Southern Sakalava dialect

{{Short description|Austronesian language of Madagascar}} {{Infobox language | name = Southern Sakalava | nativename = | states = {{ubl|Madagascar}} | ethnicity = Sakalava | nation = | speakers = | date = | ref = | familycolor = Austronesian | fam2 = Malayo-Polynesian | fam3 = Western Indonesian | fam4 = Barito | fam5 = East Barito | fam6 = Southern Malagasic | glotto = saka1291 | glottorefname = Malagasic | lingua = 31-LDA-da | script = {{ubl | Latin script (Malagasy alphabet) }} | notice = IPA | module = {{Listen | pos = right | embed = yes | filename = Southern Sakalava language audio sample.ogg | title = Southern Sakalava language sample (Maintirano) | type = speech | description = An elderly woman recounts, in Southern Sakalava dialect, her experience of being held hostage by bandits in Maintirano. }}<br /> {{Listen | pos = right | embed = yes | filename = Southern Sakalava sample 2.ogg | title = Southern Sakalava language sample (Morondava) | type = speech | description = A woman recounts, in Southern Sakalava dialect, the desperate search for her missing son, believed to have drowned in a river. }} }}

'''Southern Sakalava''' is a dialect of Malagasy<ref>''The Antananarivo Annual and Madagascar Magazine''. Vol. 3, nos. 9–12. 1885. p. 90.</ref> spoken by the Sakalava from the region of Melaky to Atsimo Andrefana.<ref>{{cite book |last=Ferrand |first=Gabriel |title=Essai de phonétique comparée du malais et des dialectes malgaches : thèse pour le doctorat d'université |publisher=Ernest Leroux, Libraire-Éditeur |location=Paris |year=1903 |language=fr |page=XL }}</ref>

==Classification== Southern Sakalava belongs to the Austronesian language family and part of the Southern Malagasic subgroup alongside Bara, Tanosy, Masikoro, Tandroy, Mahafaly and Karimbola.<ref>{{cite book |last=Turcotte |first=Denis |title=La politique linguistique en Afrique francophone: une étude comparative de la Côte d’Ivoire et de Madagascar |year=1981 |publisher=Presses de l’Université Laval |language=fr |page=57 }}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Sambo |first1=Clément |last2=Gueunier |first2=Noël Jacques |title=Langages non conventionnels à Madagascar : argot des jeunes et proverbes gaillards |year=2001 |publisher=Karthala |language=fr |page=304 }}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Bright |first=William |title=International Encyclopedia of Linguistics |year=1992 |publisher=Oxford University Press |pages=205 |isbn=9780195051964 }}</ref><ref>{{cite book |title=Proverbes malgaches en dialecte masikoro |year=1996 |pages=2 }}</ref>

== Characteristics == The ''Southern Sakalava dialect'' displays several ''phonological'' and ''lexical'' characteristics that distinguish it from the ''Merina-based Standard Malagasy''. These features are also shared with other ''southern Malagasy dialects'' such as ''Tandroy'', ''Tanosy'', ''Vezo'', ''Mahafaly'', and ''Bara''.

One notable feature is the dropping of the final ''-na'' in ''trisyllabic words''. For example, ''tana'' is used instead of ''tànana'' (hand), ''tanà'' for ''tanàna'' (village), ''sofy'' for ''sofina'' (ear), and ''antety'' for ''antanety'' (field), the latter also common in ''Southern Sakalava''.

There is also a tendency to substitute ''l'' for ''d'', as in ''valy'' for ''vady'' (spouse), ''lily'' for ''didy'' (law, order), and ''malio'' for ''madio'' (clean). This phonological change is a hallmark of ''Southern Sakalava'' and other southern dialects. However, in the ''Northern Sakalava dialect'', the consonant ''d'' is retained, and this shift to ''l'' does not occur, despite both varieties being spoken by groups identified as Sakalava.

The ''s'' following a ''t'' is often omitted, producing forms like ''raty'' instead of ''ratsy'' (bad).

The consonant ''v'' may be replaced by ''b'', for example, ''abo'' for ''avo'' (high).

The consonant ''z'' is frequently dropped. ''Aiza'' (where) becomes ''aia''. The pronoun ''izy'' (he/she) becomes ''ihy'', a form typical of southern dialects such as ''Mahafaly'', ''Vezo'', and ''Bara''.

Words ending in ''-tra'' often become ''-tsy'', such as ''hafatra'' becoming ''hafatsy'' (message), and ''mandefitra'' becoming ''mandefitsy'' (to tolerate), a pattern consistent with ''southern Malagasy varieties''.

The form ''anakahy'' is used for "mine", a feature found in both ''northern'' and ''southern Malagasy dialects''.

The ''Southern Sakalava'' spoken in Besalampy is transitional between ''Northern Sakalava'' and the more southern varieties of Menabe and Atsimo Andrefana. It shares some northern features like the use of ''ndreky'' for "and", but is mostly aligned with southern vocabulary.

{| class="wikitable sortable" |+ '''Comparative Vocabulary of Northern and Southern Sakalava''' ! style="width:2em;" | # ! Gloss ! Northern Sakalava ! Southern Sakalava |- | 1 | One | Araiky | Raiky |- | 2 | I / Me | Izaho | Izaho |- | 3 | All | Jiaby | Iaby |- | 4 | You | Anao / Anô | Iha |- | 5 | Only / Also / Just | Fôna | Avao |- | 6 | If | Raha | Laha |- | 7 | And | Ndreky | No |- | 8 | Face | Sôra | Tarehy |- | 9 | She/He | Izy | Ihy |- | 10 | Message | Hafatra | Hafatsy |- | 11 | To tolerate | Mandefitra | Mandefitsy |- | 12 | Bird | Vorogno | Voro |- | 13 | Woman | Manangy | Ampela |- | 14 | When | Rehefa | Lafa |}

==Geographic distribution== Southern Sakalava is primarily spoken in the regions of Melaky (also known as Ambongo), Menabe, and northern Atsimo Andrefana. It is the primary dialect of the cities of Morondava, Maintirano, and Besalampy, as well as in the area surrounding the Tsingy de Bemaraha and the Avenue of the Baobabs. <ref>{{Cite web |title=Translations - Islands Mission |url=https://islands-mission.org/translations/ |access-date=2025-05-13 |language=en-ZA}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Molet |first=Louis |title=Petit guide de toponymie malgache |year=1957 |publisher=Scientific Research Institute of Madagascar, Department of Human Sciences |location=Tananarive |pages=map (unnumbered) + p. 7 |url=https://horizon.documentation.ird.fr/exl-doc/pleins_textes/pleins_textes_5/b_fdi_14-15/18391.pdf |language=fr |ref={{harvid|Molet|1957}} }} The map is placed before the numbered pages.</ref>

==Vocabulary==

{| class="wikitable" |+ '''Conjunctions & Connectors''' ! # ! Gloss ! Standard Malagasy ! Southern Sakalava |- | 1 | And | Sy | No |}

{| class="wikitable" |+ '''Qualities & Descriptions''' ! # ! Gloss ! Standard Malagasy ! Southern Sakalava |- | 1 | Beautiful | Tsara | Soa |}

{| class="wikitable" |+ '''Articles''' ! # ! Gloss ! Standard Malagasy ! Southern Sakalava |- | 1 | The | Ny | Ty |}

{| class="wikitable" |+ '''Prepositions''' ! # ! Gloss ! Standard Malagasy ! Southern Sakalava |- | 1 | From | Avy | Baka |}

{| class="wikitable" |+ '''Actions & Verbs''' ! # ! Gloss ! Standard Malagasy ! Southern Sakalava |- | 1 | To watch | Mijery | Manenty |}

{| class="wikitable" |+ '''Natural World''' ! # ! Gloss ! Standard Malagasy ! Southern Sakalava |- | 1 | Sky | Lanitra | Lanitry |}

{| class="wikitable" |+ '''Time''' ! # ! Gloss ! Standard Malagasy ! Southern Sakalava |- | 1 | Year | Taona | Tao |}

{| class="wikitable" |+ '''People''' ! # ! Gloss ! Standard Malagasy ! Southern Sakalava |- | 1 | Woman | Vehivavy | Ampela |- | 2 | Dear | Ry | Lehy |}

{| class="wikitable" |+ '''Adverbs''' ! # ! Gloss ! Standard Malagasy ! Southern Sakalava |- | 1 | Only / Also | Ihany / Foana | Avao |- | 2 | Here | Eto | Etoy / Eto |}

==See also== *Northern Sakalava *Sakalava people

==References== {{Reflist}}

Category:Malagasy language Category:Verb–object–subject languages Category:Languages of Madagascar