Language use, perception and attitudes amongst Maltese primary school children

Abstract

In this chapter the results of research carried out in Malta as part of the MERIDIUM Project (Multilingualism in Europe as a Resource for Immigration—Dialogue Initiative Among the Universities of the Mediterranean) are presented and discussed. It is clear that integrating children with a migrant background in Maltese schools is not an easy task: these children are faced with a diversified language context in which the interplay of two languages has domains which are not easily discernible by those who have not been born in Malta or who have not lived in the country for a relatively long time. Foreign students in primary schools do not only have to cope with learning the context languages, as they also have to gain awareness of the local bilingual situation. This implies that they must become familiar with the different contexts and ways in which Maltese and English are intermingled, as well as with the sociolinguistic implications of their alternate use. Knowing English is certainly an advantage, but it does not necessarily solve all possible problems as knowledge of Maltese is also an important prerequisite to fuller integration within local classrooms and school communities.