Varlaam

I am only trying to be helpful. What is ar-0.5? In the English version you have ar-0.

The translation you want is: Il-100 ktieb tas-seklu skont Le Monde.

Leli Forte (d) 06:52, 15 Lulju 2013 (UTC)

Helpful? You never ever mess around with somebody's user page, unless you are renaming a category, or something like that.

It's sacrosanct. If an idiot (me, in this case) wants to use a Babel variable that does not exist, then you allow me to create the template myself, when I get around to it. It shouldn't bother you if a user page link does not resolve.

I changed 0 to 0.5 because I have seen some idiots who go to Greenlandic Wikipedia, for example, and say that they don't speak Mongolian. I thought you might be confusing me with one of those guys.

I started studying Arabic in 1991 but I don't have a lot of vocabulary.

Some languages do have a 0.5 option available, specifically ru-0.5 and pl-0.5.

I personally think that that should be made general. Languages can be difficult; you can study one but not be proficient enough for a -1.

For me, -0 means I know enough to mention it but not enough to be -1.

I am -0 in Urdu, meaning I can read its alphabet, which is extended Persian, but I don't have a lot of vocabulary and grammar. But I can use a dictionary if necessary.

Thanks for the translation.

I will try to set that up soon.

Unfortunately there was not a lot of information available to me in mtwiki. I use the resources within WP to start a page; then local native speakers with easy access to local resources can carry on, or correct any inadvertent mistake I happen to have introduced.

This page at other projects has often acted as a focus for editors who are interested in books, and those people will add some of the missing translations and pages over time.

Cheers, Varlaam (d) 22:52, 15 Lulju 2013 (UTC)

If you tell me exactly what you mean by 0.5 I will set up the template. Leli Forte (d) 09:10, 16 Lulju 2013 (UTC)

What should the wording be, eh?

I don't know what the precedent is there.

At some point, I can read the sentence in Russian and get back to you with that.

Most of the time, for most people, mt-0 means zero. Literally nothing.

But, in my case, I have a lot of experience with Romance languages, and Arabic. So when I look at Maltese, I see a Semitic language, with a predominantly Romance vocabulary. In much the same way that English is a Germanic language, structurally, with Romance vocabulary.

So if I glance over Maltese, I know what a lot of words mean, because they are cognate with Italian, Spanish, Arabic, or even English.

But if I go to Valletta some day, I will need to learn how to say "Where is the cathedral?" because I need some grammar and irregular verbs for that. And I don't have a grammar book for Maltese.

So I have more than nothing, yes, but not enough to have a simple conversation.

And I also have an interest in Maltese because of the language's history. And there's Malta itself: Commonwealth, George Cross (I am a principal editor of en:List of World War II films), megaliths, St. Paul, Knights of Malta. All of that. And those scenes in Game of Thrones with the cute blonde queen filmed in Malta.

So I have an interest and some knowledge. To me, that's 0.5, and that is quite different from someone who has never studied any foreign language, or can't say anything beyond "Hola. Una cerveza." while holding up one finger.

I went to engineering school with 2 Maltese-Canadian guys. Nice fellows.

Toronto has a Maltese neighbourhood in the west end.

And I have Joe Sacco's autograph on a book or two, since I personally think his work is very good.

Varlaam (d) 18:09, 16 Lulju 2013 (UTC)