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SaLmon? 15 English Words Maltese People Can’t Help But Mispronounce Accidentally

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Language is an eternal sore point for the Maltese, what with the island having two official languages and all.

Though most of the country has been fluent in both English and Maltese for years, there remain certain English words that some Maltese people can’t help but mispronounce.

Maybe it was their teachers’ influence, maybe it was the local oratorju’s fault – either way, these following words definitely aren’t pronounced as the Queen intended, and a Reddit thread exploring this exact topic led to some hilarious crowd-sourced answers.

Without judgement, here are 15 words that you’ll quickly find yourself mispronouncing if you spend too much time on the island. 

 

1. “The”

Let’s start off with the obvious. The amount of times the simple article gets deconstructed to nothing more than a “d” sound makes you wonder if some people are just stuck repeating the fourth letter of the alphabet.

2. “Salmon/Swordfish”

Proof that you don’t need to emphasise every single letter in words, some people’s pronunciation of these popular proteins can be very…. fishy sometimes.

3. “Peugeot”

It may technically be a French word, but hey, hearing the brand become puġu in local vernacular still hurts.

 

How do you pronounce this car's brand name?

How do you pronounce this car's brand name?

4. “Shock absorbers”

Why have shock absorbers in your car when you can have xukabsorbers?

 

5. “Petrol”

Last car-related word on this list, promise – but we are down to use petlor in our car if the prices are a bit better than unleaded right now.

6. “Velcro”

Honestly, velklor sounds like a pretty rad Scandinavian viking metal band.

7. “Bastard”

One of the best Maltese bastidisations of all time, actually. Maybe the English should take note of this snappier upgrade to the classic offence.

8. “Three”

The definitive Maltese classic, nothing telegraphs that you are Maltese as much as your pronunciation of this basic number.

9. “Teeth”

Now this one’s just unfair.

10. “Thumb”

Clearly, “th” is this nation’s kryptonite.

 

11. “Bowl”

This is a tricky one – say owl. Now, say bowl.

I’m going to give the Maltese people a pass on this one – let’s just call it a teachable moment.

12. “Scenario”

To be fair, no one is totally sure of how to pronounce this correctly.

13. “Fillet”

If your piece of meat rhymes with the classic Michael Jackson song ‘Beat It’, then you aren’t pronouncing it correctly.

 

14. “Sandwich”

Sangwiċċ is my personal favourite, and a delicious one at that.

15. The letter “a” (sometimes)

As one Reddit user said: “The a and e sound is wonky sometimes. Like “expectations”. Some Maltese say ahxpectations. And they’d also say ehpple instead of apple.”

BONUS: Mediterranean brand names

You can immediately tell where someone comes from, what their primary language is and what background their family has purely based on the pronunciation of these three brand names: “Versace”, “Magnum”, “Chupa Chups”.

Try it out – just don’t blame us when you learn more than you ever wanted about your close friends and family.

Cover photo: Car inset by A.BourgeoisP, food inset by Maxim75, finger inset by 15jooyunl

What other words do we Maltese sometimes mispronounce in Malta? 

READ NEXT: Watch: Some Maltese People Don't Have An ID Card And Couldn't Even Apply For Booster, Friar Recounts

Johnathan is an award-winning Maltese journalist interested in social justice, politics, minority issues, music and food. Follow him at @supreofficialmt on Instagram, and send him news, food and music stories at [email protected]

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