Maltese Sign Language (Lingwi tas-Sinjali Maltin, LSM) is a young sign language of Malta. It developed into its modern form circa 1980 with the establishment of the first Deaf club in Malta, and subsequently with its use in education for the deaf. Its prior history is unrecorded, though there are some signs which indicate contact with British Sign Language. These signs are relatively few, however, and LSM is not part of the BSL family (Brentari 2010).
References
Marie Azzopardi-Alexander, "Iconicity and the development of Maltese Sign Language", in Fabri, ed., Maltese Linguistics: A Snapshot, 2009
^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.
