Draft:Central-Eastern Malagasic

Central-Eastern Malagasic
Geographic distribution	Madagascar
Linguistic classification	Austronesian Malayo-Polynesian Barito East Barito Central-Eastern Malagasic
Subdivisions	Plateau Malagasy Southern Betsimisaraka Antesaka Sahafatra
Language codes
Glottolog	cent2382

Central-Eastern Malagasic^[1] is a branch of the Malagasy language spoken in the central and eastern parts of Madagascar from which Standard Malagasy came out. It is one of malagasy branch along with Northern Malagasic and Southern Malagasic.^[2]

Classification

Central-Eastern Malagasic belongs to the Austronesian language family, specifically within the Malayo-Polynesian branch. It is part of the Barito group, more precisely the East Barito subgroup. In his 1878 work A Sketch of the Modern Languages of the East Indies, orientalist Robert Needham Cust identified a linguistic affinity between the dialects spoken by the Tanala, Bezanozano, and Sihanaka peoples of Madagascar’s eastern interior and those of the Southern Betsimisaraka of Eastern Coast. He considered these dialects to be closely allied, effectively grouping them into a single linguistic cluster corresponding to what is now referred to as the Central-Eastern Malagasy language group.^[3]

Geographic distribution

Languages in the Central-Eastern Malagasic group are primarily spoken in the central highlands and eastern regions of Madagascar. These areas include province of Antananarivo, Fianarantsoa, and Toamasina.^[4]

Central-Eastern Malagasic dialects and their regions

Dialect	Regions	Subdivision
Merina Standard Malagasy	Analamanga Vakinankaratra Itasy Bongolava	Plateau Malagasy
Vakinankaratra	Vakinankaratra Itasy	Plateaux Malagasy
Sihanaka	Alaotra-Mangoro	Plateau Malagasy
Bezanozano	Alaotra-Mangoro Analamanga Atsinanana	Plateau Malagasy
Betsileo	Amoron'i Mania Haute Matsiatra	Plateau Malagasy
Southern Betsimisaraka	Atsinanana Vatovavy	Southern Betsimisaraka
Antambahoaka	Vatovavy	Plateau Malagasy
Tanala	Fitovinany Vatovavy	Plateau Malagasy
Antemoro	Fitovinany Vatovavy Malagasy
Antefasy	Atsimo Atsinanana	Plateau Malagasy
Antesaka	Atsimo Atsinanana	Antesaka
Sahafatra	Atsimo Atsinanana	Sahafatra

Features

The Central-Eastern Malagasy dialects share a number of distinctive linguistic features. One such feature is the pronunciation of the vowel o, which is articulated as in move, rather than as in pork. Additionally, the diphthong -ay is pronounced as in Dubai, rather than as in debate. These dialects also exhibit notable similarities in their systems of pronouns and demonstratives.

Morphologically, there is consistent use of both prefixes and suffixes across most dialects. However, in the Sahafatra–Antesaka group and Southern Betsileo, suffixes such as -na or -gn are frequently omitted. Geographical proximity has facilitated mutual influence among these dialects. For example, Bezanozano is influenced by Merina; Tanala and Antambahoaka by Southern Betsimisaraka; Vakinankaratra and Tanala by Betsileo^[5]; and Sahafatra by both Antefasy and Antesaka.^[6]

Comparison of Merina, Antesaka, Sahafatra, and Vezo Dialects (4 Glosses)

Gloss	Merina	Antesaka	Sahafatra	Vezo
To eat	Mihinana	Mihina	Mihina	Mihina
Hand	Tanana	Tagna	Tagna	Tana
West	Andrefana	Andrefa	Andrefa	Andrefa
Friend	Namana	Nama	Nama	longo
Study	Fianarana	Fianara	Fianara	Fianara

Moreover, cross-dialectal contact with groups outside the Central-Eastern region has left observable linguistic traces. Sihanaka, for instance, exhibits features influenced by northern dialects such as Tsimihety and Northern Betsimisaraka. Cust also noted the linguistic influence of the Bara, a dialect belonging to the Southern Malagasy group on that of the Betsileo, describing the Bara variety as closely allied to the Betsileo dialect.^[3] Antesaka and Sahafatra also reflect Southern Malagasy influence, particularly in the reduction or loss of final suffixes.

Comparison of Betsileo(Central-Eastern Malagasic) and Bara(Southern Malagasic)

Gloss	Betsileo	Bara
To produce	Mamokatsa	Mamokatsy
To shoot	Mitifitsa	Mitifitsy
To steal	Mangalatsa	Mangalatsy
Shame	Hegnatsa	Hegnatsy

Finally, the Central-Eastern dialects display a relatively close relationship to the Malagasy standard language, both phonologically and morphosyntactically.^[7][8][9]

Comparison

Gloss	Standard Malagasy (Merina)		Sihanaka		Bezanozano		Vakinankaratra		Betsileo		Antambahoaka		Tanala		Antemoro		Antefasy		Sahafatra		Southern Betsimisaraka			Antesaka
	Form 1	Form 2	Form 1	Form 2	Form 1	Form 2	Form 1	Form 2	Form 1	Form 2	Form 1	Form 2	Form 1	Form 2	Form 1	Form 2	Form 1	Form 2	Form 1	Form 2	Form 1	Form 2	Form 3	Form 1	Form 2
I	Izaho	aho	Izaho		Izaho	aho	Izaho	aako	Aho		Iaho	aho	Iaho		Iaho		Iaho		Iaho		Izaho	aho		Iaho
the	Ny	Ilay	Ny	Ilay	Ny	Ilay	Ny	Ilay	Ny	Ilay	Gny		Gny		Gne	e	Gne	e	Gne	e	Gny	Ny		Gne	e
Here	Eto		Aketo		Eto		Eto		Eto		Etoa		Etoa		Etoa		Etoa		Etoa		Aketo			Etoa
Where	Aiza		Aiza		Aiza		Aiza	Aia	Aia	Aiza	Aiza		Aiza		Aia		Aia		Aia		Akeza			Aia
That	dia	Izany	dia	Izany	dia	Izany	dia	Izany	dia	Izany	da	Izany	da	Izany	da	Izany	da	Izany	da	Ezany	die	Izany	Zegny	da	Izany
Human	Olona		Ôlogna		Olona	Olo	Olona		Ona	Olo	Olo		Olo		Olo		Olo		Olo		Olo			Olo
This	Ity		Ity		Ity	Ity	Ity	Itikatry	Ity		Ity	Itiky	Ity	Itiky	Ity	Itiky	Ity	Itiky	Ity	Itiky	Ity			Ity
Family	Fianakaviana		Fianakaviagna		Fianakaviana		Fianakavena		Fianakavena		Fianakavegna		Fianakavegna		Fianakaviagny		Fianakaviagny		Fianakavia		Fianakavegna			Fianakavia
To listen	Mihaino		Mihaino		Mihaino		Mihaino		Mihaino		Miheno		Miheno[10]		Miheno		Miheno		Miheno		Mihaino			Miheno

Cultural importance

Standard Malagasy is used in education, media, and government.

See also

• Malagasy language
• Languages of Madagascar

References

1. É. Reclus, E. G. Ravenstein & A. H. Keane. The Earth and Its Inhabitants: South and East Africa. 1876. Page 495.
2. Glottolog. 2024. "Central-Eastern Malagasy". [1]. Accessed 13 May 2025.
3. Cust, Robert Needham (1878). A Sketch of the Modern Languages of the East Indies (Reprint 2013 ed.). Routledge. p. 71. ISBN 9780415245012.
4. Serva, M., Petroni, F., Volchenkov, D., & Wichmann, S. (2012). Malagasy dialects and the peopling of Madagascar. Journal of the Royal Society Interface, 9(66), 54–67. PMC3223632.
5. "The Journal of the Royal Geographic Society of London". The Journal of the Royal Geographic Society of London. 47. Royal Geographical Society (Great Britain): 56. 1877.
6. Reclus, É. & Keane, A. H. South and East Africa. 1899, p. 484.
7. Notes, reconnaissances et explorations, revue périodique, vol. 2, 1897, p. 157.
8. Bárány, A., Douglas, J., Vikner, S., & Biberauer, T. (eds.). Syntactic Architecture and its Consequences I: Syntax Inside the Grammar. Language Science Press, 2020, pp. 124–125. ISBN 9783961102754.
9. The Antananarivo Annual and Madagascar Magazine, vol. 1, issues 1–3, London Missionary Society Press, 1875, p. 58.
10. Philippe Beaujard. Dictionnaire malgache (dialectal)-français : dialecte tañala, sud-est de Madagascar : avec recherches étymologiques. 1998. p. 35.

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