Maltese Sign Language (
Maltese: Lingwa tas-Sinjali Maltija, LSM) is a young
sign language of
Malta.[2] It developed into its modern form c. 1980 with the establishment of the first deaf club in Malta and subsequently with its use in education for the deaf. LSM's prior history is unrecorded, though there are some signs which indicate contact with
British Sign Language (Malta was
a British colony until 1964). These signs are relatively few, however, and LSM is not part of the
BSL family.
Maria Galea has described the use of
SignWriting when used to write Maltese Sign Language.[3]
^a Sign-language names reflect the region of origin. Natural sign languages are not related to the spoken language used in the same region. For example, French Sign Language originated in France, but is not related to French. Conversely,
ASL and
BSL both originated in English-speaking countries but are not related to each other; ASL however is related to
French Sign Language.
^b Denotes the number (if known) of languages within the family. No further information is given on these languages.