Abigail Wills  Conservation Biologist

While living and working in Madagscar, I made an effort to learn the local language of the areas in which I stayed. I think that this is important as it demonstrates respect for the local people and their culture. 

 

I am now fluent in two Malagasy dialects (Official/"Merina" and Northern/"Sakalava) and am in the process of typing up a dictionary of terms which I compiled during long nights in the field. I hope to make this available through my website sometime over the next couple of months - maybe even in time for Christmas!

 

In the mean time, here is a video of my first "formal" test while learning Sakalava in Ampasindava (Nosy Hara Marine Protected Area), June 2012, having worked in Madagascar for just 3 weeks!
 

If you have any queries about the language - perhaps you are planning a visit to the island and are looking for some initial terms to get you by, or maybe you have some text which you need help translating - please don't hesitate to contact me.