Be the first to comment!Gozitan author Charles Daniel Saliba meets Minister Owen Bonnici
 Email item
|  Print item
|
|
Gozitan author and MCAST academic Dr Charles Daniel Saliba recently paid a courtesy call on Dr Owen Bonnici, Minister for the National Heritage, the Arts and Local Government.
During the meeting, Dr Saliba spoke about the importance of foreign nationals who come to work in Malta learning the Maltese language and culture, as this facilitates integration for everyone.
Moreover, he noted that this helps preserve Malta’s linguistic and cultural heritage and ensures that the Maltese archipelago remains a place where the national language is actively spoken and maintained.
Saliba stated, “now, the teaching and learning of the Maltese language – both as a foreign and as a native language – is more crucial than ever, considering Malta’s low native birth rate and the influx of foreign nationals.”
Dr. Saliba also discussed the methodology behind the bilingual books he published for teaching Maltese as a foreign language. These books are used by foreign nationals of different age groups to learn Maltese, by people of Maltese descent living abroad – such as those in Australia – and by scholars of Semitic languages.
Saliba elaborated, “the way these books are designed, the fact that they are bilingual, and the emphasis they place on Maltese culture make them promoters of the Maltese language and culture and thus valuable tools for cultural diplomacy.”
At the meeting, Dr Saliba presented the Minister with the Maltese for Foreigners series, a collection of 22 books designed to teach Maltese as a foreign language to adults, as well as the new children’s series entitled Maltese as a Foreign Language for Juniors, which consists of Learning Maltese 1 and Learning Maltese 2. He also provided the Minister with a preview of the forthcoming publications Learning Maltese 3 and Learning Maltese 4.
For more information about these publications, please visit: www.charlesdanielsaliba.com
Photo: Dr Saliba presenting Dr Bonnici with a copy of the covers of the forthcoming books
