Myanmar Languages

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Myanmar

Languages

Description

• Myanmar, officially the Republic of the Union of Myanmar (also called Burma) is a country in Southeast Asia.
• Burmese, the mother tongue of the Bamar and official language of Myanmar, is related to Tibetan and Chinese.
• Myanmar is home to four major language families:
  • Sino-Tibetan: These languages are most widely spoken.
    • Burmese
    • Karen
    • Kachin
    • Chin
    • Chinese (mainly Hokkien)
  • Tai–Kadai
    • Shan
  • Austro-Asiatic
    • Mon
    • Palaung: The Palaung people are divided into Palé, Rumai, and Shwe, and each of whom have their own language.
    • Wa
  • Indo-European
    • Pali: Today Pali is studied mainly to gain access to Buddhist scriptures, and is frequently chanted in a ritual context.
    • English
• More than a hundred languages are spoken in total.

Word List(s)

Burmese

• Useful phrases in Burmese (Omniglot)

Karen

• Learn To Speak Karen (DrumPublication)

Kachin or Jingpho

• The Sound of the Jingpho / Kachin language (YouTube)

Chin or Zo (Zou)

• Learning Zomi language 41- phrases (YouTube)

Chinese or Hokkien

• Chinese Genealogical Word List
• Hokkien Vocabulary (Wikipedia)

Shan

• Cushing, Josiah Nelson. Handbook of the Shan language. Rangoon: American Baptist Mission Press, 1888. Available at: WorldCat.

Mon

• Useful phrases in Mon (Omniglot)

Palaung

• The Sound of the Palaung / De'ang language (YouTube)

Wa

• Wa Numbers (Omniglot)

Pali

• A Glossary of Pali & Buddhist terms (nku.edu)

Alphabet and Pronunciation

Burmese

• Burmese phonology (Wikipedia)
• Burmese Alphabet and Pronunciation (Omniglot)

Karen

• Karen Alphabet and Pronunciation (Omniglot)

Kachin or Jingpho

• Jingpho Alphabet and Pronunciation (Omniglot)

Chin or Zo (Zou)

• Zou Alphabet and Pronunciation (Omniglot)

Chinese or Hokkien

• Hokkien phonology (Wikipedia)

Shan

• Shan Alphabet and Pronunciation (Omniglot)

Mon

• Mon Alphabet and Pronunciation (Omniglot)

Palaung

• Palaung Alphabet and Pronunciation (Omniglot)

Wa

• Wa Alphabet and Pronunciation (Omniglot)

Pali

• Pali Alphabet and Pronunciation (Omniglot)

Language Aids and Dictionaries

Burmese

• English to Burmese Dictionary (Glosbe)
• Burmese Dictionary (Lexilogos)
• The most important vocabulary to know during your trip in Burma (Evaneos)

Karen

• English to Karen Dictionary (Glosbe)

Kachin or Jingpho

• English to Kachin Dictionary (Glosbe)
• Kachin - Jinghpaw language & English language (YouTube)

Chin or Zo (Zou)

• English to Zou Dictionary (Glosbe)

Chinese or Hokkien

• English to Chinese Dictionary (Glosbe)

Shan

• English to Shan Dictionary (Glosbe)

Mon

• English to Mon Dictionary (Glosbe)

Palaung

• English to Ruching Palaung Dictionary (Glosbe)
• English to Rumai Palaung Dictionary (Glosbe)
• English to Shwe Palaung Dictionary (Glosbe)

Wa

• English to Wa Dictionary (Glosbe)

Pali

• English to Pali Dictionary (Glosbe)

Additional Resources

• Useful Burmese Phrases for Travelers to Myanmar (WorldNomads)
• Myanmar (Britannica)
• Myanmar (Wikitravel)