Languages of Madagascar

Madagascar is a beautiful island nation with many languages spoken there. The two official languages of Madagascar are Malagasy and French. Malagasy comes from Austronesian languages and is spoken by most people across the island.

French is also very important in Madagascar. The country is part of a group called the Organisation internationale de la Francophonie, which means it uses French as one of its main languages. In 2024, about 8.5 million people in Madagascar, which has a total population of 32 million, could speak French. This means that around one out of four people there knows French.

Even though French is widely used, especially in big cities among educated people, Malagasy remains the most common language spoken by families and communities every day. Both languages play a big role in the culture, education, and daily life of Madagascar.

Malagasy

Madagascar has a special language called Malagasy, which is one of its official languages along with French. Malagasy belongs to the Austronesian language family and came to Madagascar with Indonesian people who settled there many years ago between the 4th and 7th centuries.

Malagasy has many regional dialects, but the Merina variety, spoken around Antananarivo, was chosen as the national and official language. King Andrianampoinimerina and later his son, King Radama I, helped standardize Malagasy. They worked with missionaries to create a writing system using the Latin alphabet, and during this time, important books like grammars, dictionaries, and a translation of the Bible were made in Malagasy.

French language

French in Madagascar grew in a mixed way. It first arrived with settlers in the 1600s and 1700s, but not as much as in places like the Mascarene Islands or North America. Later, in the 1800s and 1900s, missionaries and colonizers helped spread French more widely. It was taught to leaders first and then to more people through schools.

Even though French became important, especially in cities, it did not replace Malagasy, which stayed the main language for everyday life, traditions, and culture. Today, French is mostly used for talking with other countries and in government and media, because it is a global language.

Historical overview of French influence

French traders and explorers arrived in Madagascar in 1642, setting up bases at places like Fort-Dauphin and Sainte-Marie island. They interacted with the local Malagasy peoples, some of whom began to learn a bit of French.

In the early 1800s, under King Radama I, missionaries from both England and France came to the island. They started schools, with the French teaching their language and Catholicism, while the British taught in Malagasy.

France officially took control of Madagascar in 1895. They made French the main language used in schools and government jobs, hoping it would help unite the country. Over time, knowing French became very important for getting ahead.

When Madagascar became independent in 1960, there were efforts to use more Malagasy in schools. But these changes sometimes made it harder for students who couldn't learn French. By the late 1980s, French started to return to schools, especially in higher levels of education. Even today, French remains an important language in Madagascar, though Malagasy is the national language.

Minority languages

Maore Comorian, also called Comorian, Comores Swahili, Komoro, Comoro, or Shimaore, has two dialects, Maore, and Shindzwani/Shindzuani. It is considered threatened by the Endangered Languages Project. There are isolated communities that use other languages, such as the Creole-speaking Indian Sunni community in Tamatave.

English language

English is not widely known across the country; its usage is largely confined to tourism and international business contexts. English was the main foreign language for the West coast particularly in the province of Toliara before the French colonization. In the Constitution of 2007, Malagasy remained the national language while official languages were reintroduced: Malagasy, French, and English. The motivation for the inclusion of English was partly to improve relations with the neighboring countries where English is used and to encourage foreign direct investment. English was removed as an official language from the constitution approved by voters in the November 2010 referendum. These results were not recognized by the political opposition or the international community, who cited lack of transparency and inclusiveness in the organization of the election by the High Transitional Authority.