Etymology
Tal Handak is the British phonetic spelling of the Maltese industrial area Tal Handaq located in the district of Qormi.
In the Maltese written language the letter Q is silent. However it is not uncommon for British people to incorrectly pronounce Maltese words containing the silent Q as if it were an English word. For example, Qormi (pronounced 'Ormi) is sometimes wrongly pronounce "Kwormi" by British people unfamiliar with the written Maltese language. Similarly Tal Handaq (pronounced Tal Handa') was often pronounced Tal HandaK by British Forces personnel.
Between the years 1947 to 1978 the Royal Naval Secondary School for British Forces children was located at Tal Handaq and a number of printed documents relating to the school employed the more comfortable (to the British) spelling of Tal Handak.
Read more about this topic: Royal Naval School Tal-Handaq
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