Gozitan academic delivers lecture at 2025 LangVIEW Seminar

Dr Charles Daniel Saliba, senior lecturer at the Malta College of Arts, Science & Technology (MCAST), Gozo Campus, was recently invited to deliver a lecture as part of LangVIEW’s 2025 seminar series, organised by Eleni Zimianiti, Yangchen Roy and Lilia Ben Mansour.

The Consortium on Language Variation in Input Environments around the World (LangVIEW) is an international network of scholars and professionals dedicated to studying how young children across diverse settings use the language input they receive at home and beyond to acquire their native and ambient languages.

The consortium hosts monthly seminars covering a range of linguistic topics – from lexicon to phonology – with a focus on under-represented languages and cultural contexts.

In his talk, entitled ‘Malta, its sociolinguistic landscape and the methodology behind the Maltese as a Foreign Language for Juniors Series,’ Dr Saliba explored several key themes: the characteristics of the Maltese Archipelago, the history and structure of the Maltese language, the current sociolinguistic context and its challenges and the pedagogical framework behind the Maltese as a Foreign Language for Juniors textbook series.

He also discussed how children’s language behaviours and experiences directly informed the development of this methodology.

Reflecting on the experience, Dr Saliba said, “it was an honour to take part in this seminar, which offered a valuable opportunity to engage with fellow scholars and professionals on the Maltese language, its sociolinguistic context and approaches to teaching Maltese as a foreign language to children. The continued academic interest in the Maltese language and culture motivates me to keep working towards greater international recognition of its unique character.”

For more information, visit: https://charlesdanielsaliba.com/events.html ^[1]

Photo: Dr Charles Daniel Saliba