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Re:My GF and I just opened the Digital Nomad House in Malta ... by bbcbasic on Saturday February 25, 2017 @10:35PM (#13735515)
Merħba? What's that?

Arabic loanword

Re:My GF and I just opened the Digital Nomad House in Malta ... by azernik on Saturday February 25, 2017 @11:07PM (#13735615)
On the contrary. Maltese is an Arabic language; the only one written in the Latin alphabet. Similar to the relationship between English and the old Germanic languages, most of its vocabulary (about 80%) has been replaced by loanwords (in Maltese, mostly from Italian and English), but the most commonly used words are disproportionately Arabic.

There are a few differences between the Maltese-Arabic and English-Germanic relationships. First, while the Germanic substrate of English is itself a blend of Anglo-Saxon and Nordic languages, the Arabic substrate of Maltese is a pretty well-defined Arabic language/dialect - the now extinct Sicilian Arabic, itself a close relative of Tunisian Arabic. Second, while in English the use of Latinate roots is considered high-status and eloquent, in Maltese a higher proportion of Classical/Quranic Arabic words is considered high-status.

Re:My GF and I just opened the Digital Nomad House in Malta ... by ryanmaynard on Saturday February 25, 2017 @10:59PM (#13735589)
I thought there was a gnat on my monitor. What is that thing on the "h"?
Re:My GF and I just opened the Digital Nomad House in Malta ... by azernik on Saturday February 25, 2017 @11:07PM (#13735616)
It's how Maltese represents the Arabic ح in the Latin alphabet.
Re:My GF and I just opened the Digital Nomad House in Malta ... by grzm on Saturday February 25, 2017 @11:07PM (#13735617)