The Department of Maltese holds its first annual conference for postgraduate researchers
As of this academic year, the Department of Maltese is organising regular research seminars for its Masters and Doctoral students. These seminars, called ‘Appuntamenti mar-Riċerka’, offer an informal and supportive environment for postgraduate researchers to discuss their work in progress.
During the first annual conference, six of these researchers presented their study on Maltese literature and language, and discussed it with their peers and lecturers.
The conference, held at the Valletta Campus’ Aula Magna on Saturday 4 June 2022, brought together all postgraduate researchers, departmental lecturers, and other lecturers from the Institute of Linguistics and Language Technology.
Ph.D. student, Kirsty Azzopardi, spoke about phrasal verbs in the Maltese verb sequence whilst Yanika Schembri Fava presented her Masters dissertation about the use of irony in popular Maltese verses.
Thomas Pace, who is in the last phase of his Masters dissertation, discussed language policy in language administration whilst Lara Stagno, another Masters student, spoke about the aspects of illocution and perlocution in Nadia Mifsud’s poetry.
The final two speakers were Ph.D. students: David Agius Muscat spoke about the definition of standard Maltese during the first half of the nineteenth century whilst Justine Somerville discussed the relationship between memory and narrative fiction.
During the final part of the conference, those present discussed different ways of improving the regular research seminars and annual conference by way of continuing to assist students in their research journey and fostering a culture and community of research within the Department of Maltese.
The ‘Appuntamenti mar-Riċerka’ seminars are to continue in September whilst the second annual conference is to be held in June 2023.
This article is also available in Maltese.