Food for thought – talks and lectures
15:30 Remembering the dead: a sociolinguistic study of Latin, Italian, English and Maltese tombstone inscriptions at the Addolorata Cemetery in Malta
Lydia Sciriha
Department of English, Faculty of Arts
This talk analyses a small selection of tombstone inscriptions in Latin, Italian, English and Maltese at the Addolorata cemetery, Malta’s largest cemetery built by the British in 1859. They reflect the trajectory of Malta’s languages as their function fluctuated in the island’s recent history.
The differential use of different languages and styles traces Malta’s historical landmarks and the culture that sustained them. Before Maltese became co-official with English in 1934, Italian and Latin were used on inscriptions as a sign of prestige. Post-Independence inscriptions are mostly in Maltese, the indigenous language, but inscriptions in English are also frequent especially when owners of the graves wish to show their higher status.
Aspects of past and present social life in Malta, its social stratification and the complexities of social life, all come to life even as one roams within the boundaries of a cemetery.
Despite the silence that enshrines cemeteries, past and present generations constantly engage in a dialogic encounter that confirms the similarities and contrasts of two different cosmologies. The use of languages on the inscriptions is one of the media that enlivens this encounter.
Duration: 40 minutes
Location: Library, Second Floor
13:30 Interpreting for the EU
Amy Colman, Peter Mifsud
The European Union depends on interpreters for many of its meetings, Amy Colman, from the Department of Translation, Terminology & Interpreting Studies, and Peter Mifsud, from the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Interpretation (SCIC), tell us how this works.
Duration: 60 minutes
Location: Room 4, Ground Floor
14:00 Ukrainian Language & History: The trip from Bad Ems to Strasbourg
Alexia Melkonyan
Learn more about the fascinating history of the Ukrainian language.
Duration: 45 minutes
Location: Room 5, Ground Floor
14:30 Swearing around the world: how languages let off steam
Jessica Nieder
Join Dr Jessica Neider from the Institute of Linguistics and Language Technology on a trip to find out how different languages and culture vent – in their own special way.
Duration: 60 minutes
Location: Library, First Floor
16:00 A brief history of the Spanish language
Pedro Santamaría
Writer Pedro Santamaría walks us – or runs us – through the history of one of the world’s most widely spoken languages.
Duration: 45 minutes
Location: Room 4, Ground Floor