malagasy
All Malagasy peoples speak a dialect of Malagasy, an Austronesian language. [1]
Malagasy is the westernmost of the Malayo-Polynesian languages. [2]
The country gained full independence as the Malagasy Republic in 1960 and was renamed Madagascar in 1975. [3]
Malagasy is the name of the people who live in Madagascar. [4]
Music plays an important part in Malagasy people’s life. [5]
An island country in the Indian Ocean off the southeast coast of Africa comprising the island of Madagascar and several small islands. [3]
The term Madagascan has gained popularity after the feature film Madagascar was released. [4]
It is spoken on the island of Madagascar, off the east coast of Africa. [2]
Thus, the French language was taught to Malagasy children along with French civilisation, both objects inculcated as if they were native values. [6]
The largest group is the Merina (”Elevated People”), who primarily inhabit the central plateau. [1]
In Madagascar, cab drivers play music all the time in their cab, kids who frolic in the backyard habitually sing and dance together, men and women in the rice field used to finish their labor with songs, people who work in the office listen regularly to music while working, and so on and so forth. [5]
The written language is a standardized version of the Merina dialect. [1]
It was originally peopled by Indonesian and African groups around the end of the first century B.C. The French first established settlements on the island in 1642 and made it a colony in 1896. [3]
During the French colonization of Madagascar, French became the dominant language of the island, while Malagasy was relegated to an inferior position. [...] The indigenous people of Madagascar, who make up some 36 tribes and are of mixed Indonesian and African stock, are also known as Malagasy. [2]
Sources:
[1] Malagasy people: Information from Answers.com
[2] Malagasy
[3] Madagascar: Definition from Answers.com
[4] Malagasy - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
[5] Tranofalafa - Malagasy Music
[6] GazetyNety