Not many people really know what Malagasy is, so it helps to start with the basics. Malagasy is the native language of Madagascar, spoken by around 18 million people in that beautiful island country located in the Indian Ocean off the southeastern coast of Africa. Interestingly, the people of Madagascar are also called Malagasy, it is not surprising that the language is spoken throughout the country.
Of even more peculiar interest is that Madagascar is not a Malagasy word but a corrupted version of Madagasikara, which is the indigenous name for the country. However, Madagascar is better known, thanks to its popularization by Europeans after it was first recorded by Marco Polo in the 15th century.
Malagasy remains a rich language that unites all the inhabitants of Madagascar and facilitates communication and interdependence even in its capital, Antananarivo. This is why Malagasy shares the status of official national language with French, the lingua franca of the former colonizers of Madagascar, from whom it became independent in 1960.
The origin and distinction of Malagasy
Malagasy originates from Indonesia, but also borrows from the Arabic and Bantu languages, and more recently from French and English. What continues to pique the curiosity of linguists is how that language has stood the test of time by still being the only language spoken in this large island country with diverse ecosystems separated from each other by forests, deserts, mountains and rivers, but there are More than 60 languages spoken in Uganda alone.
Malagasy has managed to remain strong and popular, largely thanks to the artistic and oratory way in which it has been passed down from generation to generation. Madagascar’s oral tradition is rich and distinct; poetry, public speeches, and proverbs have kept the language intact due to the country’s strong oral history.
The excessive reliance on oral history to commemorate the country’s key past events while preserving its language and traditional beliefs only began to change with the introduction of the written form. However, Malagasy is still the language of instruction in all public schools, which explains why written Malagasy is very different from spoken Malagasy.
The language of love?
Islands are often associated with romance: places where newlywed couples and lovers with hearts pounding with the chemistry of love go to unwind. Madagascar, being an island nation, is no exception. Most people spend their honeymoon there, but to maximize your stay, it helps to know and speak Malagasy. Fortunately, in 1818 the London Missionary Society sent some missionaries to Madagascar; they evangelized the nation and translated the bible into Malagasy language so you can pick some Malagasy words by reading Malagasy Bible.
Certainly, there are also some Malagasy dictionaries that you can buy online on Amazon to learn Malagasy, a language whose alphabet is the same as the English alphabet but only the letters C, Q, U, W and X are missing. Malagasy diplomats are spreading your language to France, Belgium, and Washington, DC, where it is growing in popularity, which is why Malagasy translation services are now highly sought after. These are some of the other language translation services that you may need;
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