less Semitic than most Ashkenazi Jews, but the difference probably isn't significant.

[Mingle]

How many of them are from the UK? It was a UK procession.

The question is just regarding ethnic Maltese people, not anyone that lives in Malta.

[Smeagol]

They don't have additional Semitic admixture. They migrated to Malta after Sicily got linguistically Arabized.

They do, from results and plots i've seen they cluster slightly south of Sicilians.

[Tauromachos]

They do, from results and plots i've seen they cluster slightly south of Sicilians.

And this means that they are full blown Arabs?

[Smeagol]

And this means that they are full blown Arabs?

I didn't say they were.

[JohnSmith]

I do not even think I ever met a real Maltese person ever.

[SardiniaAtlantis]

I do not even think I ever met a real Maltese person ever.

I have one olde woman from Malta I thought she was Italian st first. I’ve also met a Maltese American looked like me.

[Bobby Martnen]

I do not even think I ever met a real Maltese person ever.

I know someone with the last name of "Malter", and at first I thought she was Maltese cause the name sounded similar to Malta, lol. (She's actually Jewish)

[Sikeliot]

Maltese are more Semitic than Ashkenazi Jews linguistically and genetically. They're close to Sicilians but with additional Semitic admixture and they speak a Semitic language. Culturally they're mostly European though.

Maltese, Ashkenazim, and Sicilians are all very close. Maltese did not gain their Semitic language independently. When Malta was settled from Sicily, Malta was considered part of Sicily, no different than say, Messina or Ragusa is today. Maltese are transplants from Agrigento and Caltanissetta and there is no genetic difference between them today.

[Sikeliot]

There was a thread here regarding if they considered Ashkenazi Jews to be Semites. Many said no since their native tongue is Yiddish and they're mixed with Europeans whereas others said that yes since they're of Jewish/Semitic origin. So similar case here. The Maltese speak a Semitic language, but are of Sicilian origin. Personally, I don't see the Maltese as Semites since their recent origin is non-Semitic (Sicilian) and I also don't think they self-identify as Semitic.

I don't agree with this interpretation. Sicilians have some Semitic ancestry themselves, and when Malta was settled from Sicily, Sicilians were speaking Arabic (Maltese is a dialect of Tunisian Arabic that was spoken in Sicily).

[Sikeliot]

Here is a Maltese on MDLP K23. No different than western Sicily which is where they came from.


# Population Percent
1 Caucasian 35.36
2 European_Early_Farmers 22.44
3 European_Hunters_Gatherers 12.67
4 Near_East 9.56
5 North_African 9.11
6 South_Central_Asian 5.87
7 Subsaharian 1.49


Finished reading population data. 620 populations found.
23 components mode.

--------------------------------

Least-squares method.

Using 1 population approximation:
1 Ashkenazi_Jew_ @ 4.281728
2 Sicilian_West_ @ 4.600732
3 Maltese_ @ 4.879887
4 Sicilian_Trapani_ @ 4.998295
5 Sicilian_Agrigento_ @ 5.032427
6 Sicilian_East_ @ 5.100826
7 Sicilian_Siracusa_ @ 5.573041
8 Ashkenazi_ @ 6.178770
9 French_Jew_ @ 7.061112
10 Romanian_Jew_ @ 7.422740
11 Sicilian_Center_ @ 8.446937
12 Cretan_ @ 8.697932
13 Italian_South_ @ 9.026125
14 Italian_Jew_ @ 9.648549
15 Turk_Jew_ @ 9.825107
16 Sephardic_Jew_ @ 9.834919
17 Greek_Athens_ @ 9.917029
18 Italian_Abruzzo_ @ 10.146834
19 Greek_ @ 10.430152
20 Greek_Peloponnesos_ @ 10.811305

Using 2 populations approximation:
1 50% Greek_Northwest_ +50% Moroccan_Jew_ @ 3.209592

[Mingle]

I don't agree with this interpretation. Sicilians have some Semitic ancestry themselves, and when Malta was settled from Sicily, Sicilians were speaking Arabic (Maltese is a dialect of Tunisian Arabic that was spoken in Sicily).

So do you consider the Maltese to be a Semitic folk or not? Vote in the poll :p

[Sikeliot]

So do you consider the Maltese to be a Semitic folk or not? Vote in the poll :p

They speak a Semitic language and have partial Semitic heritage, so yes.

[AK-47]

Semitic is a modern linguistic sub grouping, of the Afro-Asiatic linguistic grouping.
Maltese is a Semitic language.
Conflating modern linguistic groupings with ethnicity and race is folly and never ends well.
Armenians for instance are Indo-Europeans, and Assyrians are Semites, both are genetically overlapped heavily.

[Mingle]

Semitic is a modern linguistic sub grouping, of the Afro-Asiatic linguistic grouping.
Maltese is a Semitic language.
Conflating modern linguistic groupings with ethnicity and race is folly and never ends well.
Armenians for instance are Indo-Europeans, and Assyrians are Semites, both are genetically overlapped heavily.

True, but many folk here see them as somewhat similar. You will never see anyone calling Jamaicans or Aframs 'Germanic' even though they are of partial Germanic ancestry and natively speak a Germanic language.

[Jana]

No. I consider them European like any other southerners and everyone in Croatia does as well.

[AK-47]

True, but many folk here see them as somewhat similar. You will never see anyone calling Jamaicans or Aframs 'Germanic' even though they are of partial Germanic ancestry and natively speak a Germanic language.

The 2nd largest Semitic language after Arabic is Amharic.
Amharic is spoken by over 22 million Ethiopians.
Below I will post a picture of an Ethiopian vs an Arab, and tell me if you see them as "somewhat similar."
http://cdn.ph.upi.com/collection/fp/upi/5106/44ee01d08c35c6ca6c32f63277995907/President-Obama-meets-with-King-Abdullah-of-Jordan_2_1.jpg
https://r.duckduckgo.com/l/?kh=-1&uddg=http%3A%2F%2Fmedia-cache-[img]ak0.pinimg.com%2F736x%2F23%2Fc9%2Fec%2F23c9ecb22fc 2be1888f958144ac03c66.jpg
http://media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/23/c9/ec/23c9ecb22fc2be1888f958144ac03c66.jpg

[StonyArabia]

No. They have nothing in common with true Semites such as Bedouins, Yemenite Jews, and the original Natifuan

[AK-47]

No. They have nothing in common with true Semites such as Bedouins, Yemenite Jews, and the original Natifuan
They have one thing in common.
They speak a Semitic language.

[Decius]

Yep, theyre basically half semetic and speak a semetic language.

[Mingle]

The 2nd largest Semitic language after Arabic is Amharic.
That is spoken by over 22 million Ethiopians.
Below I will post a picture of an Ethiopian vs an Arab, and tell me if you see them as "somewhat similar."
http://cdn.ph.upi.com/collection/fp/upi/5106/44ee01d08c35c6ca6c32f63277995907/President-Obama-meets-with-King-Abdullah-of-Jordan_2_1.jpg
https://r.duckduckgo.com/l/?kh=-1&uddg=http%3A%2F%2Fmedia-cache-[img]ak0.pinimg.com%2F736x%2F23%2Fc9%2Fec%2F23c9ecb22fc 2be1888f958144ac03c66.jpg
http://media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/23/c9/ec/23c9ecb22fc2be1888f958144ac03c66.jpg

Some people say Amharas are not real Semites either. I also don't think it's weird to consider the Maltese as Semitic but the reason I don't is cause I personally view them as the same ethnicity as Sicilians.

But anyways, do you consider Jamaicans and Aframs to be Germanic? Also, vote in the poll :)

[brennus dux gallorum]

Maltese mentality and culture are European

[AK-47]

Some people say Amharas are not real Semites either. I also don't think it's weird to consider the Maltese as Semitic but the reason I don't is cause I personally view them as the same ethnicity as Sicilians.

But anyways, do you consider Jamaicans and Aframs to be Germanic? Also, vote in the poll :)
Not voting in your poll, nor will I answer your troll question.

[Mingle]

Not voting in your poll, nor will I answer your troll question.

How is it a troll question? They have partial Germanic DNA and speak Germanic. It's not any less trollish than your Ethiopian/Amhara comparison.