Conversarii. Studi linguistici. Dynamics of language contact in the twenty-first century

Malta and the Basque Country represent two very distant contexts with very different linguistic, historical and cultural characteristics. However, within both contexts there is a sociolinguistic situation wherein a ‘local’ language, Maltese in Malta and Basque in the Basque Country, are in contact with a language which is very widespread internationally, namely English and Spanish respectively. In Malta and in the Basque Country many individuals have an integrative attitude towards Maltese and Basque as these two languages enable speakers to feel part of a clear-cut linguistic community. Due to their international stance, English and Spanish are useful languages in order to communicate with people who do not form part of the respective linguistic community. Besides, within both contexts there are positive language attitudes towards multilingualism and, not surprisingly, Italian in Malta and English in the Basque Country are seen in a positive light and play a significant role within the respective societies. In this paper a comparative analysis of the Maltese and Basque linguistic situation is carried out. Results indicate that, despite the distance and the diversities that separate the two communities, there are a number of similarities especially when language attitudes are examined. It is also evident that while language teaching through schooling retains an important role, knowledge and awareness of languages must also be promoted by encouraging the development of positive language attitudes in society as a whole.peer-reviewe