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Maltese Dialect Survey papers

Archive Collection: MS 1772

Details

Type of record: Archive

Title: Maltese Dialect Survey papers

Level: Collection

Classmark: MS 1772

Date(s): 1963-2005

Language: English; Maltese

Size and medium: 7 boxes, comprising manuscript, typescript, printed and photographic material.

Persistent link: https://explore.library.leeds.ac.uk/special-collections-explore/8805

Description

Contains the results of fieldwork, primarily in the form of writing pads with hand-written notes or transcribed data from audio tapes recorded during the project, and other materials, mainly concerning Maltese dialect, but also including background information; photographs of persons making crafts; a typescript of the published report on the project (1979); a book review of that report; an obituary of Benedikt Isserlin; miscellaneous files (maps etc); and notes on an attempt to revive the project in 2000.

Biography or history

The project was initiated in the early 1960s by research teams in Leeds and Malta universities, the principal investigators being Dr Benedikt Isserlin (Semitic Studies, Leeds) and Professor Joseph Aquilina (Malta), with the aim of recording spoken Maltese at various dialect levels and the objective of obtaining new information about spoken Maltese, its phonetics and lexis, and to acquire a better understanding of the islands and their history through the material culture. The method applied was to elicit data from local informants via questionnaires and interviews. The project remained uncompleted, though extensive fieldwork was carried out and research material collected.

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