Myanmar Language: Discovery Of Myanmar Language's Significance

To better understand Myanmar's culture, travelers are highly encouraged to learn more about the country's language. Let Myanmar Immigration Services provide you with the most up-to-date information about the Myanmar language, with its rich history and unique characteristics, contributing to the cultural tapestry of Myanmar. From its melodious tones to its elegant script, the Myanmar language evokes the inspiration of discovery for both linguists and culture enthusiasts alike. 

Myanmar language has a rich history and unique characteristics

What is the official language of Myanmar?

Myanmar, officially the Republic of the Union of Myanmar (also called Burma), is a fascinating Southeast Asian country.

The official language of Burma is Burmese, also known as the Myanmar language. As the dominant language spoken by the majority of the population, Burmese holds significant cultural and political importance in the country. It serves as the medium of instruction in schools, the language of government and administration, and the primary means of communication among the diverse ethnic groups within Myanmar. Burmese, with its unique phonetics, graceful script, and distinct grammatical structure, encapsulates the linguistic heritage of the nation.

The Burmese language belongs to the Lolo-Burmese sub-branch of the Tibeto-Burmese branch within the Sino-Tibetan language family. Sino-Tibetan is among the four major language families in Myanmar, besides Tai-Kadai, Austro-Asiatic, and Indo-European. Currently, there are more than a hundred Myanmar languages spoken in the country in total. Nowadays, the Burmese language is spoken not only in Myanmar but also in countries such as Bangladesh, Malaysia, Thailand, and the United States. The famous language encyclopedic reference work cataloging, Ethnologue, estimates that the global population of Burmese speakers slightly exceeds 32 million individuals.

Throughout history, the Burmese language has encountered speakers of various other languages, resulting in linguistic influences. Notably, interactions with languages like Pali and Mon, which were spoken by the earliest occupants of Burma, and European languages such as Portuguese, Dutch, English, and French have all impacted the spoken form of Burmese, but not on its written form. Consequently, modern colloquial Burmese used in everyday conversations differs significantly from the formal written version found in textbooks, formal writing, newspapers, fiction, and expository prose. The written form of the language retains numerous Pali words and syntactic structures that are no longer prevalent in the spoken language.

The official language of Burma is Burmese

Learning More About the Linguistic Features of Myanmar Language

Grammar

Burmese is classified as an analytic language, wherein grammatical functions are conveyed primarily through word order and postpositional particles, rather than relying on inflections as seen in Indo-European languages. 

These particles serve various purposes, including marking subjects, functioning as prepositional equivalents, and serving as classifiers for counting. Additionally, particles in Burmese can fulfill discourse-related functions, such as indicating the topic of a sentence. 

Writing

Writing in the Burmese language is characterized by its unique script derived from the ancient Brahmi script of India. Due to its origin as a script designed for an Indo-Aryan language, the Burmese script is not perfectly tailored to accurately represent the sounds of Burmese, a Sino-Tibetan one. Therefore, significant discrepancies exist between the orthography (the way words are spelled) and pronunciation in Burmese.

Burmese writing utilizes a syllabic script, where the basic unit is a consonant-based syllable with an inherent /a/ vowel, indicated by a circular stroke above the character. The script is written horizontally from left to right, with its basic set of symbols consisting of 33 consonants and 14 vowels. Burmese writing has a graceful and flowing appearance, with curvilinear strokes and intricate shapes. The Burmese alphabet predominantly comprises circles or portions of circles, which are combined in various ways to form the different sounds of the language.

Word order

The structure of the Burmese language is characterized by its subject-object-verb (SOV) word order, which sets it apart from languages with subject-verb-object (SVO) word order like English. In Burmese sentences, the subject typically comes first, followed by the object, and finally the verb.

Some linguistic features of the Myanmar language

Vocabulary

The religious and linguistic influences of Hinduism and Buddhism have left a deep imprint on the Burmese language. Consequently, the spoken language incorporates learned or specialized vocabulary that has entered through the written form, often containing loanwords from Pali. This is similar to the presence of Latinate words in English. Furthermore, the period of British rule from 1886 to 1937 introduced a substantial number of English words, particularly those related to business, technology, science, and politics. 

Tones

Burmese is considered a tonal language. All syllables encompass prosodic features that are crucial components of their pronunciation and significantly impact word meaning. According to analysis, Burmese has four main tones: low, high, creaky, and checked. These tones are used to differentiate words and sentences, with slight variations in pitch contour and phonation affecting the interpretation of the spoken words. Mastering the correct tones is crucial for effective communication in Burmese, as using the wrong tone can lead to misunderstandings or change the intended message. 

Verb Phrases

In the Burmese language, verbs exhibit a unique structure that combines a root or stem and separate particles that express mood, aspect, tense, positive/negative polarity, and politeness. The base form of Burmese verbs remains constant and unchanged, irrespective of factors such as person, number, or tense. Instead of relying on conjugation, Burmese utilizes the appropriate particles to indicate the desired grammatical nuances within a sentence. This distinctive feature of Burmese verbs allows for flexibility and simplicity in constructing sentences.

Common Phrases For Foreigners Visiting Myanmar

• Hello (General greeting): မဂႆလာပၝ (min-ga-la-ba)
• I'm from ...: ...ကပါ။ (k-par)
• Pleased to meet you: ေတွ ရတာ ဝမ်းသာပါတယ်။ (twé-yá-da wùn-tha-ba-deh)
• Good morning: မဂႆလာပၝ (min-ga-la-ba)
• Good afternoon: မဂႆလာပၝ (min-ga-la-ba)
• Good evening: မဂႆလာပၝ (min-ga-la-ba)
• Goodbye:  ဘိုင်။ (bhine) or ဘိုင်ဘိုင်။ (bhinebhine)
• Yes: ho-de
• No: Ma ho bu
• Excuse me: Thwa-nè
• Please: Kyeizu pyu yue
• Thank you: ေက်းဇူးတန္ပါတယ္။ (cè-zù tin-ba-deh)

Hope the article above helps you answer the question: "What is the official language of Myanmar" and gain helpful information about the Burmese language. Nowadays, the official language of Burma continues to flourish as a means of communication, preserving the country's traditions, literature, and identity. With so many things it has to offer, how about planning a trip to discover more about Myanmar's diverse culture and immerse yourself in the exciting festivals in the country?

Get your Myanmar visa today and travel to this fascinating country, where many wonders and precious moments are waiting for you!