One of the
dialect
The term dialect (from Latin , , from the Ancient Greek word , 'discourse', from , 'through' and , 'I speak') can refer to either of two distinctly different types of Linguistics, linguistic phenomena:
One usage refers to a variety (linguisti ...
s of the
Maltese language
Maltese ( mt, Malti, links=no, also ''L-Ilsien Malti'' or '), is a Semitic language derived from late medieval Sicilian Arabic with Romance superstrata spoken by the Maltese people. It is the national language of Malta and the only offici ...
is the Qormi dialect. In Standard Maltese it is known as and by its speakers , and is affectionately known as , or in standard Maltese . Literally translated, is the Maltese word for 'you know'. This dialect is used by many of the inhabitants of
Qormi
Qormi ( mt, Ħal Qormi ; pronounced in the Qormi dialect), also known by its title Città Pinto, is a city in the Southern Region of Malta, southwest of Valletta in the centre of the island. It has a population of 16,324 (as of March 2018), mak ...
and other settlements around that city of around 20,000 people. The most distinctive feature of the Qormi dialect is its treatment of
vowel
A vowel is a syllabic speech sound pronounced without any stricture in the vocal tract. Vowels are one of the two principal classes of speech sounds, the other being the consonant. Vowels vary in quality, in loudness and also in quantity (leng ...
s.
Although there is no strict rule, generally the vowels in the dialect take the following forms. Vowels in the first syllables are the ones most often affected, but sometimes medial vowels are changed as well. Final vowels, on the other hand, are usually identical to those of the standard language.
The vowel A
The vowel ''a'' changes into the vowel /u/. If at the end of a word, it becomes an /o/.
The vowel O
The vowel ''o'' in the Qormi dialect also changes into /u/. For example:
This form happens to almost all words that have the vowel ''o'' in the first syllable, although there may be exceptions.
Vowels after Għ
The vowels after the ''għ'' change their sound as well.
*The syllable ''għi'', instead of as /aj/, is pronounced as /ej/. For example, in the dialect, ''għid il-kbir'' 'Easter' is pronounced like ''ejd il-kbir'' instead of ''ajd il-kbir'' in the standard.
*The syllable ''għe'', instead of with /e/, is pronounced with /a/. For example, in the dialect, ''qiegħed'' 'to stay' is pronounced like ''qijad'' instead of ''qijed'' in the standard.
*The syllable ''għu'', instead of as /ow/, is pronounced as /ew/. For example, in the dialect, ''għuda'' 'piece of wood' is pronounced like ''ewda'' instead of ''owda'' in the standard.
Exceptions
Although there may be exceptions, such as ''kollha'' 'all of it', which is pronounced like ''killha'' in the dialect, and ''meta'' 'when' like ''mita'', one must note that the vowels are almost never lengthened, and their accent remains the normal Maltese one.
{{Maltese dialects
Dialects of Maltese
Qormi