Product Description

An Austronesian language with over 14 million speakers, Malagasy is the national language of Madagascar and is also spoken on the island of Mayotte (Comoro Islands). Designed for the traveler, this compact guide provides the means for basic communication in Malagasy, featuring a two-way dictionary and 22-chapter phrasebook with practical and cultural information.

• 2,500 dictionary entries
• Pronunciation guide
• A basic grammar
• Essential phrases
• Ideal for the traveler and student

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #319034 in Books
• Published on: 2001-04
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 171 pages

Features

• ISBN13: 9780781808439
• Condition: NEW
• Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
• Click here to view our Condition Guide and Shipping Prices

Language Notes
Text: English, Malagasy

About the Author
Janie Rasoloson, a native of Madagascar, is a research scientist at the University of Hamburg, Germany. She holds a doctorate in linguistics and has written several books on the Malagasy language.

Customer Reviews

Malagasy Dictionary
Being a relative unknown language this book has done a good job in many respects. There are difficulties with the language in that it is more of a spoken language rather than written. It is also difficult if not impossible to learn the sounds of the Malagasy language as the Malagasy elide (omit) many syllables in their speech, therefore making it necessary to actually hear the Malagasy speak. Also, there are 22 regions in Madagascar and sometimes it is hard even for the Malagasy to understand each other. The biggest problem I have with this dictionary is the ability to cross-reference words from one language to the other. The same words do not appear in both languages (Malagasy and English). Also, there are some words which are not able to be translated from Malagasy but are important in their sentence structure and are not explained in the book. This may be a harsh critism since the book is not intended to be a grammar book! Therefore I gave the book a 4 for it's intended purpose.

Don't buy this if you are planning a visit to Madagascar
I am a former Peace Corps volunteer from Madagascar and currently a resident in the country after four years. I am fluent in the Malagasy language. I do not recommend this dictionary to anyone traveling to madagascar. This dictionary is difficult to use, insufficient, and often incorrect. It is also very expensive compared to the dictionaries available in any major city in Madagascar.

There are two excellent dictionaries in print in Madagascar. They are printed by the malagasy lutheran press. The malgasy-english dictionary is pink and sells for 4,000 Ariary (2 dollars) in the capital. The better of the two english-malgasy dictionaries available in madagascar is the yellow, pocket dictionary. This dictionary includes a list of useful obolana (proverbs) and their translations as well as some cryptic grammar notes (but what grammar notes aren't cryptic).

In short- don't buy this online if you are going to madagascar as you can buy cheap, good dictionaries when you get there (even at the airport). If you want to learn some words before you get there go to the online dictionary at http://malagasyworld.org/bins/homePage

Good luck. Mazotoa!

Useful
This dictionary was quite useful to me on a recent trip to Madagascar. It has wonderful sections divided into subject matter such as:
"Meeting & Greetings", "Eating/Meals", "Camping", "Typical Travel Interactions". and other such helpful categories. As this seems to be the only Malagasy dictionary available in the U.S., it definately served its purpose well!