Qormi dialect

One of the dialects found in the Maltese language is the Qormi Dialect (in general Maltese termed as Qormi and by the speakers as Qurmi, and affectionately as it-Tuf, and standard Maltese is called it-Taf. Literally, Taf is the Maltese word for "you know"). This dialect is used by many of the Qormi inhabitants and in other settlements around this city, that consists of around twenty-thousand people. The most distinctive feature of the Qormi dialect lies in its treatment of vowels.

Although there is no strict rule, generally the vowels in the dialect take the following forms. Vowels of first syllables are the ones most affected, but sometimes medial vowels are changed as well. Final vowels, on the other hand, are usually identical to those of the Standard language.

The Vocal 'A'

The vocal 'A' changes into the vocals 'U'. If in the end, it becomes an 'O'.

The Vocal 'O'

The vocal 'O' in the Qormi dialect is also changed into 'U'. Example:

This form happens to roughly all of the words that have the vowel "O" in the first syllable, although there may be exceptions.

Qormi

Qormi (Maltese: Ħal Qormi [ħal ʔormi]; Ħar Qurmi in the Qormi dialect), also known by its title Città Pinto, is a city in the Southern Region of Malta, located southwest of Valletta in the centre of the island. It has a population of 16,779 (as of March 2014), which makes it the fifth largest locality in Malta.

The bordering towns of Qormi are Marsa, Luqa, Żebbuġ, Siġġiewi, Ħamrun, Birkirkara, Attard, Santa Venera and Balzan.

Qormi has two parishes, one dedicated to Saint George and one to Saint Sebastian. There are also two valleys in Qormi, Wied il-Kbir (The Large Valley), and Wied is-Sewda (Black Valley).

Elder inhabitants of Qormi speak a thick Qormi Dialect, yet this is now in decline.

History

There are indications of it being inhabited in antiquity. Bronze Age pottery was found in the area known as Stabal indicating presence of humans as early as 1500-800 BC. Punic tombs have been found at St Edward's Street and Tal-Bajjada. Also, some Ancient Roman remains were found in the valley of Wied il-Kbir. However, chances are that in these times, there were only small communities in the whereabouts of Qormi.