On International Mother Language Day, the local law firm ABB Legal took to social media to remind everyone that while Maltese and English are the island’s two official languages, we’ve also got another, lesser-known official language – Maltese Sign Language!

Maltese Sign Language (LSM) is a relatively young sign language, having developed into its modern form by the 1980s. The language is officially recognised as an official language of Malta as of the passing of the Maltese Sign Language Recognition Act in 2016.

The Maltese Deaf People Association was founded in 1973 and represents around 1,500 people who are deaf or hard of hearing in Malta and Gozo. Additionally, the Association is a member of both the European Union of the Deaf and the World Federation of the Deaf.

Although the language isn’t known by the general public, there have been several outreach efforts in place to bring awareness to LSM and encourage its wider use. For example, thanks to the Institute of Linguistics and Language Technology, one can even learn Maltese Sign Language at the University of Malta (UM), along with Sign Writing!

What is Sign Writing?

Sign writing is a featural writing system used to write down sign language, developed by Valerie Sutton in 1974. The system has since been standardised into the International Sign Writing Alphabet, which makes it possible to write down several sign languages, Maltese included.

At the University of Malta (UM), the Malta Deaf Association, in collaboration with two University organisations (ALLT and MHSA), also holds a yearly campaign called Sign Me Up. The campaign consists of a four-week Maltese Sign Language course available to all University students, along with a specialised six-week course for Medical and Health Science students.

Fortunately, resources surrounding Maltese Sign Language are on the rise. In recent years, online MSL dictionaries have been in development, including the Maltese Sign Language Project by UM’s Institute of Linguistics and Language Technology, and another one offered by the Commission for the Rights of Persons with Disability. Like any dictionary, these dictionaries will only become vaster as the language grows – along with the necessary resources for these projects.

The Maltese Sign Language Project began in 1996, when members of the Maltese Deaf community took part in observation by consenting to being recorded whilst communicating in Maltese Sign Language. This project was necessary for many aspects of research that would be done regarding Maltese Sign Language, and the dictionary is a representation of all those years of work.

Do you know anyone who uses Maltese Sign Language?

 Maltese Sign Language/Facebook