During my first research trip to Madagascar in 2017, I yearned to understand the jokes my colleagues told around the campfire, to contribute my own stories and add to the laughter. As a young American woman with elementary language skills, I struggled to find my place on the field team. Thankfully, my colleagues patiently taught me Malagasy words and phrases necessary for life in the forest: hazo (tree), orana (rain), noana (hungry), etc. These basics went a long way in empowering me to learn more about the forest. I also began to build valuable friendships with my teammates. Since then, I have returned to Madagascar on four additional trips to conduct research on the island's unique biodiversity. While there, I am immersed in the Malagasy language. Along with French, Malagasy is the official language of the island. With ~28 million native speakers, Malagasy is the most commonly spoken language in Madagascar, especially outside of major cities. Malagasy's 18 dialects pose a challenge to eager language students such as myself. But, no matter where I travel, I am met with generous people willing to help me on my language learning journey.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
|