With the rich history of territorial conquest on the island of Malta, each regime has left its mark on the small archipelago, especially with each linguistic conquest, a new language was formed, influenced and fortified to what we know now as Maltese. Within this thesis we will identify the factors of these regimes which have led Malta to become a bilingual nation. This thesis investigates the Maltese language situation along with the status of the social and individual characteristics the theories of bilingualism adhere. In order to address how Malta has become a functional bilingual society, theoretical measures of both societal and individual bilingualism will be explored. The thesis applies research methodology with special participation of University students and staff from the University of Malta. Together they help bring insight in answering just how Maltese and English are encouraged in the Maltese social strata. It shows just how it is maintained individually by understanding the environmental mechanisms put in place by the Maltese government as well as how it is encouraged at home. Furthermore, it explains how the policies help the languages continue to coexist and form a functional bilingual society.

Researchers are increasingly drawn to the study of societal bilingualism (or multilingualism), which is the study of the specific nature of bilingualism practiced by a nation, state, province or territory. Such studies seek to identify the institutions and legal frameworks put in place to regulate and reproduce bilingualism, as well as to understand groups which practice bilingualism. Drawing on a descriptive approach that flows from a sociological model of critical theory and conflict theory, this study is based on societal bilingualism in Cameroon, the only other country in the world, apart from Canada, that has both English and French as its only official languages. Cameroon is also one of the few African countries that do not have a local language as an official language. Acknowledging the central role of texts and their analysis in understanding social practices, this case study is carried out using critical document analysis to examine previous research, mass media products, government reports, historical data and information, laws, orders, press releases and speeches to uncover the precise nature of official language bilingualism in Cameroon. The study offers insights into the relevant historical and language background against which a critical discussion on official language bilingualism and an analysis of the legal frameworks and institutions set up to regulate and reproduce this bilingualism can be carried out. Attention is given to translation policies and to the most recent measures taken to foster State bilingualism in Cameroon. Indeed, official language bilingualism has been heavily predicated on translation, its institutions and legal framework. This timely case study traces the nation’s failure, as witnessed by the current situation of unrest, to successfully implement, mainly through translation, an official language bilingualism policy that grants equal status to English and French across the national territory. This research concludes that an alternative solution would be to introduce bilingual education as well, particularly from the nursery and elementary school levels, given that, for a long time now, Cameroon has had early simultaneous bilinguals who speak both English and French before they attain school age. A brief comparison between the context of official language bilingualism within the educational system in Cameroon and in Canada highlights the fact that Cameroon has the potential to establish one of the strongest forms of bilingual education in the world.