Tanala
Encyclopedia
The Tanala are a Malagasy ethnic group
that inhabit a forested region of south-east Madagascar
. Their name means "people of the forest." The Tanala speak a dialect of the Malagasy language
, which is a branch of the Malayo-Polynesian language group
derived from the Barito languages
, spoken in southern Borneo
.
Ethnic groups of Madagascar
The number of ethnic groups of Madagascar has long been a point of contention and debate. The island of Madagascar is predominantly populated by people broadly classified as belonging to the broader Malagasy ethnic identity...
that inhabit a forested region of south-east Madagascar
Madagascar
The Republic of Madagascar is an island country located in the Indian Ocean off the southeastern coast of Africa...
. Their name means "people of the forest." The Tanala speak a dialect of the Malagasy language
Malagasy language
Malagasy is the national language of Madagascar, a member of the Austronesian family of languages. Most people in Madagascar speak it as a first language as do some people of Malagasy descent elsewhere.-History:...
, which is a branch of the Malayo-Polynesian language group
Malayo-Polynesian languages
The Malayo-Polynesian languages are a subgroup of the Austronesian languages, with approximately 385.5 million speakers. These are widely dispersed throughout the island nations of Southeast Asia and the Pacific Ocean, with a smaller number in continental Asia...
derived from the Barito languages
Barito languages
The Barito languages are a score of Dayak languages of Borneo, and most famously Malagasy, the national language of Madagascar. They are named after the Barito River....
, spoken in southern Borneo
Borneo
Borneo is the third largest island in the world and is located north of Java Island, Indonesia, at the geographic centre of Maritime Southeast Asia....
.