Austronesian · ISO 639-3 bmm
Northern Betsimisaraka Malagasy Language Betsimisaraka
Northern Betsimisaraka Malagasy is an Austronesian language spoken by about 1.3 million people in 1 country. It is written in the Latin script.
Where Northern Betsimisaraka Malagasy is spoken
- Official language
- Regional official
- Spoken by 10%+
- 1–10%
- Smaller communities
Countries that speak Northern Betsimisaraka Malagasy
Language family
- Austronesian
- Malayo-Polynesian
- Basap-Greater Barito
- Greater Barito linkage
- Southeast Barito
- Malagasic
- North-Central Malagasic
- Northern Malagasic
- Tsimihety-Betsimisaraka
- Northern Betsimisaraka Malagasy
Writing system
Latin script
Related languages
About the Northern Betsimisaraka Malagasy language
Northern Betsimisaraka Malagasy (Betsimisaraka) is spoken by about 1.3 million people, which makes it the 405th most spoken language in the world — just behind Western Balochi (1.3 million) and ahead of Bulu (Cameroon) (1.3 million). It belongs to the Austronesian language family and, more precisely, to the Tsimihety-Betsimisaraka group within the Basap-Greater Barito branch.
Where is Northern Betsimisaraka Malagasy spoken?
Northern Betsimisaraka Malagasy is used in 1 country. The largest communities live in Madagascar (1.3 million).
Northern Betsimisaraka Malagasy is not a national official language anywhere.
Writing system and status
Northern Betsimisaraka Malagasy is written in the Latin script. It is a safe, widely transmitted language: children still learn it at home as their first language.
Its closest relatives in the same branch of the family are Tsimihety Malagasy, Antankarana Malagasy, Southern Betsimisaraka Malagasy, Sakalava Malagasy, Tesaka Malagasy and Malagasy.
ISO codes: ISO 639-3 bmm.
Frequently asked questions about Northern Betsimisaraka Malagasy
How many people speak Northern Betsimisaraka Malagasy?
Where is Northern Betsimisaraka Malagasy spoken?
What language family does Northern Betsimisaraka Malagasy belong to?
What is Northern Betsimisaraka Malagasy called in Northern Betsimisaraka Malagasy?
Is Northern Betsimisaraka Malagasy an endangered language?
Data: Languages of the World dataset (MIT) — ISO 639-3, Glottolog (CC BY 4.0), Unicode CLDR, Google LinguaMeta (CC BY 4.0) and Wikidata; country lists: samayo/country-json (MIT). Speaker numbers include first- and second-language speakers where sources report them.