Maltese alphabet

The '''Maltese alphabet''' is based on the [[Latin alphabet]] with the addition of some letters with [[diacritic]] marks and [[Digraph (orthography)|digraphs]]. It is used to write the [[Maltese language]]. It contains 30 letters: : Aa Bb Ċċ Dd Ee Ff Ġġ Gg Għgħ Hh Ħħ Ii Ieie Jj Kk : Ll Mm Nn Oo Pp Qq Rr Ss Tt Uu Vv Ww Xx Żż Zz == Las muestras == {| class = "wikitable" | - Carta (''ittra'') [[alfabeto fonético internacional | API]]! Palabras (''Kliem'') Primera Palabra (''l- ewwel Kelma'') Last Word (''l-aħħar Kelma'') | - |! A una | | {{IPAslink | ɐ}} | | abjad ([[blanco]]), Accola ([[jurel]] ), aħjar ([[mejor]]), Amerka ([[América (desambiguación) | Estados Unidos]]), azzarin ([[rifle]]), ankra ([[ancla ]])|| abbaku ([[ábaco] ]) | | azzjonist ([[accionista]]) | - | B b | | {{IPAslink | b}} | | Ballun ([[pelota]]), berquq ([[albaricoque]]), Bellús ([[ terciopelo]]), oficina ([[La Mesa (desambiguación) | Mesa]]), Bzar ([[Negro pimienta | pimiento ]])|| bababa (es decir para nada) | | bżulija ([[diligencia]]) | - | C C | | {{IPAslink | tʃ}} | | ċaċċiż ([[Wikcionario: Frame | frame]]), Carezza ([[claridad]]), ċikkulata ([[chocolate]]), ċitazzjoni ([[citación ]]), COFF ([[arco ]]){{ desambiguación necesitó | fecha = 06 2011}}, ċurkett ([[Anillo (dedo) | anillo ]])|| ċabattin ([[Wikcionario: zapatero | zapatero]] ) | | ċuwingam (goma de mascar) | - | D D | | {{IPAslink | d}} | | daħka ([[risas]]), damma ([[dados]]), dawl ([[luz]]) , Debba ([[Mare]]), Dumnikan ([[República Dominicana | Dominicana]]), duración ([[cabaña ]])|| dan (este) | | dwett ([[dueto]]) | - | E e | | {{IPAslink | ɛ}} | | elf ([[1000 (número) | un mil]]), ekkleżjastikament ([[eclesiásticos]] ly), erbgħa ([[cuatro]]), Ewropew ([[ Europa]] a), eżilju ([[el exilio ]])|| ebbanist ([[ébano | ebonist ]])|| eżumazzjonijiet ([Entierro [# exhumación | exhumaciones]]) | - | F f | | {{IPAslink | f}} | | fallakka (tabla), fehma (entendimiento), Franċiż (francés), fútbol (fútbol), fwieħa (perfume) | | fabbli (afable) | | fwieħa (perfume) | - | G G | | { {IPAslink | d͡ʒ}} | | Gabra (colección), ġenerazzjoni (generación), ġewnaħ (ala), Ġunju (junio), ġwież (nueces) | | ga (ya) | | ġwież (pulso) | - | G g | | {{IPAslink | ɡ}} | | Gabarre (bandeja), gejxa (geisha), grad (grado), Grieg (griego), Gzira (isla) | | gabardin (gabardina) | | Gzira (isla) | - | GH gh ||/{{ IPAlink | ˤ}} {{IPAlink | ː}} / | | Ghada (mañana), Ghajn (ojo), għamara (muebles), għemeż (le guiñó el ojo), Għid il-Kbir (Semana Santa), għuda (madera) | | GHA (hoy!) | | għuda (madera) | - | H h ||--|| hedded (amenazó), hena (confort), Hija (ella), Huwa (él), huma (ellos) | | haġra (Hégira) | | hżunija (maldad) | - | H H | | {{IPAslink | h}} | | ħabaq (albahaca), Habsi (preso), Hajja (la vida), Hu (hermano) , Hazin (mal) | | Ha (tomar) | | ħuttafa (tragar) | - | i | | {{IPAslink | ɪ}} | | Iben (hijo), idroġenu (hidrógeno), induratur (dorador), Ingilterra ( Inglaterra), iżraq (azul) | | ibbies (se endureció) | | iżżuffjetta (burlarse) | - | Es decir, es decir, ||/{{ IPAlink | i}} {{IPAlink | ɛ}}, {{IPAlink | i} } {{IPAlink | ː}} / | | iebes (duro), ieħor (otro), ieqaf (parada) | | iebes (duro) | | ieqaf (parada) | - | j J | | {{IPAslink | j} } | | jaf (sabe), Jarda (patio), jasar (prisión), judio (o), Jott (yate), jum (días) | | ja (¡oh!) | | Jupp (hah!) | - | K k | | {{IPAslink | k}} | | kabina (cabina), kaligrafija (caligrafía), Kalifornja (California), karru (vagón), kurżità (curiosidad) | | kaballetta (cabaletta) | | Kżar (Zar) | - | L l | | {{IPAslink | l}} | | labirint (laberinto), lejl (noche), Lejla (noche), Lhudi (hebreo), lvant (este) | | la (nor) | | lwiża (verbena tres de hoja) | - | M m | | {{IPAslink | m}} | | Malti (Malta), maternità (maternidad), Mediterran (Mediterráneo), mina (túnel), mżegleg (dislocación) | | omm '(madre) | | mżużi (desagradable) | - | N n | | {{IPAslink | n}} | | Nadif (limpia), NERV (nervio), Nicca (nicho), nuċċali (anteojos), nżul ix-xemx (atardecer) | | NABBA (predecir) | | nżul (descendente) | - | O O | | {{IPAslink | ɔ}} | | océano (mar), OPRA (ópera), orizzont (horizonte), sales de rehidratación oral (oso), ożonu ( la capa de ozono) | | oasi (oasis) | | ożmjum ([[osmio]]) | - | P p | | {{IPAslink | p}} | | Paċi (la paz), pjazza (plaza), pazjent (paciente), poeta (poeta), pultruna (sillón) | | Paċi (la paz) | | Puzata (cubierta) | - | Q q | | {{IPAslink | ʔ}} | | qabar (grave), qaddis (santo), qalb (del corazón) , qoxra (shell), qażquż (lechón) | | qabad (cautivo) | | qżużijat (maldad) | - | R R | | {{IPAslink | r}} | | raba '(tierra), Raff (buhardilla), replicas de relojes (réplica), Riha (olfato), rvell (rebelión) | | ra (vio) | | rżit (magra) | - | S s | | {{IPAslink | s}} | | saba '(dedo), Safi ( claro), Saqaf (techo), serrieq (saw), suttana (bata) | | sa (hasta) | | swiċċ (cambiar) | - | T | | {{IPAslink | t}} | | tabakk (tabaco), Tajjeb (bien), terrazzin (mirador), Turkija (Turquía), twissija (asesoramiento), Tuffieha (manzana) | | ta (dio) | | twittijat (nivelación) | - | U u | | {{IPAslink | ʊ}} | | udjenza (público), uffiċċju (oficina), Umán (humanos), uviera (huevera), Uzin (peso) | | ubbidjent (obediente) | | użinijiet (pesos) | - | V v | | {{IPAslink | v}} | | Vaccin (vacuna), Vaska (estanque), Vici (vice), vjaġġ (ida), vapur (barco) | | Vaccin (vacuna) | | vvumtat (vómitos) | - | W w | | { {IPAslink | w}} | | Warda (rosa), werrej (índice), Wied (Valle), Wirt (herencia), wweldjat (soldado) | | wadab (honda) | | wweldjat (soldado) | - | X x | | / {{IPAlink | ʃ}}, {{IPAlink | ʒ }}/|| xabla (espada), Xandir (radiodifusión), xehda (panal), xoffa (labio), xxuttjat (patadas) | | Xaba (saciar ) | | xxuttjat (patadas) | - | Z Z | | {{IPAslink | z}} | | żagħżugħ (los jóvenes), żaqq (estómago), żifna (danza), żunżan (avispas), żżuffjetta (se burló) | | Zabar (eliminar) | | żżuffjetta (se burló) | - | Z z ||/{{ IPAlink | TS}}, {{IPAlink | dz }}/|| zalliera (salero), zalza (salsa), zalzett (salchicha), zokk (tronco), zuntier (iglesia-cuadrado) | | zakak (blanca lavandera) | | zzuppjat (paralizado) |} ==Older versions of the alphabet== [[File:Alphabet 1 - Vassalli.jpg|thumb|Vassali's alphabet (1788)]] Before the standardisation of the Maltese alphabet, there were several ways of writing the sounds peculiar to Maltese, namely ċ, ġ, għ, ħ, w, x, and ż. '''ċ''' was formerly written as c (in front of e and i, in Italian fashion). Vella used ç for '''ċ'''. ç was used in other books during the 19th century. Rather than using a c with a cedilla (ç), Panzavecchia used a c with [[ogonek]]. ''A Short Grammar of the Maltese Language'' used ch for '''ċ''', in English fashion. It was not until 1866 that '''ċ''' came to be used. '''ġ''' and '''g''' were formerly confused. When they were differentiated, '''g''' was written as gk, g, gh and (by Vassalli) as a mirrored Г. On the other hand, '''ġ''' was more commonly written as g or j in English fashion. Vella used a g with two dots, but in 1843 reduced it to one dot, instituting today’s '''ġ'''. Until the middle of the 19th century, two '''għ''' sounds were differentiated in Maltese. These were variously represented as gh, ġh, gh´, gh˙ and with two letters not represented in Unicode (they resembled an upside down U). Panzavecchia used a specially designed font with a curly gh. ''A Short Grammar of the Maltese Language'' used '''a''' with a superscript Arabic '''ayn''' to represent '''għ'''. '''għ''' itself was first used in ''Nuova guida alla conversazione italiana, inglese e maltese''. The letter '''ħ''' had the most variations before being standardised in 1866. It was variously written as ch, and as a h with various diacritics or curly modifications. Some of these symbols were used for [ħ] and some for [[Voiceless velar fricative|[x]]]. None of these are present in Unicode. '''ħ''' was first used in 1900, although the capital '''Ħ''' was used earlier (in 1845) where its lower case counterpart was a dotted h. '''w''' was written as w, u or as a modified u (not present in Unicode). '''x''' was traditionally written as sc or x. Vassalli invented a special character similar to Щ and Panzavecchia used a sc ligature to represent x. '''ż''' and '''z''' were formerly confused. When they were differentiated, '''z''' was written as ts, z, ʒ or even ż. On the other hand, '''ż''' was written as ż, ds, ts, ʒ and z. Prior to 1900, '''k''' was written as k, as well as c, ch and q (in words derived from Italian and Latin). Vassalli’s 1796 work contained several new letters to represent the sounds of the Maltese language. His alphabet is set out in full with modern-day equivalents where known: A, a = a B, b = b T, t = t D, d = d E, e = e F, f = f Г, г = g Ч, ч = ċ H, h = h [letter not represented in Unicode. The letter looks like an upside down U with a circle on top] [letter not represented in Unicode. The letter looks like a circle with a vertical line bisecting it] Y, y = j [letter not represented in Unicode. The letter looks like a mirror image of Г ] = ġ З, з [letter not represented in Unicode. The letter looks like an upside down U ] = ħ I, i = i J, j = j K, k = k [letter not represented in Unicode. The letter looks like the letter I with a small c superimposed on it] L, l = l M, m = m N, n = n O, o = o P, p = p R, r = r S, s = s [letter not represented in Unicode. The letter looks like Щ ] = x V, v = v U, u = u W, w = w Z, z = z Ʒ, ʒ = ż Æ, æ = final e X, x = ks ==See also== * [[Alphabets derived from the Latin]] * [http://www.kunsilltalmalti.gov.mt/filebank/documents/kompjuter.pdf '''MALTESE FONTS'''] {{DEFAULTSORT:Maltese Alphabet}}