How long have Focus Group and Neighbour Group people been in contact overall?

Since prehistory. Contacts are documented since the 14th century.

How long have Focus Group and Neighbour Group people practised exchange for?

Since prehistory, documented since the 14th century.

What is the time frame when the largest number of people had the most opportunities for interaction in exchange?

From the 16th to the 19th century. The densest period of time for contact between Malta and Sicily was from 1050 to around 1550, because political, social and economic ties were practically exclusive. From 1550 onwards such contacts with Italy increased, and ties with the UK began in 1800 but became strong from about 1850 and are strongest today. However, statistics and testimonies for the Sicilian period are scarce, with the result that most of my responses to the questionnaire concern the present time period (roughly the last decades) when contact with Sicily is still ongoing, albeit in a much wider international framework. As regards language, contact with Sicilian died out with the coming of the Knights of St John who introduced Italian, both as an official and a spoken language for the educated classes. Moreover, today the Sicilian dialect is never spoken with foreigners by the Sicilians themselves.

How long have Focus Group and Neighbour Group peoples been forming families with each other for?

Since prehistory, documented since the 14th century.

What’s the time frame of densest contact between Focus Group and Neighbour Group as far as family formation is concerned?

From the 16th to the 19th century, but it is still ongoing, albeit in small numbers. The densest period of time for contact between Malta and Sicily was from 1050 to around 1550, because political, social and economic ties were practically exclusive. From 1550 onwards such contacts with Italy increased, and ties with the UK began in 1800 but became strong from about 1850 and are strongest today. However, statistics and testimonies for the Sicilian period are scarce, with the result that most of my responses to the questionnaire concern the present time period (roughly the last decades) when contact with Sicily is still ongoing, albeit in a much wider international framework. As regards language, contact with Sicilian died out with the coming of the Knights of St John who introduced Italian, both as an official and a spoken language for the educated classes. Moreover, today the Sicilian dialect is never spoken with foreigners by the Sicilians themselves.

How long have Focus Group and Neighbour Group people been involved in the knowledge domain together for?

Contact in Sicilian or Sicilianate Italian: 1200 to 1800 circa. Since 1800 contact has been through Italian. The densest period of time for contact between Malta and Sicily was from 1050 to around 1550, because political, social and economic ties were practically exclusive. From 1550 onwards such contacts with Italy increased, and ties with the UK began in 1800 but became strong from about 1850 and are strongest today. However, statistics and testimonies for the Sicilian period are scarce, with the result that most of my responses to the questionnaire concern the present time period (roughly the last decades) when contact with Sicily is still ongoing, albeit in a much wider international framework. As regards language, contact with Sicilian died out with the coming of the Knights of St John who introduced Italian, both as an official and a spoken language for the educated classes. Moreover, today the Sicilian dialect is never spoken with foreigners by the Sicilians themselves.

What is the time frame when the largest number of people had the most opportunities for interaction in the knowledge domain?

From the 13th to the 18th century. Documents show that Italian was spoken with a Sicilianate pronununciation and lexicon up to around 1750 by Maltese persons of little or no formal education.

How long have Focus Group people and Neighbour Group people worked together for?

Almost exclusively in one direction: Sicilians coming over to work in Malta.

What is the time frame when the largest number of people had the most opportunities for interaction in the labour domain?

1400 - 1800. 2004-2021 (membership of the EU) The densest period of time for contact between Malta and Sicily was from 1050 to around 1550, because political, social and economic ties were practically exclusive. From 1550 onwards such contacts with Italy increased, and ties with the UK began in 1800 but became strong from about 1850 and are strongest today. However, statistics and testimonies for the Sicilian period are scarce, with the result that most of my responses to the questionnaire concern the present time period (roughly the last decades) when contact with Sicily is still ongoing, albeit in a much wider international framework. As regards language, contact with Sicilian died out with the coming of the Knights of St John who introduced Italian, both as an official and a spoken language for the educated classes. Moreover, today the Sicilian dialect is never spoken with foreigners by the Sicilians themselves.

How long have Focus Group and Neighbour Group people been in contact in the local community?

Since prehistory, but documented mostly from 1300 to the present, with highs in the period 1400 - 1800. The densest period of time for contact between Malta and Sicily was from 1050 to around 1550, because political, social and economic ties were practically exclusive. From 1550 onwards such contacts with Italy increased, and ties with the UK began in 1800 but became strong from about 1850 and are strongest today. However, statistics and testimonies for the Sicilian period are scarce, with the result that most of my responses to the questionnaire concern the present time period (roughly the last decades) when contact with Sicily is still ongoing, albeit in a much wider international framework. As regards language, contact with Sicilian died out with the coming of the Knights of St John who introduced Italian, both as an official and a spoken language for the educated classes. Moreover, today the Sicilian dialect is never spoken with foreigners by the Sicilians themselves.

What is the time frame when the largest number of people had the most opportunities for interaction in the local community?

From 1300 to the present, with highs in the period 1400 - 1800. The densest period of time for contact between Malta and Sicily was from 1050 to around 1550, because political, social and economic ties were practically exclusive. From 1550 onwards such contacts with Italy increased, and ties with the UK began in 1800 but became strong from about 1850 and are strongest today. However, statistics and testimonies for the Sicilian period are scarce, with the result that most of my responses to the questionnaire concern the present time period (roughly the last decades) when contact with Sicily is still ongoing, albeit in a much wider international framework. As regards language, contact with Sicilian died out with the coming of the Knights of St John who introduced Italian, both as an official and a spoken language for the educated classes. Moreover, today the Sicilian dialect is never spoken with foreigners by the Sicilians themselves.

How long have Focus Group and Neighbour Group people traded for?

Since prehistory, but interaction with the presently used languages started around the year 1200 AD. The densest period of time for contact between Malta and Sicily was from 1050 to around 1550, because political, social and economic ties were practically exclusive. From 1550 onwards such contacts with Italy increased, and ties with the UK began in 1800 but became strong from about 1850 and are strongest today. However, statistics and testimonies for the Sicilian period are scarce, with the result that most of my responses to the questionnaire concern the present time period (roughly the last decades) when contact with Sicily is still ongoing, albeit in a much wider international framework. As regards language, contact with Sicilian died out with the coming of the Knights of St John who introduced Italian, both as an official and a spoken language for the educated classes. Moreover, today the Sicilian dialect is never spoken with foreigners by the Sicilians themselves.

What is the time frame when the largest number of people had the most opportunities for interaction in trade?

Probably between 1200 and 1900, but it is still ongoing.