Cottonera dialect

Last updated
Cottonera dialect
Kottoneran
Pronunciation[kɔtːɔnɛˈrɐn]
Region Three Cities and surrounding area
Native speakers
About 10,000[ citation needed ] (2014)
Maltese alphabet
Language codes
ISO 639-3

One of the dialects of the Maltese language is the Cottonera dialect, known to locals as Kottoneran. [1] [2] Many inhabitants of the Three Cities speak the local dialect, and thus roughly amount to 10,000 speakers.

Contents

The most distinctive feature of this dialect is its treatment of vowels i and u after the silent consonant . In Standard Maltese, and other dialects, these vowels are realized as diphthongs after , however, in most situations, they remain monophthongs in the Cottonera dialect.

The vowel I after Għ

The vowel i after remains an /i/ as in the English fleece, instead of diphthongizing to /ai/ as in the English price.

EnglishStandard MalteseCottonera dialect
my/minetiegħi

[ˈtiɐɪ]

tiegħi

[ˈti:ɪ]

he cursesjidgħi

[ˈjɪdɐɪ]

jidgħi

[ˈjɪdɪ]

with memiegħi

[ˈmiɐɪ]

miegħi

[ˈmi:ɪ]

This dialectal change does not occur with the words għid (easter), erbgħin (forty), sebgħin (seventy), and disgħin (ninety).

The local poet from Senglea, Dwardu Cachia (1858-1907), formed part of the Xirka Xemija in 1882, an organization which formulated one of the first standardized versions of written Maltese. [3] Moreover, Cachia wrote a poem about this very alphabet, in which he made use of the 4-line rhyme. Coincidentally, the ABCB rhyme of the second stanza only works if read in his Cottonera dialect. [4]

The vowel U after Għ

The vowel u after remains an /u:/ as in the English goose, instead of diphthongizing to /au/ as in the English mouth.

EnglishStandard MalteseCottonera dialect
histiegħu

[ˈtiɐu]

tiegħu

[ˈti:ʊ]

sent (passive participle)mibgħut

[mɪˈbɐʊt]

mibgħut

[mɪˈbu:t]

a piece of woodgħuda

[ˈɐʊdɐ]

għuda

[ˈu:dɐ]

we can/couldnistgħu

[ˈnɪstɐʊ]

nistgħu

[ˈnɪstʊ]

we sellnbigħu

[mˈbiɐʊ]

nbigħu

[mˈbi:ʊ]

with himmiegħu

[ˈmiɐʊ]

miegħu

[ˈmi:ʊ]

The vowel E after Għ

Although in contemporary Maltese (21st Century), the combination għe sometimes produces an /a/ vowel, the Cottonera dialect has widely kept the /e~i/ realization comparable to Standard Maltese.

EnglishStandard MalteseCottonera dialectContemporary Maltese
she remainedbaqgħet

[ˈbɐʔɛt]

baqgħet

[ˈbɐʔɛt] / [ˈbɐqɪt]

baqgħet

[ˈbɐʔɐt]

she fellwaqgħet

[ˈwɐʔɛt]

waqgħet

[ˈwɐʔɛt] / [ˈwɐqɪt]

waqgħet

[ˈwɐʔɐt]

he tired themgħejjiehom

[ɛjˈji:ɔm]

għejjiehom

[ɛjˈji:ɔm]

għejjiehom

[ɐjˈji:ɔm]

The consonant Q

In Cottonera, most notably among the eldest demographic of Senglea, the consonant q is still pronounced as a voiceless uvular plosive /q/, as its counterpart in Classical Arabic. This sound survived in Modern Maltese only through the Cottonera dialect, instead of being replaced with the Standard glottal stop /ʔ/. However, it is important to note that it is severely in decline. [5] [6] [7]

EnglishStandard MalteseCottonera dialect

(archaic pronunciation)

neverqatt

[ʔɐtt]

qatt

[qɐtt]

he told meqalli

[ˈʔɐllɪ]

qalli

[ˈqɐllɪ]

we residenoqogħdu

[nɔˈʔɔ:dʊ]

noqogħdu

[nɔˈqɔ:dʊ]

artichokesqaqoċċ

[ʔɐˈʔɔtʃtʃ]

qaqoċċ

[qɐˈqɔtʃtʃ]

povertyfaqar

[ˈfɐʔɐr]

faqar

[ˈfɐqɐr]

he reachedlaħaq

[ˈlɐhɐʔ]

laħaq

[ˈlɐhɐq]

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References

  1. Sciriha, Lydia (1997). Id-djalett tal-Kottonera: analizi socjolingwistika (in Maltese). Daritama Publications. ISBN   978-99909-68-26-2.
  2. "Linguistic lustre - The Malta Independent". www.independent.com.mt. Retrieved 2023-01-14.
  3. "Il-Kunsill Nazzjonali tal-Ilsien Malti". www.kunsilltalmalti.gov.mt. Retrieved 2023-01-15.
  4. Camilleri, Saviour (2010). "Dwardu Cachia - Kittieb Senglean (1858-1907)" (PDF). Marija Bambina Senglea Festa 2010.
  5. Vella, Olvin; Mifsud, Manwel (2006). Kollu Malti: program 9 (in Maltese). L-Università ta' Malta.
  6. "Il-Birgu". Malti. Retrieved 2023-01-14.
  7. "Isma'". Malti. Retrieved 2023-01-19.