Malta 870-1054: Al Himyari's Account And Its Linguistic Implications

by Joseph M. Brincat

In 1990, Joseph M. Brincat published the previously unknown description of Malta by al-Himyari, written around 1300 but certainly based on earlier documents, which is the longest, most detailed and most reliable source about the Arab period in Malta. This second edition has been thoroughly revised and investigates the problem of the language spoken in Malta before 870. Certain important details are discussed anew and the bibliography has been extended and updated.

Genres: History

52 pages

First published January 1, 1995

Reviews

[John · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very technical book which I found very hard to understand. However, I was able to glean some knowledge. Essentially, most evidence seems to indicate that the Maltese Language (Malti) was developed out of Sicilian Arabic during their occupation in the 8th/9th century. It dismisses the idea that Malti was derived from the early Phoenician settlers.