State of the language

Language is traditionally a thorny issue in Malta. Suffice it to say that in the early 20th century, political divergence over the national language of instruction in schools - among other areas - had very nearly plunged the country into full-scale civil violence.

Mercifully, much has changed since those far-off days: not least, the languages involved in such polemics. From the pre-war scenario of open hostility between English and Italian, today we seem to have settled down to a generally peaceful coexistence of English and Maltese. But still, certain linguistic 'no go' areas appear to have remained: television, for instance... where the output of all local stations stands at around 90% Maltese (although curiously, the situation is considerably different with local radio, where English seems to enjoy a far larger slice of the pie.)

Yet all along there is mounting evidence that local resistance to the English language is on the wane; and as tends to be case in such matters, the reasons for this attitudinal change are entirely pragmatic in nature.

Changing trends

Far from exclusively political in nature, today's 'language questions' have assumed a decidedly economic significance, as more and more industries acknowledge the burgeoning importance of English as the international language of finance.

This consideration carries particular weight when viewed in the context of Malta's declared aim (implicit in Vision 2015) to become a 'centre of excellence' in Information Technology and Financial Services: two sectors which are themselves heavily reliant on English; and which, taken together, form part of the driving force behind the ever-growing demand for English instruction among non-Anglophone countries.

For these and other reasons, Malta's 'English as a Foreign Language' sector has positioned itself firmly on the front line of the 'struggle' (so to speak) for the preservation of English as a national resource.

Significantly, the industry itself seems to have expanded in direct proportion to the status of English as international lingua franca. Figures released over the years by the National Office of Statistics point towards a steady growth since such schools first appeared around 30 or so years ago... at least up until last year, when a marginal dip in language student arrivals was registered over 2010 (in part attributable to a decline in the Spanish market, which had previously spiked on account of a short-lived government grant).

Apart from this minor glitch, the figures nonetheless confirm the English language school experience as an extraordinary success story, against an otherwise dismal backdrop characterized by economic contraction almost everywhere you look.

Equally impressive is the breakdown of NSO statistics regarding language students as a percentage of incoming tourists. Last year, 41% of Korean tourists came to Malta specifically to learn English; the corresponding percentage for Russians was 34.8; followed by Turkey at 32.9... while the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Austria, Brazil and Ukraine all hover around the 20% mark.

Larissa Jonk, director of studies at AM Language Studio, describes these changing demographics as indicative of the evolving international scenario.

"One unexpected development was that, while the overall number of Spanish students declined last year, we have seen an increase across the board in the 27 age-group... including from Spain."

This was unexpected, largely because the industry had previously braced itself for a slump in the wake of the international credit crisis. And yet the demand for English language tuition seems to have increased specifically within the age-group most hard-hit by the crisis... all evidence, Ms Jonk suggests, that command of English is increasingly viewed as an indispensable asset to get a foothold in the international job market. 

Their gain, our loss?

Paradoxically, the same overall success, indicated by the above statistics, can also be seen as a double-edged sword.

One nationality was conspicuously absent from last year's NSO figures. Sweden, previously a mainstay in the sector, no longer sends any students to learn English in Malta at all. And while this may in part be due to bad publicity associated with certain specific incidents, it is far likelier to have been caused by an equally specific decision, taken by the Swedish government around 20 years ago, to introduce compulsory English language lessons to children aged five and upwards.

Having had the foresight to anticipate the growth in importance of English as a commodity, Sweden is now clearly reaping dividends from an investment made two decades ago. This in turn raises the question: what will the scenario be like in another 20 years' time? How many other countries will have improved their own standard of spoken English to such an extent that they will no longer feel the need to seek tuition abroad, including Malta?

And most worrying of all: with little or no apparent investment in English as a national resource... how soon before Maltese students start seeking English tuition in countries which once sent their own students here for precisely the same service?

Continues next week: what is the state of English in Malta, anyway?