ABSTRACT
The Malagasy belongs unquestionably to the stock of languages which have been denominated Malayo-Polynesian, and more particularly to the great Western Branch, which comprehends the languages of the lank-haired races of the Indian Archipelago and the Philippines. The Malagasy bears the greatest analogy to the Toba dialect of the Batak in pronunciation, and many salient points in its grammatical structure may be pointed out to prove its affinity to Javanese, Batak, Malay, Dayak, and other Malayan tongues. The island of Madagascar may be said to possess one language. Varieties of dialect exist, of course, but are not so numerous that people residing in different parts cannot understand each other, some practice enabling them to sustain a conversation. This chapter describes the letters, vowels, diphthongs, Consonants, dumb sounds, accent, and dialectical peculiarities of the Malagasy langauge. It also discusses the relation of the Kawi to the Javanese.
