| 释义 |
Hova|ˈhəʊvə, ˈhʌvə|
Also Ovah.
[Malagasy.]
a. A member of the dominant race of Madagascar; also, in restricted use, one of the middle class, as distinct from the nobles and the slaves. Also collect.
b. The language of this race. Also attrib.
1839Penny Cycl. XIV. 259/2 The Ovahs, who inhabit the elevated plains in the interior, are in height rather above the European standard. 1858W. Ellis Three Visits to Madagascar 468 In Madagascar itself different dialects exist. The spoken language of the Hovas..differs from that on the coasts. 1883Encycl. Brit. XV. 171/1 The Hòva, who occupy the central province of Imérina. Ibid. 172/2 The majority of Hòva houses are built of layers of the hard red clay of the country. 1887Fortn. Rev. Mar. 435 Only a few months ago French politicians..called the Hovas barbarians. 1911J. G. Frazer Golden Bough: Magic Art (ed. 3) I. vii. 397 The Hovas and other tribes of Madagascar. 1915J. Sibree Naturalist in Madagascar xxii. 299 Their [sc. Sàkalàva] language presents a good deal of difference from the Hova form of Malagasy, both in vocabulary and in pronounciation, yet the groundwork and the grammar is essentially the same. 1972A. Sillery Africa (ed. 2) ii. 114 The most important native people, as well as the most numerous and advanced, are the Merina or Ambaniandro, commonly called Hova, whose homeland is Imerina on the plateau near Antananarivo. |