The study of placenames is a very intriguing subject since one can unearth both archaic descriptive words in our language and also personal names. From his two publications about Gozitan toponyms, Simon Salafia can be able to decipher some names with a very plausible Catalan import. How did this come about? And what surnames of Catalan origin are mostly evident in the Gozitan toponomic landscape?

Simon Salafia studied at the University of Malta graduating in Electrical Engineering. Following his interest in the Spanish Language, he studied this language up to its highest level – gaining the Proficiency Level of the Diploma of Spanish as a Foreign Language, D.E.L.E. (Superior), from the University of Salamanca. He taught Spanish at the Spanish-Maltese Centre (CCHM), Government Schools, Institute of Tourism Studies (ITS) and as a visiting lecturer at the University of Malta. His main interests include Maltese History and Culture, with special reference to the Medieval Period. He is a licensed tourist guide and a professional interpreter (in Spanish, English and Maltese,with Italian as a passive language). In 2020, he published the first volume of The Place-Names of Gozo. This was followed by the second volume in 2022. He is currently focusing his research on three different fields: collecting placenames of Malta and Gozo; collecting historical Maltese first names, with the intention to publish a Dictionary of Maltese Names; and investigating the possibility of words of Catalan origin in the Maltese Language.

Heartfelt thanks to APS Bank for sponsorsing this talk and the ones that follow. Thanks also goes to Delicata Winery for sponsoring this series of talk with post-talk drinks.