Some Maltese toponyms in historical and comparative perspective

Abstract

Medieval and contemporary usage relating to Maltese toponyms yields numerous reflexes of an intriguing Old Arabic NP type displaying the structure [Noun + Def. Art. + Adjective] : Wied il-Kbir <Ar. *wa:d il-kbi:r. As in many contemporary Arabic vernaculars, the lack of determination concord between substantive and attribute typifying these placenames is symptomatic of their traditional structural interpretation as construct state forms, cf. Hagret is-Sewda "the Stone of the Black One f" < "the Black Stone". In both Arabic and Maltese the formal incongruity entailed in the coexisting semantic transparency and syntactic opacity characterizing many placenames built on this scheme is being resolved through reanalysis of these erstwhile lexicalized compounds as "Noun+ Attribute" sequences via introduction of the initial definite article: il-Blata l-Bajda, lit. "the White Rock".