The 9th International Conference on Maltese Linguistics, organised by the Għaqda Internazzjonali tal-Lingwistika Maltija (GĦILM), was held on 16–17 September 2025 at Heinrich-Heine-Universität Düsseldorf, Germany, with the theme “Rooting for Maltese”. The conference brought together more than 30 researchers from various countries including Malta, Germany, France, Slovakia, United States, United Kingdom, and China.

The programme featured 21 presentations, opening with a talk by invited speaker Dr Jessica Nieder (Institute of Linguistics and Language Technology, UM) on “The State of Maltese Linguistic Research”. The presentations spanned various areas of linguistic research such as morphology, phonetics and phonology, syntax, and sociolinguistics.

A highlight of the first day was a workshop on the consonantal root in Maltese and Semitic languages which offered fresh insights into their structure and significance through a series of short talks. As with previous conferences, an edited volume of selected papers will follow, continuing GĦILM’s tradition of publishing scholarly contributions from its meetings.

A special moment came on the second day with the presentation of a Festschrift in honour of Prof. Thomas Stolz. Prof. Stolz, who has served as President of GĦILM since its founding in 2007, was celebrated with the volume quam lingua melitea hic subicio. Studies in Maltese Linguistics dedicated to Thomas Stolz on the occasion of his 68th birthday, edited by Slavomír Čéplö and Adam Ussishkin. The publication is freely available online at https://festschrift-stolz.de.

The conference was coordinated by Prof. Ruben van de Vijver (Heinrich-Heine-Universität Düsseldorf) in collaboration with the Malta Centre, represented by Raffaello Bezzina (Malta), Michela Vella (Malta), and Maike Vorholt (Bremen). Looking ahead, preparations are underway for the 10th International Conference on Maltese Linguistics, scheduled for 2027 in Malta.

Founded at its inaugural conference in Bremen in 2007, GĦILM has since become a key hub for scholars of Maltese linguistics, attracting participants from around the world. Previous editions have been hosted in Bremen, Malta, Lyon, Turin, Bratislava, and Kraków. A committee has been formed to oversee the appointment of a new president and the drafting of statutes and bye-laws to guide the association’s future.