Two short studies

Abstract

The Regole per la lingua maltese, the earliest extant grammar and dictionary of the Maltese language, seems to have been in the possession of at least two persons. In fact, the surnames of two families, whose members regularly joined the Order of St John, appear in the bound manuscript. One of the families is Italian (Spinola) whilst 1he other can be traced back to the French region of Provence (Fougasse de la Bastie). The writing on f.lv. reads something like"- L-ga-P. Spinule".