Is a pejorative term referring to individual or groups of lower social class that the speaker considers to lack cultural capital.
While admittedly in Malta, many hamalli live in the southern area, it should be also pointed out that there are also various professionals and business owners living there.
Moreover, Mellieha which should be the other extreme using the 'southern' reasoning is in fact filled with uneducated people who perfectly fit the
definition of hamalli. Other places like Rabat, Mtarfa, Mgarr, Dingli etc are also in the North and are filled with hamalli. Also, lets not forget the SLIEMA
LAZY CORNER which is filled to the brim with hamalli.
Moreover, with
government flats situated practicly in every town and city in Malta, you can be guaranteed to have your fair share of hamalli presence practically everywhere.
In my
opinion, a person is a hamallu not by his home address but by the way he acts. Typical behaviours of hamalli are the following:
Loudmouthed,
use foul language,
basic education,
work blue collar or unemployed / businessmen in construction and related or bus drivers
talk with their mouth full
eat while walking
drive cars with stickers which
sport exhibitionist statements like male prowess
have over 10% of body surface area covered by tattoos
kind hearted and helpful
approachable and friendly
down to
earth
live in a
government subsidised
home
think their political party is a football team
attend ta’qali
football matches
attend ‘il-marc ta’ filodu’ or other festas
interrupt others whilst they are speaking
cannot keep a queue particularly at the iromongery store
litter our streets and pavements
they hunt
attend ‘attivitajiet
tal-massa’ (mass meetings, mass protests, lejla maltija etc)
