Abstract
Abstract Two words, Malagasy and Madagascan, have emerged in the literature as English terms to refer to the people, the culture, and other animate and inanimate objects from Madagascar, the choice of which has left room for confusion for users (e.g. Malagasy art or Madagascan art, Malagasy rice or Madagascan rice, Malagasy Republic or Madagascan Republic, and so forth). This article has two aims: (1) understanding the sources of such confusion, and (2) subsequently proposing a unified English term (noun and adjective) that will avoid further misperceptions in written and verbal communications accounting for Madagascar. The results from investigating the Web of Science, from historical documents, and from viewpoints from online survey combine to suggest that the term ‘Malagasy’ must have unintentionally been substituted by the term ‘Madagascan’ from the earliest documented usage until now. These two words have been used interchangeably, and the usage has never been applied consistently. This could have been influenced by the simple assumption that ‘Madagascan’ is an intuitive form, derivative of Madagascar. The word “Malagasy” is not simply a straightforward English–Malagasy translation but there is much meaning to it that relate to the history and the culture of Madagascar. ‘Malagasy’ is unique to Madagascar, and in future usage in the English language, we recommend everyone to use it as a word qualifier for different objects, animals, plants, and the people of Madagascar.
Highlights
Over the last century, Madagascar has become a subject of important scientific interest because of its unique biodiversity, its geologic history, its geographic key position in the Indian Ocean, and its late human-landscape interactions (e.g., [1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12,13,14])
We observed that the word Malagasy was always the noun and adjective used by King Radama I when referring to the people, the culture, and things from Madagascar
This word Malagasy has thenceforth been kept as an international noun and adjective while describing things from Madagascar, and it has been the most common noun and adjective used when written communications account for Madagascar (Fig. 1)
Summary
Madagascar has become a subject of important scientific interest because of its unique biodiversity, its geologic history, its geographic key position in the Indian Ocean, and its late human-landscape interactions (e.g., [1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12,13,14]). Madagascar has a unique language that sparks interests among linguists and philosophers (e.g., [15,16,17,18,19]). The language shows close linkage to the Austronesian language family, including the languages of Polynesia. Barimalala et al / Scientific African 4 (2019) e00091
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
