Structural Stability and Phonological Variation in Early Maltese: A Morphophonological Reassessment of the Kantilena

This study presents a morphophonological reassessment of the Kantilena, the earliest extant text in Maltese, with particular focus on the interaction between inherited Semitic morphology and phonological variation. The analysis examines the distribution of the consonantal element -t- across nominal and verbal environments, demonstrating that feminine marking remains structurally stable and systematically recoverable despite phonetic reduction and orthographic opacity. The paper further investigates the orthographic representation of forms corresponding to modern Maltese q, arguing that the reflex of Arabic qāf had not yet stabilised as a glottal stop in the stage reflected by the Kantilena. Instead, the evidence suggests a phase of phonological variability, possibly involving velar or other non-glottal realisations. Drawing on comparative Arabic dialectology and historical Semitic morphology, the study proposes that early Maltese exhibits an asymmetry between morphological stability and phonological fluidity. This supports a model of modular linguistic change in which inherited grammatical structures remain robust while phonological systems undergo reorganisation. The Kantilena is therefore interpreted not as a linguistically unstable or defective text, but as a coherent document preserving an early stage of Maltese characterised by structural continuity alongside phonological variation.