The register of the English language used in the country of Myanmar (Burma)
Burmese English
(also called
Myanmar English
) is the
register
of the
English language
used in
Myanmar
(Burma), spoken as first or second language by an estimated 2.4 million people, about 5% of the population (1997).
[1]
The English language was initially introduced to the country during the
British colonial period
, spanning from 1824 until independence in 1948.
[2]
History
[
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]
The
British Empire
annexed modern-day Myanmar in three stages over a six-decade span (1824?1885). It administered Myanmar as a province of
British India
until 1937, and as a separate colony until 1948. During the
British colonial period
, English was the
medium of instruction
in higher education, although it did not replace
Burmese
as the vernacular. English was the medium of instruction in universities and two types of secondary schools: English schools and Anglo-Vernacular schools (where English was taught as a second language). Burmese English resembles
Indian English
to a degree because of historical ties to India during British colonization.
On 1 June 1950, a new education policy was implemented to replace English as the medium of instruction in all state schools, although universities, which continued to use English as the medium of instruction, were unaffected. English was taught as a second language from the Fifth Standard.
[3]
Until 1965, English was the language of instruction at Burmese universities.
In 1965, Burmese replaced English as the
medium of instruction
at the university level, with the passing of the New University Education Law the previous year.
[4]
English language education was reintroduced in 1982. Currently, English is taught from Standard 0 (kindergarten), as a second language. Since 1991, in the 9th and 10th Standards, English and Burmese have both been used as the medium of instruction, particularly in science and math subjects, which use English-language textbooks.
[3]
Because of this, many Burmese are better able to communicate in written English than in spoken English, due to the emphasis placed on writing and reading.
Characteristics
[
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]
Orthography
[
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]
The preferred system of spelling is based on that of the British, although
American English
spellings have become increasingly popular. Because
Adoniram Judson
, an American, created the first Burmese-English dictionary, many American English spellings are common (e.g.
color
,
check
,
encyclopedia
).
[5]
The ?-ize? spelling is more commonly used than the ?-ise? spelling.
Vocabulary
[
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]
Burmese English is often characterised by its unaspirated consonants, similar to Indian English. It also borrows words from standard English and uses them in a slightly different context. For instance, "pavement" (British English) or "sidewalk" (US English) is commonly called "platform" in Burmese English. "Stage show" is also preferred over "concert."
For units of measurement Burmese English use both those of the
Imperial System
and those of the
International System of Units
interchangeably, but the values correspond to the SI system. Burmese English continues to use Indian numerical units such as
lakh
and
crore
.
The
Burmese language
, especially the colloquial form, has borrowed daily vocabulary from English, especially as
portmanteaus
with native Burmese vocabulary. For instance, the Burmese word for 'ball' is
bawlon
(
???
????
,
lit.
'
round ball
'
), while the Burmese word for
bus
is
bat-sa-ka
(
????
???
,
lit.
'
bus car
'
).
Honorifics
[
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]
Burmese names represented in English often include various honorifics, most commonly "U", "Daw", and "Sayadaw". For older Burmese who only have one or two syllables in their names these honorifics may be an integral part of the name.
Pronunciation
[
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]
In Burmese English, the k, p, and t consonants are unaspirated (pronounced
/k/,
/p/,
/t/
), as a general rule, as in Indian English. The following are commonly seen pronunciation differences between Standard English and Burmese English:
[6]
[7]
Standard English
|
Burmese English
|
Remarks
|
(e.g.
further
,
Burma
)
|
/a/
|
Pronounced with a high tone (drawn-out vowel), as in Burmese
|
Word-final
(e.g.
now
,
brow
)
|
/au?/
|
Pronounced with a nasal final instead of an open vowel
|
Word-final
(e.g.
pie
,
lie
)
|
/ai?/
|
Pronounced with a nasal final instead of an open vowel
|
(e.g.
tuba
)
|
/t?u/
|
e.g. "tuition," commonly pronounced
[t?u?i?]
|
(e.g.
ski
)
|
/s?k-/
|
Pronounced as 2 syllables
|
(e.g.
star
)
|
/s?t-/
|
Pronounced as 2 syllables
|
(e.g.
plug
)
|
/p?l/
|
Pronounced as 2 syllables
|
(e.g. spoon)
|
/s?p/
|
Pronounced as 2 syllables
|
(e.g.
vine
)
|
/b/
|
|
(e.g.
think
)
|
/??/
|
Pronounced with a short, creaky tone (short vowel)
|
(e.g.
thing
)
|
/i?/
|
Pronounced as a nasal final
|
consonantal finals (.e.g.
stop
)
|
/-?/
|
Pronounced as a glottal stop (as in written Burmese, where consonantal finals are pronounced as a stop)
|
In addition, many words retain British pronunciation, such as
vitamin
. Burmese English is
non-rhotic
.
References
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]
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Europe
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Americas
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Oceania
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Africa
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Asia
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Related
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