[3] Minangkabau is one of a few languages that generally lacks verb forms and grammatical subject-object distinctions.

Youth in the city will frequently use a mixture of conversational Minang and Indonesian slang.

[2] Along the western coastal region of North Sumatra, the language is also a lingua franca.

Significant numbers of the early migrants settled in what is now the Malaysian state of Negeri Sembilan; this Negeri Sembilan Malay, known as Bahaso Nogori / Baso Nogoghi, is now a distinct language, more closely related to Malay than to Minangkabau.

The Minangkabau language has several dialects, sometimes differing between nearby villages (e.g. separated by a river).