// Workers AI · dad joke modeWhat did Antaimoro dialect say to its friend? "You're in my syntax.
| Antaimoro | |
|---|---|
| Zakan'Atemoro | |
| Native to | |
| Ethnicity | Antemoro people[1] |
Native speakers | 1,327,000 [2] |
Austronesian
| |
| |
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-1 | mg |
| ISO 639-3 | plt |
| Glottolog | anta1259 |
| Linguasphere | 31-LDA-bb |
Antaimoro or Antemoro is a dialect[3][4][5][6] of Malagasy spoken by Antemoro people in the ex-region of Vatovavy-Fitovinany. [7]
Classification
[edit]Antemoro is part of the Austronesian language family, within the Central-Eastern Malagasic branch. It is further classified under the Plateaux Malagasy alongside Merina,Sihanaka, Antambahoaka and Antefasy.[8]
Geographical distribution
[edit]The Antemoro dialect is primarily spoken in the Fitovinany region of southeastern Madagascar, particularly in the districts of Manakara-Atsimo and Vohipeno. It is also spoken in the southern part of the neighboring Vatovavy region, including several communes such as Namorona, Sandrohy, and Vatohandrina.[9]
Characteristics
[edit]The Antemoro dialect is closely related to the Antaifasy dialect, with only minor phonological and lexical differences. One distinctive feature is the use of suffixes such as -tra and -gna in Antemoro, compared to variations like -gny in Antefasy. For example, the verb "to talk" is rendered as mikoragna in Antemoro, while in Antefasy it appears as mikoragny. Additionally, certain vocabulary items differ; for instance, the word for "sword" is sabatry in Antefasy and sabatra in Antemoro. Despite these differences, the dialects remain mutually intelligible to a high degree.
| Gloss | Antefasy | Antemoro |
|---|---|---|
| one | raiky | raika |
| I | iaho | iaho |
| me | anaha | anaha |
| we (inclusive) | atsika | atsika |
| we (exclusive) | ihay / ahay | ihay / ahay |
| they/them | indreo | indreo |
| only | avao | avao |
| also | koa | koza |
| all | aby/rehetra | aby/rehetra |
| to tell | mizaka / mitantara | mizaka / mitantara |
| above | ambony | ambony |
| now | amizao | amizao |
| dear | ingaha | ingahy |
| the / that | gne / e | gny |
| even | ndre | ndre |
| even if | ndre da | ndre da |
Vocabulary
[edit]Numerals
[edit]| English | Standard Malagasy | Antaimoro |
|---|---|---|
| One | Iray/Isa | Raika/Isa |
| Two | Roa | Roa |
| Three | Telo | Telo |
| Four | Efatra | Efatra |
| Five | Dimy | Dimy |
| Six | Enina | Enina |
| Seven | Fito | Fito |
| Eight | Valo | Valo |
| Nine | Sivy | Sivy |
| Ten | Folo | Folo |
| Hundred | Zato | Zato |
| Thousand | Arivo | Arivo |
| Ten thousand | Iray halina | Ray haligny |
| One hundred thousand | Iray hetsy | Ray hetsy |
| One million | Tapitrisa | Tapitrisa |
Animals
[edit]| English | Standard Malagasy | Antaimoro |
|---|---|---|
| Animal | Biby | Biby |
| Bird | Vorona | Vorogny |
| Duck | Ganagana | Ganagana |
| Chicken | Akoho | Akoho |
| Goose | Gisa | Gisa |
| Cow | Omby | Aomby |
| Sheep | Ondry | Ondry |
Direction
[edit]| English | Standard Malagasy | Antaimoro |
|---|---|---|
| North | Avaratra | Avaratry |
| South | Atsimo | Atsimo |
| East | Atsinanana | Atsignanagna |
| West | Andrefana | Andrefagna |
Time
[edit]| English | Standard Malagasy | Antaimoro |
|---|---|---|
| Day | Andro | Andro |
| Today | Anio/Androany | Androany |
| Yesterday | Omaly | Omaly |
| Tomorrow | Rahampitso | Omaray/Ampitso |
| Month | Volana | Volagna |
| Year | Taona | Taogna |
Writing System
[edit]The Antemoro dialect is one of the Malagasy varieties that were historically written using the Arabic-derived Arabico-Malagasy script, alongside that of the Antambahoaka and Tanosy. This script, known as *Sorabe* ("large writings"), was primarily used for magical and divinatory purposes.[10][11]
In the early 19th century, during the reign of King Andrianampoinimerina (c. 1800–1804), two Taimoro sages from the southeast, Andriamahazonoro (d. 1838) and Ratsilikaina, were summoned to the Merina capital to inaugurate a royal palace school. By 1817, they had introduced the Sorabe script to five or six royal children, including the future king Radama I.[12]
Before ultimately deciding to adopt the Latin alphabet for the translation of the Bible, the first English Protestant missionaries in Madagascar considered using the Arabico-Malagasy orthography of the Taimoro people. They studied the script and discussed this possibility with King Radama I, before jointly opting for the Latin alphabet as the basis of the new standardized writing system.[13]
See also
[edit]Kalamo tetsitesy, an Arabic based pigdin used in Antemoro community
References
[edit]- ↑ Sibree, James (1877). South-east Madagascar: Being Notes of a Journey Through the Tanala, Taimoro and Taisaka Countries in 1876. Antananarivo: London Missionary Society. pp. Appendix C.
- ↑ "Antemoro in Madagascar". Joshua Project. Retrieved 15 July 2025.
- ↑ Grimes, Barbara F. (2000). Ethnologue: Languages of the World (14th ed.). Summer Institute of Linguistics. p. 293. ISBN 9780883128152.
- ↑ Nielssen, Hilde (2012). Ritual Imagination: A Study of Tromba Possession among the Betsimisaraka in Eastern Madagascar. Studies of Religion in Africa, vol. 40. Leiden; Boston: Brill. p. 301. ISBN 9789004215245.
- ↑ McElroy, Colleen J. (1999). Over the Lip of the World: Among the Storytellers of Madagascar. University of Michigan Press. p. xxii.
- ↑ Ferrand, Gabriel (1909). Essai de phonétique comparée du malais et des dialectes malgaches : thèse pour le doctorat d'université, présentée à la Faculté des lettres de l'Université de Paris (in French). Paris: Paul Geuthner. pp. XXXVIII.
- ↑ "Translations – Islands Mission". Islands Mission. Retrieved 15 July 2025.
- ↑ The Chronicle of the London Missionary Society. London Missionary Society: 40. 1890.
{{cite journal}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ Molet, Louis (1957). Petit guide de toponymie malgache (PDF) (in French). Tananarive: Scientific Research Institute of Madagascar, Department of Human Sciences. pp. map (unnumbered) + p. 8.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: ref duplicates default (link) The map is placed before the numbered pages. - ↑ Ferrand, Gabriel (1903). Essai de phonétique comparée du malais et des dialectes malgaches : thèse pour le doctorat d'université (in French). Paris: Ernest Leroux, Libraire-Éditeur. pp. 313–314.
- ↑ "The Antananarivo Annual and Madagascar Magazine". The Antananarivo Annual and Madagascar Magazine. 5 (17–20): 106–107. 1893.
- ↑ Campbell, Gwyn (2022). The Madagascar Youths: British Alliances and Military Expansion in the Indian Ocean Region. Cambridge University Press. p. 29.
- ↑ Abdel-Malek, Anouar; Agblemagnon, N'Sougan Ferdinand (1966). Positions des thèses de troisième cycle soutenues devant la Faculté en 1964. Centre national de la recherche scientifique. p. 145.