| Burmese is the language that is most commonly
spoken in Myanmar. It is a member of the Tibeto-Burman family of languages.
Tribal minorities have their own languages and dialects. There are about
135 languages and 4 major dialects spoken in Myanmar.
Burmese is tonal like Chinese, Thai or Laotian.
Depending on the intonation, the word kya can refer to a tiger or
to a unit of currency. The word taung could mean basket or mountain.
Every syllable may be pronounced in five ways. There are three tones (high,
even and heavy) and two ways of pronouncing syllables (with a glottal stop
or as a short, unaccented syllable). Burmese is written in a special script
with rounded characters. There are 30 consonants, 7 vowels and two diphthongs. |
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| The art of courtesy and persuasion (called
a-nah-dah) is very important. For example, rather than saying "no"
outright, a speaker must convince the other person that what cannot be
achieved is not worth having. Myanmar etiquette also distinguishes between
a lie and statement that is not the whole truth. There is a time and place
for the latter. The goal is a situation in which both parties feel they
have won.
There are many forms of address in Myanmar. U
means uncle, ko means elder brother or friend, maung means
a boy or young man, bo means leader, ma means sister or young
girl, daw means aunt and saya means teacher or master. The
language also includes unique kin terms. The in-laws of a married couple
may address each other as khamee or khamet. The husbands
of two sisters would call each other ma yah nyi ako. |
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Did you know? |
| In
Myanmar, pointing a finger, hand or foot at someone is considered rude.
When offering or receiving gifts, both hands are used. When talking to
an older person, one does not sit at the same level, as a mark of respect.
The head is sacred, and touching someone else's head is unacceptable. |
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