Education and Maltese language usage among persons of Maltese background

Author: Maurice Cauchi

Maltese Language Retention

The 1996 Census data show that there were 44,674 persons who spoke Maltese at home, with 23,277 in Victoria and 17,510 in NSW (Table 5). Thus there appears to be a considerable decrease in usage of Maltese at home when comparisons are made with the 1991 census when the number of persons speaking Maltese at home was 27,804 in Victoria and 20,915 in NSW, and the total in Australia was 52,992 - a difference of 8,318 persons or 15.7%.

Table 5: Number of persons speaking Maltese at home

(Source:ABS Census 1996 Table B08)
State
Male
Female
Total
% in State
Vic
11,609
11,668
23,277
52.1
NSW
8,867
8,643
17,510
39.2
QLD
910
934
1,844
4.1
SA
656
664
1,320
3.0
WA
230
235
465
1.0
TAS
21
12
33
0.1
NT
14
14
28
0.1
ACT
94
103
197
0.4
Total
22,401
22,273
44,674
100.0

In the current survey (Table 6), the proportion of 2nd generation persons who could speak Maltese language varied from 32% who claimed they could speak it well to 67% who claimed to speak some Maltese. More females (74.6%) than males (54.0%) could speak Maltese.

On the other hand, 83% claimed to be able to understand Maltese and 64% said they understood it well. Again, women were more impressive than males, with 92% claiming to be able to understand some Maltese, compared to 77% of males.

Table 6: Maltese language retention among 2nd Generation Maltese persons

(Source:Current Survey, 1988)
Level
Speak
%
Understand
%
Poorly
44
17.8
26
10.5
Moderately
43
17.4
22
8.9
Well
79
32.0
158
64.0
Total
166
67.2
206
83.4

A number of factors have been shown to be relevant in encouraging retention of original language (see Clyne 1982, 1991; Kipp et al 1995). From the current study the following factors appear to be relevant:

gender: females retain Maltese better than males;
intermarriage: language loss is more pronounced when the mother is non-Maltese;
contact with Malta: visitors to Malta seem to retain the language better;
birth order: first born tend to retain the language better;
grandparent factor the presence of a grandparent in the family tends to promote language retention.

Occupational Categories

For the purpose of this discussion, the occupational categories were subdivided into 4 major components: a) professional qualifications, b) trade qualifications, c) other employment and d) unemployed.

Of the 214 persons aged 17 or older, there were 21 % with a tertiary education, 26% with a tra( e qualification and only 6% unemployed. There were, however, considerable gender-related differences, with more females having professional qualifications (240/o) compared to males (15%), and more males having trade qualifications (370/o) compared to females (70/o). This extremely high proportion of persons with trade qualifications among Maltese males has been well documented in the first as well as the second generation, but seems to become lost in the third generation.

Source: Maltese Background Youth - Editors Cauchi M, Borland H, Adams R, 1999, [Europe Australia Institute], p 1

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