Gozitan dialects in the classroom and language awareness for learner empowerment

Abstract

Linguistic evidence shows that the dialects of Maltese present on the islands of Malta and Gozo are distinct from Standard Maltese (SM) on all linguistic levels. This article describes the dialectal reality in Gozo and inside Gozitan classrooms on the basis of data collected through classroom observation and interviews. The emphasis on the use of SM varies from one teacher to another, and from one school to another. However, there seems to be a common understanding that Gozitan dialects are important as symbols of identity, but that they make it harder for the pupils to learn how to write in SM. This contribution puts forward a tested recommendation for language awareness activities in the relevant classroom situations. Through language awareness, learners who are dialect speakers become empowered to adopt the appropriate variety in context. Furthermore, from the affective perspective, having their dialect legitimised enhances their self-esteem as learners.

Keywords:

• dialect
• Gozo
• classroom
• identity
• language awareness

Notes

1. The data from the various studies are not comparable because each researcher used a different method for the collection and analysis of the data.