A pocket phrasebook for the south-west

The coast south of Toliara is home to the Vezo, a people of fishers and pirogue sailors. You meet them on the beach, at the market, around the morning’s catch.

A few pronunciation pointers. Malagasy spelling is fairly regular for a French or English reader. Final syllables are barely voiced, and the stress usually falls on the second-to-last. The Vezo use forms of their own in the south-west, sometimes different from official Malagasy: “akory” to greet, “riake” for the sea.

How to use it. A “salama” on arrival, a “misaotra” on leaving, an “azafady” before asking for something: that is already a lot. Nobody expects a correct sentence, only the effort.