Langenesis

Afro-Asiatic family

Maltese

c. 1300 CE – today Living

Maltese (c. 1300 CE – today) is a living Afro-Asiatic language. Lineage: Proto-Afro-Asiatic → Proto-Semitic → … → Classical Arabic → Siculo-Arabic → Maltese.

See Maltese on the interactive map
Speakers
500K (500,000)
ISO 639-3
mlt
Glottocode
malt1254

The only Semitic language written in the Latin script and an official EU language. Arabic grammar and core vocabulary with heavy Sicilian, Italian and English lexical influence.

Lineage

  1. Proto-Afro-Asiaticc. 10,000 BCE – 7,000 BCE
  2. Proto-Semiticc. 4,000 BCE – 2,500 BCE
  3. Proto-West Semiticc. 3,000 BCE – 2,000 BCE
  4. Proto-Central Semiticc. 2,500 BCE – 1,500 BCE
  5. Old Arabicc. 800 BCE – 500 CE
  6. Classical Arabic500 CE – 1500 CE
  7. Siculo-Arabicc. 900 CE – 1300 CE
  8. Maltesec. 1300 CE – today

Sources