Vakinankaratra dialect

Vakinankaratra is a dialect^[2][3] of the Malagasy language spoken in the eponymous region.^[4] It is considered an intermediary dialect between Merina dialect and Betsileo dialect.

Vakinankaratra is an Austronesian language part of the Plateaux branch of Malagasy language alongside Merina, Antefasy, Antemoro, Sihanaka and Betsileo^[5]

The Vakinankaratra dialect exhibits features not found in Merina varieties (Analamanga, Itasy, Bongolava, Betsiboka) and shows some forms similar to Betsileo. Lexically, it uses forms such as aby for avy, a for izaho, Ia for iza, and aia for aiza. The particle tsa corresponds to tsy in Merina varieties.

Phonetically, the dialect frequently omits the consonant n or m, as in tantara → tatara, Ampy → Apy and manka → maka. Vowel sequences such as -ia and -a often shift to -e, for example tetezana → tatezana. Certain words also differ, such as masiaka in Merina varieties appearing as maseka in Vakinankaratra.

Grammatical particles such as ka, tra, and na are shared with other Merina regions; they are used to connect clauses, indicate emphasis, or mark the subject in a sentence. Unlike Betsileo, Vakinankaratra does not retain the -gn suffix, using forms ending in -na instead. These features position Vakinankaratra as an intermediary dialect between Merina and Betsileo.

Historically, the Vakinankaratra dialect was spoken throughout the Vakinankaratra Region.

In contemporary usage, the dialect is no longer spoken as a distinct variety in urban areas such as Antsirabe. However, speakers in the city retain a limited amount of Vakinankaratra vocabulary as well as phonological features, particularly aspects of the local accent. The dialect is now mainly confined to rural areas of the region, especially in parts of the districts of Antsirabe II, Betafo, and Mandoto. In urban and peri-urban contexts, it has largely been replaced by the Merina dialect of the Analamanga, which has become the dominant form of speech. ^[6]