Malgache

Malgache refers to the Malagasy language, the national language of Madagascar. It is an Austronesian language, most closely related to the Barito languages of Borneo. This linguistic connection is a key piece of evidence supporting the theory that the first inhabitants of Madagascar arrived from insular Southeast Asia rather than Africa. Malagasy is spoken by virtually all of the approximately 28 million people on the island.

There are numerous dialects of Malagasy, but they are generally mutually intelligible. The most common dialect is Merina, spoken in the central highlands and often used in media and education. The written form of Malagasy is based on the Latin alphabet and was introduced by missionaries in the 19th century. Before this, a unique Arabic-derived script called Sorabe was used.

The Malagasy language has borrowed words from other languages throughout its history, including Swahili, Arabic, French, and English, reflecting the various cultural influences on Madagascar. It is a tonal language, meaning that the pitch with which a word is pronounced can change its meaning. The grammar of Malagasy is agglutinative, meaning that suffixes and prefixes are added to root words to modify their meaning or grammatical function. Understanding Malagasy is crucial for comprehending the rich culture and history of Madagascar.