Austronesian · ISO 639-3 bzc
Southern Betsimisaraka Malagasy Language Betsimisaraka
Southern Betsimisaraka Malagasy is an Austronesian language spoken by about 2.0 million people in 1 country. It is written in the Latin script.
Where Southern Betsimisaraka Malagasy is spoken
- Official language
- Regional official
- Spoken by 10%+
- 1–10%
- Smaller communities
Countries that speak Southern Betsimisaraka Malagasy
Language family
- Austronesian
- Malayo-Polynesian
- Basap-Greater Barito
- Greater Barito linkage
- Southeast Barito
- Malagasic
- North-Central Malagasic
- Central-Eastern Malagasic
- Southern Betsimisaraka Malagasy
Writing system
Latin script
Related languages
About the Southern Betsimisaraka Malagasy language
Southern Betsimisaraka Malagasy (Betsimisaraka) is spoken by about 2.0 million people, which makes it the 302nd most spoken language in the world — just behind Kangri (2.1 million) and ahead of Chuka (2.0 million). It belongs to the Austronesian language family and, more precisely, to the Central-Eastern Malagasic group within the Basap-Greater Barito branch.
Where is Southern Betsimisaraka Malagasy spoken?
Southern Betsimisaraka Malagasy is used in 1 country. The largest communities live in Madagascar (2.0 million).
Southern Betsimisaraka Malagasy is not a national official language anywhere.
Writing system and status
Southern 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 Antankarana Malagasy, Tsimihety Malagasy, Northern Betsimisaraka Malagasy, Sakalava Malagasy, Tesaka Malagasy and Malagasy.
ISO codes: ISO 639-3 bzc.
Frequently asked questions about Southern Betsimisaraka Malagasy
How many people speak Southern Betsimisaraka Malagasy?
Where is Southern Betsimisaraka Malagasy spoken?
What language family does Southern Betsimisaraka Malagasy belong to?
What is Southern Betsimisaraka Malagasy called in Southern Betsimisaraka Malagasy?
Is Southern 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.