View Poll Results: Yes or no?

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  • Yes. Maltese are as Sicilian as someone from Agrigento, Enna, Palermo, etc.

    5 83.33%
  • No. They have been separate long enough that genetic distinctions have emerged.

    1 16.67%
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Thread: Genetically, should Malta be considered part of the Sicilian population?

  1. #21
    Hatchling
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    Quote Originally Posted by NarLFC View Post
    They call their language "siculo-arabic". I guess at one point they would have been considered Arabs given that they spoke Arabic.
    They don't call it that, that's the name given to the language that Maltese is descended from. Siculo-Arabic refers to the dialect cluster of Arabic that was spoken in Sicily.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Mingle View Post
    I would say that Maltese is separate from Arabic in the same way that Standard Italian is separate from Latin. Standard Italian is derived from a dialect of Vulgar Latin, but its considered a distinct language from Latin due to the low level of mutual intelligibility between Latin and Italian. Similarly, Maltese is derived from a regional dialect of Classical Arabic, but its low level of mutual intelligibility makes it a different language. In short, its "Arabish", but not proper Arabic.

    Although the same could technically be said for some Arabic dialects like Tunisian (closest dialect to Maltese), so its partly a question of politics. The reason why Maltese is usually considered a separate language from Arabic though is because Maltese has its own standardized register whereas other dialects descended from Classical Arabic are considered crude forms of Standard Arabic as opposed to given their own official status or standardization and the line has to be drawn somewhere. In a way, its not really wrong to call it Arabic, but its different enough from Standard Arabic to be called a separate language.
    Maltese is considered a separate language because they are Christian and identify more with Italy. I have seen some Lebanese try to say Lebanese Arabic isn't Arabic, and there was once a push to write it in the Latin alphabet, which actually made it look very similar to Maltese.

    I've also seen some people say Moroccan Arabic is more divergent from the standard than Maltese is.

  3. #23
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    @Sikeliot

    Do you know around which time period western Sicilians mmigrated to Malta?

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    Quote Originally Posted by Mingle View Post
    They don't call it that, that's the name given to the language that Maltese is descended from. Siculo-Arabic refers to the dialect cluster of Arabic that was spoken in Sicily.
    A famous linguist on YouTube said that is what its essentially called because of its heavy influences of both Arabic and Sicilian/Latin languages.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Mingle View Post
    @Sikeliot

    Do you know around which time period western Sicilians mmigrated to Malta?
    No, but it would have to be after modern surnames originated, because most of the common surnames in Malta (Vella, Farrugia, Camilleri and whatnot) all originated in, and still exist in Sicily.

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    Veteran Member FinalFlash's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Sikeliot View Post
    No, but it would have to be after modern surnames originated, because most of the common surnames in Malta (Vella, Farrugia, Camilleri and whatnot) all originated in, and still exist in Sicily.
    Would you support Sicilian secession from Italy and possibly unite with Malta?

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    Quote Originally Posted by NarLFC View Post
    Would you support Sicilian secession from Italy and possibly unite with Malta?
    Malta should become part of Sicily, but in my ideal world, the language of Sicily would be Maltese, or at least, Sicily's town names would revert back to their original names. Meaning we'd call Palermo "Balarme" and Agrigento "Kerkent" like in Maltese.

  8. #28
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    Quote Originally Posted by Sikeliot View Post
    Maltese is considered a separate language because they are Christian and identify more with Italy. I have seen some Lebanese try to say Lebanese Arabic isn't Arabic, and there was once a push to write it in the Latin alphabet, which actually made it look very similar to Maltese.

    I've also seen some people say Moroccan Arabic is more divergent from the standard than Maltese is.
    Their Christianity is the reason why Maltese people are not considered ethnic Arab and has no bearing on linguistics. Its the standardization of their dialect that gives them the status of having a separate language. Its like how Turkish and Azeri are considered separate languages despite being mutually intelligible (I've read that South Azeri is actually closer Turkish than it is to North Azeri). If Moroccan or Lebanese Arabic were standardized tomorrow, then they'd be considered a separate language. At the moment, the different Arabic dialects (not including Maltese) are just considered localized crude forms so that's why they aren't considered a separate language. Alemannic isn't either officially considered a separate language from German since its not standardized. Some Germans and Swiss-Germans told me that Swiss-German can't be understood by someone that knows only Standard German yet its considered the same language.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Sikeliot View Post
    Malta should become part of Sicily, but in my ideal world, the language of Sicily would be Maltese, or at least, Sicily's town names would revert back to their original names. Meaning we'd call Palermo "Balarme" and Agrigento "Kerkent" like in Maltese.
    I think that's plausible. You would have a case because both groups are highly related and have common linguistic roots to an extent. I'm assuming other than S. ITALIANs, the Maltese are your brothers.

  10. #30
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    Quote Originally Posted by Sikeliot View Post
    Malta should become part of Sicily, but in my ideal world, the language of Sicily would be Maltese, or at least, Sicily's town names would revert back to their original names. Meaning we'd call Palermo "Balarme" and Agrigento "Kerkent" like in Maltese.
    Why not have Sicilian as the official language instead? Maybe have Standard Sicilian based off the dialect of Sicilian that is least similar to Standard Italian.

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