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From: dik@cwi.nl (Dik T. Winter)
Subject: Re: Maltese
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References: <3o8ojm$1o9o@usenetp1.news.prodigy.com> <3obbcc$4c0@cville-srv.wam.umd.edu>
Date: Fri, 5 May 1995 00:25:00 GMT
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In article <3obbcc$4c0@cville-srv.wam.umd.edu> peabody@wam.umd.edu (Corey A. Reid) writes:
 > Terrence Griffin (UJZA56B@prodigy.com) wrote:
 > : What percentage of the Maltese words are of Romantic origin?
...
 > 1) conservatively, half of the words in each language are Romantic 
 > (English from French and Maltese from Italian).

I think this estimate is too large, but I can not quantify it; it is a
feeling I have from glossing over a dictionary.

 > 2) this vocabulary is set over a language from a different branch or family
 > [Afroasiatic/Semitic] <- Italian [IE/Italic])

But most are adapted to Semitic use with three and four consonant stems.
-- 
dik t. winter, cwi, kruislaan 413, 1098 sj  amsterdam, nederland, +31205924098
home: bovenover 215, 1025 jn  amsterdam, nederland; e-mail: dik@cwi.nl
