Malagasy, Merina

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A language of Madagascar

ISO 639-3
plt
Alternate Names
Ambaniandro, Borizano, Borizany, Fiteny Malagasy, Hova, Malagasy fiteny, Malgache, Official Malagasy, Plateau Malagasy, Standard Malagasy, Teny ôfisialy
Autonym
Malagasy, Malagasy ôfisialy
User Population

7,520,000 in Madagascar (2011 SIL). Total users in all countries: 7,546,100.

Location

Antanarivo and Fianarantsoa provinces; Mahajanga province: Betsiboka region.

Language Maps
Language Status

1 (National). Statutory national language (2010, Provisional Constitution, Article 6), use limited in higher education.

Classification
Austronesian, Malayo-Polynesian, Greater Barito, East, Malagasy
Dialects

Merina, Betsileo, Sihanaka, Bezanozano, Tanala, Vakinankaritra, Zafimaniry. Reportedly the most similar language outside Madagascar is Ma’anyan [mhy] in south Borneo (Kalimantan, Indonesia). A member of macrolanguage Malagasy [mlg].

Typology

VOS; prepositions; noun head initial; definite article; verb affixes mark person, number; active, passive and circumstantial voices; tense; causatives; 29 consonants, 5 vowels, 3 diphthongs; non-tonal; stress on penultimate syllable; inclusive/exclusive pronouns.

Language Development

Fully developed. Bible: 1835–2011.

Language Resources
OLAC resources in and about Malagasy, Merina
Writing

Braille script [Brai]. Latin script [Latn], primary usage.

Other Comments

The standard is most similar to the Merina dialect, with loans incorporated from Bantu languages, Swahili [swh], Arabic, English, French. Traditional religion, Christian, Muslim.

Also spoken in:

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