Is-Sibt l-1 ta’ Ġunju 2024 saret it-tielet konferenza annwali tal-istudenti postgradwatorji tal-Malti li fiha tliet dottorandi u tliet studenti tal-Masters ippreżentaw parti mir-riċerka tagħhom. Wara kull taħdita saret diskussjoni li fiha l-kelliema tkellmu ma’ sħabhom u mal-letturi dwar aspetti tar-riċerka li ppreżentaw u l-kitba tat-teżi.
Il-konferenza ġiet organizzata minn Justine Somerville u Kirsty Azzopardi tad-Dipartiment tal-Malti, li jmexxu s-sensiela ta’ seminars postgradwatorji magħrufa bħala Appuntamenti mar-Riċerka, u saret fl-Aula Magna tal-Valletta Campus.
Fl-ewwel parti ta’ din it-tielet edizzjoni tal-konferenza annwali, Jean Paul Borg għamel intervent bl-isem ta’ “Bejn xiħ u pops: il-mit tal-figura tal-missier;” John Paul Grima għamel l-intervent, “L-omm li tatna isimha?,” fuq it-teżi tal-Masters li għadu kemm temm bl-isem ta’ “Lejn Ġabra ta’ Riżorsi Terminoloġiċi bil-Malti;” u Fiona Camilleri tkellmet fuq “Ir-rappreżentazzjoni tal-karattru Malti f’rumanzi ta’ xeħta soċjali mis-sittinijiet sat-tmeninijiet.”
Fit-tieni parti tal-konferenza, għamlu l-preżentazzjonijiet tagħhom tliet dottorandi, tnejn mid-Dipartiment tal-Malti u waħda mill-Istitut tal-Lingwistika u t-Teknoloġija tal-Lingwa. L-intervent ta’ Michela Vella kien fuq “Il-kisba tal-Malti bħala l-ewwel lingwa: analiżi morfosintattika;” Matthew Chappell tkellem fuq “Is-Seħer tar-Re,” b’rabta mar-riċerka tiegħu fuq il-politiċizzazzjoni tal-mewt fil-letteratura kontemporanja Maltija; u Dwayne Ellul għamel preżentazzjoni fuq “Il-lessikografija Maltija: ħarsa storika u l-qagħda attwali.”
Fil-ftuħ tal-konferenza, il-kap tad-Dipartiment tal-Malti, il-Prof. Adrian Grima, tkellem fuq il-ħolqien ta’ “Komunità Responsabbli ta’ Riċerka” fi ħdan id-Dipartiment tal-Malti u lil hinn, u fuq l-importanza tar-rispett lejn il-kelma fi żmien meta l-manipulazzjoni malizzjuża tal-kelma qed thedded il-fiduċja bejn il-bnedmin tal-istess ġens u bejn ġnus differenti.
Is-seminars tal-Appuntamenti mar-Riċerka, li issa ilhom għaddejjin tliet snin, isiru regolarment matul is-sena akkademika u jinkludu sessjonijiet separati u konġunti għal dawk li qed jistudjaw il-lingwa u dawk li qed jistudjaw il-letteratura, fosthom irtir tal-kitba ta’ ġurnata. Fil-konferenzi annwali jsiru preżentazzjonijiet tar-riċerka mill-istudenti biss f’ambjent ta’ diskussjoni kostruttiva bejn l-istudenti u l-letturi tad-Dipartiment tal-Malti u dipartimenti jew istituti oħrajn.
On Saturday 1 June 2024, the Department of Maltese in the Faculty of Arts hosted the third annual conference of the postgraduate seminar series called Appuntamenti mar-Riċerka in which three Masters and three doctoral students presented part of their research. After every twenty-minute talk the speakers had the opportunity to engage with their peers and lecturers on specific aspects of their presentation research project.
The conference was organised by Ms Justine Somerville and Ms Kirsty Azzopardi, assistant lecturers within the Department of Maltese, who also coordinate the Appuntamenti mar-Riċerka, and was held in the Aula Magna of the Valletta Campus.
In the first part of the conference, Jean Paul Borg spoke about the myth of the father figure in his presentation entitled “Bejn xiħ u pops: il-mit tal-figura tal-missier.” He was followed by John Paul Grima whose presentation, “L-omm li tatna isimha?,” focused on the Masters thesis he recently finished with the title, “Lejn Ġabra ta’ Riżorsi Terminoloġiċi bil-Malti.” The third speaker was Fiona Camilleri who discussed three novels from the Modernist period from the perspective of György Lukács in her talk on “Ir-rappreżentazzjoni tal-karattru Malti f’rumanzi ta’ xeħta soċjali mis-sittinijiet sat-tmeninijiet.”
In the second part of the conference, there were presentations by three doctoral students, two from the Department of Maltese and one from the Institute of Linguistics and Language Technology. Michela Vella spoke about language acquisition in her talk on “Il-kisba tal-Malti bħala l-ewwel lingwa: analiżi morfosintattika.” She was followed by Matthew Chappell whose talk on “Is-Seħer tar-Re” focussed on the politicization of death in contemporary Maltese literature, and by Dwayne Ellul, who spoke about developments in Maltese lexicography in a talk on “Il-lessikografija Maltija: ħarsa storika u l-qagħda attwali.”
In his opening remarks, the Head of the Department of Maltese, Prof. Adrian Grima, talked about the fostering of a healthy community of both up-and-coming and established researchers within the Department of Maltese and beyond. He also highlighted the sense of responsibility required from researchers in their use of language at a time when it is being manipulated in malicious ways and thus seriously undermining the relations of trust between people within the national community and between national communities.
The postgraduate seminars of the Department of Maltese, which have now been going on for the past three years, are held regularly during the academic year and feature both separate and combined sessions for students who are working on language and literature, including a full day writing retreat. In the annual conference, postgraduate students are invited to make presentations of their work in an environment of constructive discussion with their peers and lecturers from the Department of Maltese and other departments and institutes.
