How to pronounce the vowel O in Malagasy language?

daôly /daoli/=dôly /doli/=daholo /dahulu/= all of you

The vowel o is always pronounced /u/. But there are some exceptions.

Opening of lips/mouth	Back of the mouth
close	O /u/ (1)
mid	O /o/ (2)

(from free wikipedia) Wherever the position of the vowel o, it is pronounced /u/

First syllable	Second syllable	Third/fourth syllable
olona (people/person) /uluna/	Lafo (expensive) / lafu/	Mololo (hay) /mululu/
Tolona (battle/wresting) / tuluna/	Gorodona (wooden floor) /guruduna/	Ronono (milk) /rununu/

Exceptions (2)

The vowel o is pronounced /o/ when the syllable bears an accent, or it is a diphtongue ao/oa. Oa is normally pronounced /u/ in roa/ toa/ moa/koa/ loa/doa. And ao is normally distinctly pronounced aoriana (a-oriana), rasao (rasa-o), izao (iza-o), so on. But here they are  stressed so they become /o/. /o/ is also used for a new word from a foreign language, and adapted to the Malagasy language.

O graphed o pronounced /u/ (1)	O graphed ao/oa/ô pronounced /o/ (2)
Fo (heart ) /fu / Loko (color) / luku/	Laoka (meat) /loka/
Mofo (bread) /muff/	Loaka (void/hole)/ loka/ Goaka (hole)  /goka/ Mipoaka (blasting) /m’poka/
Loha (head) / lu’a/	Mibôsy (to work) from boss (Am)  /m’bossi/ Mikilôsy (not fitting) from cloche (Fr) /m’kloss/

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EXERCISES

A-Put back /o/ [ao/oa/ ô]  or /u/ [O]: and put how you pronounce it /o/ or /u/:

1) V…sazy i Zaka fa maditra.

2) Tsy mahay les…na i Malala.

3) Misol… tena ny mpifidy ny depioté.

4) eo anol…n’ny trano misy magazay ary ao aoriana misy mpanety v..lo.

5) B…r…sio ny nify.

6) Mar… ny mpanao gazety tonga naka sary.

7) Sar…bidy ny aina, fa tsy ananan-dr...

8) ts…ts…tra ny sakaf.. fa tsisy haingitraingitra.

B-How do you pronounce o here?
Listen here 
https://docs.google.com/file/d/0BwDbOGaZ6bSPel9SZDROUVNNVkU/edit

/u/	/o/

1-Voafetra

2-Tononina

3-Sokajy

4-Feo

5-No

6-Itsaboana

7-Voahosy

8-Kapoka

9-Loto

10-Toro

11-Trano

12-Domy

13-io

14-Betsileo

15-Tanosy

16-Bitro

17-toetra

C- TEXT:  

Put under the vowel o the right pronunciation : /u/ or /o/

Fiainam-pianakaviana – Voatondro ho mampirongatra ny herisetra eo amin’ny mpivady ireo fiangonana sasany

Fombafombam-pivavahana miafara amin’ny herisetra sy fisaraham-panambadiana. Voamarik’ireo mpiantsehatra momba ny fiarovana ny zon’ny olombelona ny firoboroboan’ny herisetra eo amin’ny mpivady hatramin’ny nisian’ireo antokom-pivavahana [ kristianina ] maro samihafa [=sekta]. Samy nanaporofo izany avokoa ireo mpiantsehatra ireo, nandritra ny fifanakalozan-kevitra nokarakarain’ny  »Hetsika kristianina ho fanafoanana ny herisetra » (Acat) teny amin’ny tranomboky monisipaly Analakely.

« Fitarainana manodidina ny 30 isan’andro no voarainay momba ny herisetra sy ny fanolanana eo amin’ny mpivady. Ny fisian’ny fomba ifampifehezana any anatin’ireny fiangonana miforona etsy sy eroa ireny no fototry ny ankamaroan’ny fitarainana », araka ny nambaran-ny mpandrindra nasionalin’ny (Acat).

Voatanisa nandritra ny fifanakalozan-kevitra ireo fomba samihafa mety mitarika fikorontanan’ny fiainam-pianakaviana maro toy ny fisarahan-toerana, ny fanaovana saron-doha, ny fanaovana akanjo rebareba, …. « Heverin’ny lehilahy ho toy ny vehivavy tsy mahava-tena ny vehivavy rehefa manao saron-doha foana, na manao rebareba matetika. Izany fiheverana izany no mitarika ny fanafintohinana ka mahatonga ny herisetra. (....)

 AO RAHA Newspaper 8/12/2012.

audio text  https://docs.google.com/file/d/0BwDbOGaZ6bSPXzdzT0hFU2tLaEk/edit

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VALINY

A-Put back /o/ [ao/oa/ ô]  or /u/ [O]: and put how you pronounce it /o/ or /u/

1) Voasazy i Zaka fa maditra./o/

2) Tsy mahay lesona i Malala./u/

3) Misolo tena ny mpifidy ny depioté./u/

4) Eo anoloan’ny trano misy magazay ary ao aoriana misy mpanety volo./u//u/

5) Borosio ny nify./u//u/

6) Maro  ny mpanao gazety tonga naka sary./u/

7) Sarobidy ny aina, fa tsy ananan-droa./u//u/

8) Tsotsotra ny sakafo fa tsisy haingitraingitra./u/u/u/

 B-How do you pronounce o here?

/u/	/o/
2-Tononina 3-Sokajy 4-Feo 5-No 6Itsaboana 8-Kapoka 9-Loto 10-Toro 11-Trano 13-io 14-Betsileo 15-Tanosy 16-Bitro 17-toetra	1-Voafetra 7-Voahosy 12-Domy (from domino Fr)

voa-: may be pronounced vo-a /u-a/ if it is in the written language and   /vo/ in the oral form ( or when mute h or vowels like i and e are in the following syllables, it is also used as an emphatic stress voatifitra/o/voakapoka/o/)

C- Answers:

 all  o or a-o/o-a are pronounced /u/ except 

foana /o/ fotoana /u//o/ and voa- pronounced vo-a or vo as you like ( in the written language it is vo-a but pronounced it is likely vô)