The Maltese bilingual classroom : a microcosm of local society

Abstract

This paper examines the relationship between language use in the Maltese bilingual classroom on the one hand, and in the societal context within which the classroom is embedded, on the other. The use of Maltese and English as media of instruction is a reflection of the functions of each language in society. At the same time, their functional distribution in the school context continues to shape the linguistic practices of Maltese students and adults. The employment of code-switching in the classroom is largely caused and shaped by factors like textbooks and technical terminology in English within a Maltese-speaking environment. It, in turn, continues to condition at least one type of bilingual behaviour in society: terminology switching. The other major distinction in the functional allocation of the two languages is the spoken-written contrast that often corresponds to the Maltese-English distribution respectively, both in the classroom and in most other domains. The analyses of bilingual classroom practices illustrate, in fact, how the discursive and literacy events taking place are a reflection of societal values and identities. Simultaneously, they continue to elaborate both the linguistic repertoire of Maltese bilinguals, and the relationships symbolized by each language, and by code switching itself.