Merina language
Quick Summary
The Merina language is a dialect of the Malagasy language, spoken primarily by the Merina people who inhabit the central plateau of Madagascar. The Malagasy languages belong to the Austronesian family and diversified after the settlement of Madagascar by Indonesian people approximately 2,000 years ago.12
Since 1820, the Merina dialect, written in the Roman alphabet, has served as the official language of Madagascar. The Merina people are the most populous ethnolinguistic group on the island and have a history of establishing kingdoms and consolidating power, notably under King Andrianampoinimerina and his son Radama.12
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Austronesian languagesMajor languages…of the Philippines, and the Merina dialect of Malagasy, which is spoken in the highlands around the capital of Antananarivo, forms the basis for standard Malagasy. Hindu-Buddhist polities, based on Indian concepts of the state, arose in parts of the Malay Peninsula and Sumatra during the first few centuries of…
Read More…of the Philippines, and the Merina dialect of Malagasy, which is spoken in the highlands around the capital of Antananarivo, forms the basis for standard Malagasy. Hindu-Buddhist polities, based on Indian concepts of the state, arose in parts of the Malay Peninsula and Sumatra during the first few centuries of…
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MadagascarLanguages…is a standardized version of Merina, an Austronesian language. Nevertheless, there are a number of Bantu words in the language, as well as some phonetic and grammatical modifiers of Bantu origin. There exist numerous local variations of Malagasy, all of which are mutually intelligible, and Bantu elements, which exist in…
Read More…is a standardized version of Merina, an Austronesian language. Nevertheless, there are a number of Bantu words in the language, as well as some phonetic and grammatical modifiers of Bantu origin. There exist numerous local variations of Malagasy, all of which are mutually intelligible, and Bantu elements, which exist in…
Read More