Tandroy dialect


Tandroy is a dialect of the Malagasy language spoken primarily by the Antandroy people in the Androy region of southern Madagascar. It is close to Mahafaly and Karimbola, the latter being considered a dialect of Tandroy.

Classification

Tandroy is part of the Austronesian languages family, within the Malayo-Polynesian languages branch. It falls under the Barito languages group and is classified specifically as a member of the Southern Malagasic subgroup of Malagasy dialects, alongside Karimbola, Vezo, Masikoro, Southern Sakalava and Mahafaly.

Geographic distribution

The Tandroy dialect is spoken mainly in the Androy region, the southernmost part of Madagascar, by approximately 1,442,000 people. It is also spoken by the Antandroy diaspora in Bongolava and northern regions of Madagascar.

History

Tandroy is among the Malagasy dialects documented in the early 18th century. It is the dialect that Robert Drury, an English sailor, learned after being shipwrecked in the Androy region in 1702, where he lived as a slave until his escape. Drury fled northward through Fiherenana and later reached Menabe, from where he eventually sailed back to England in 1717. All of these regions spoke dialects closely related to Tandroy, which helped him communicate throughout his journey. His memoir includes a very valuable list of over 500 Malagasy words, believed to reflect the Tandroy dialect and other southern varieties.

Vocabulary

Some Tandroy proverbs