Malaysian Sign Language
Malaysian Sign Language | |
---|---|
BIM | |
Bahasa Isyarat Malaysia, BIM | |
Native to | Malaysia |
Native speakers | 60,000 (2013 census)[1] |
French Sign
| |
Language codes | |
ISO 639-3 | xml |
Glottolog | mala1412 |
Malaysian Sign Language (Malay: Bahasa Isyarat Malaysia, or BIM) is the principal language of the deaf community of Malaysia. It is also the official sign language used by the Malaysian government to communicate with the deaf community and was officially recognised by the Malaysian government in 2008 as a means to officially communicate with and among the deaf, particularly on official broadcasts and announcements. BIM has many dialects, differing from state to state.[2]
Malaysian Sign Language was created with the establishment of the Malaysian Federation of the Deaf in 1998, and its use has expanded among deaf leaders and participants. It is based on American Sign Language (ASL), but the two are considered different languages.
Sign languages which predate BIM in Malaysia are
To further educate and promote the use of BIM, MFD implemented the BIM Sign Bank as the official source of reference for the sign language to the community, including students, teachers, parents, and the general users. In collaboration with Guidewire Gives Back, the BIM Sign Bank application, "BIM Sign Bank by MFD", was developed and launched in July 2021.
Notes
- ^ Malaysian Sign Language at Ethnologue (22nd ed., 2019)
- ISBN 978-983-068-469-7.