Żejtun dialect
One of the dialects found in the Maltese language is the Żejtuni Dialect (in general Maltese termed as Żejtuni and by the speakers as Żejtewni). This dialect is used by many of the Żejtun inhabitants and in other settlements around this city like Marsaxlokk, that consists of about twelve thousand people.
There many words that find it in the Maltese dialect only example:
- For kite the Maltese word is tajra but in this dialect it is found as manuċċa.
- For foggy weather the Maltese word is ċpar but in this dialect it is found as ċlambu.
All the vocal letters in this dialect possess a liquid versatility which allows the position, emphasis and tone of the vowels to change without any distinct rule; in some words the consonant letters are found to change as well. Such variations in the dialect are innate to native speakers.
The Vocal 'A'
The vowel 'A' in the Żejtun dialect is changed into 'U' or 'E'. Example:
| English | Maltese | Żejtun Dialect |
|---|---|---|
| newspaper | gazzetta | gezzette |
| meat | laħam | leħem |
| fat | xaħam | xeħem |
| coal | faħam | feħem |
| water | ilma | ilme |
| burner | spiritiera | spiritiere |
| home | dar | dur |
This form happens to roughly all of the words that end in the vowel ' A ', but when the sentence construction does not allow the vowel 'A' to transmute into 'E', such as in the Maltese equivalent of potato, i.e. ' patata ', a different vowel has to be used to elongate the syllable. Here, the word does not become petete but changes into ' Û ', becoming patûta.
The Vowel 'E'
The vowel 'E' changes into the vowels 'A' or also 'I'. Example:
| English | Maltese | Żejtun Dialect |
|---|---|---|
| wild | selvaġġ | salvaġġ |
| seriousness | serjetà | sirjitu |
| seminary | seminarju | siminurju |
| when | meta | mite |
The Vocal 'O'
The vocal ' O ' in this dialect changes into ' U ', however it demands an element of phonetical emphasis to differentiate this changed ' U from the previous one. In philology such emphasis requires an accent, hence ' Ù '. Example:
| English | Maltese | Żejtun Dialect |
|---|---|---|
| school | skola | skùla |
| wheel | rota | rùta |
| pan | borma | bùrma |
| sack | xkora | xkùra |
| corner | rokna | rùkna |
| roll | romblu | rùmblu |
This form occurs in many other words that have 'O' as their first vocal letter.
The Vocal 'U'
When the last vocal of the word is the U, it is changed into the vocal O with the consonant W with a muted-ending . Sometimes the U is changed into EW. Example:
| English | Maltese | Żejtun Dialect |
|---|---|---|
| ship | vapur | vapowr |
| Mr. | sinjur | sinjowr |
| stick | bastun | bastown |
| vase | vażun | vażown |
| money | flus | flews |
| fish | ħut | ħewt |
| shop | ħanut | ħenewt |