LAUSR

Abstract Two words, Malagasy and Madagascan, have emerged in the literature as English terms to refer to the people, the culture, and other animate and inanimate objects from Madagascar, the choice of which has left room for confusion for users (e.g. Malagasy art or Madagascan art, Malagasy rice or Madagascan rice, Malagasy Republic or Madagascan Republic, and so forth). This article has two aims: (1) understanding the sources of such confusion, and (2) subsequently proposing a unified English term (noun and adjective) that will avoid further misperceptions in written and verbal communications accounting for Madagascar. The results from investigating the Web of Science, from historical documents, and from viewpoints from online survey combine to suggest that the term ‘Malagasy’ must have unintentionally been substituted by the term ‘Madagascan’ from the earliest documented usage until now. These two words have been used interchangeably, and the usage has never been applied consistently. This could have been influenced by the simple assumption that ‘Madagascan’ is an intuitive form, derivative of Madagascar. The word “Malagasy” is not simply a straightforward English–Malagasy translation but there is much meaning to it that relate to the history and the culture of Madagascar. ‘Malagasy’ is unique to Madagascar, and in future usage in the English language, we recommend everyone to use it as a word qualifier for different objects, animals, plants, and the people of Madagascar.