• The Department of Fundamental & Dogmatic Theology will be hosting a Theology Research Seminar entitled ‘The Semitic Element in the Maltese Religious Lexicon’.

  • Speaker: Prof. Martin Zammit
    Venue: Theology Board Room (Room 317), Faculty of Theology, University of Malta
    Date: Wednesday 9th May 2018
    Time: 16:00 – 17:00

  • The mixed nature of the Maltese language, characterized by its Semitic and Romance components, is also reflected in the religious lexis in which Maltese Christianity is expressed. This lecture will focus on the Arabic component of the Maltese religious lexicon. This lexicon is made up of a substantial amount of lexical items harking back to a purely Christian tradition, whereas a smaller group of items are firmly rooted in the Islamic tradition, perhaps as a result of Malta’s Muslim past.

    Thus, for example, the Islamic word ‘Mulej’ (Lord), has been fully integrated into the Maltese liturgical language. Such a phenomenon is very rare among Arabic-speaking Christian communities in the Middle East. Another important component of the Maltese religious lexicon consists of religious lexical elements which were formed locally and which derive from the Arabic element in Maltese. 

    The general public is cordially invited to attend this public lecture.


  • Prof. Martin R. Zammit     read Arabic, Greek, and Latin at undergraduate level, and specialized in Arabic and Semitic studies at post-graduate and doctoral levels at the University of Malta. Since 2010, Prof. Zammit heads the Department of Oriental Studies at the Faculty of Arts where he is also responsible for the Arabic programme. His publications include a study on the qur’ānic lexicon, a Syriac chrestomathy, and a Maltese translation of the Qur’ān, in collaboration with Imam Muhammad El-Sadi. Prof. Zammit is a priest (papàs) of the Greek Catholic Church in Malta.