Burmese dialects
Encyclopedia
There are a number of mutually intelligible Burmese dialects in the Burmese language
, with a largely uniform standard dialect used by most Burmese speakers, who live throughout the Irrawaddy River valley and more distinctive non-standard dialects that emerge as one toward peripheral areas of the country. These dialects include Palaw
, Beik/Myeik (Merguese), and Dawei
(Tavoyan) in Taninthayi Division, Yaw in Magway Division
, Intha
and Danu
in Shan State
, Rakhine
(Arakanese) in Rakhine State
and Marma in Bangladesh
. Despite vocabulary and pronunciation differences, there is mutual intelligibility among Burmese dialects, as for the most part, they share the same four tones, consonant clusters and the Burmese script. However, several dialects differ in Burmese with respect to vocabulary, lexical particles, and rhymes.
ethnicity) in Lower Burma
is relatively recent. As late as mid-18th century, Mon
was the principal language of Lower Burma. After the Burmese-speaking Konbaung dynasty
's victory over the Mon-speaking Restored Hanthawaddy Kingdom
in 1757, the shift to Burmese language (and to Burman ethnicity) began throughout Lower Burma. By 1830, due to assimilation, the migration of Burmese speakers from north and intermarriage, it is estimated that about 90% of the population in the region identified themselves as Burman (and Burmese speakers). In the British colonial era, British incentives, particularly geared toward rice production, as well as political instability in Upper Burma
accelerated this migration.
Despite its Upper Burmese origins, the standard dialect
of Burmese today comes from Yangon
(Lower Burma), because of the largest city's media influence. It used to be that the speech from Mandalay
(Upper Burma) represented standard Burmese. Most differences between Upper and Lower Burmese are in vocabulary usage, not in the accent or pronunciation. For example, the most noticeable feature of the Mandalay dialect is its use of the first person pronoun (kya.nau [tɕənɔ]̀) for both males and females, whereas in Yangon, (kya.ma. [tɕəma̰]) is used by females.
1 The youngest (paternal or maternal) aunt may be called [dwé lé], and the youngest paternal uncle [ba̰ dwé].
In a testament to the power of media, the Yangon-based speech is gaining currency even in Upper Burma. Upper Burmese-specific usage, while historically and technically accurate, is increasingly viewed as countrified speech, or at best regional speech. In fact, some usages are already considered strictly regional Upper Burmese speech, and are likely dying out. For example:
In general, the male-centric names of old Burmese for familial terms have been replaced in standard Burmese with formerly female-centric terms, which are now used by both sexes. One holdover is the use of (younger brother to a male) and (younger brother to a female). Terms like (elder brother to a male) and (younger sister to a male) now are used in standard Burmese only as part of compound words like (brothers) or (brother and sister).
The Arakanese dialect (also known as the Rakhine; ɹəkʰàiɴ bàðà, MLCTS
: rakhuin bhasa) is spoken by 730,000 people in Burma's Rakhine State
and an additional 35,000 in neighboring Bangladesh . Rakhine proper can be divided into three varieties: Sittwe
(about two thirds of speakers), Kyaukphyu
and Thandwe
. A more divergent form, Ramree (Yangbye) was spoken by another 800,000 in 1983. Including such divergent forms, the total number of Arakanese speakers is estimated to be 1.5 million to 3 million in Burma, about 200,000 in Bangladesh, and 16,000 to 32,000 in India.
Arakanese is especially prominent in its usage of the /r/ sound, which has merged to the /j/ sound in standard Burmese. Also, Arakanese has merged various vowel sounds like ([e]) vowel to ([i]). Hence, a word like "blood" is ([θwé]) in standard Burmese while it pronounced [θwí] in Arakanese. According to speakers of standard Burmese, Arakanese only has an intelligibility of seventy-five percent with Burmese. Moreover, there is less voicing in Arakanese than in Standard Burmese, occurring only when the consonant is unaspirated. Unlike in Burmese, voicing never shifts from [θ] to [ð].
Because Arakanese has preserved the /r/ sound, the /-r-/ medial (preserved only in writing in Standard Burmese with the diacritic ) is still distinguished in the following consonant clusters: /ɡr- kr- kʰr- ŋr- pr- pʰr- br- mr- m̥r- hr-/.
There are also significant vocabulary differences from Standard Burmese. Some are native words with no cognates in Standard Burmese, like "sarong" ( in Standard Burmese, in Arakanese). Others are loan words from Bengali
, English
, and Hindi, not found in standard Burmese. An example is "hospital," which is called in Standard Burmese, but is called in Arakanese, from English "sick lines." Other words simply have different meanings (e.g., "afternoon", in Arakanese and in Standard Burmese). Moreover, some archaic words in Standard Burmese are preferred in Arakanese. An example is the first person pronoun, which is in Arakanese (not , as in Standard Burmese).
The Arakanese dialect has a higher frequency of open vowels weakening to /ə/. An example is the word for "salary," which is [la̰ɡa̰] in standard Burmese, but [ləkha̰] in Arakanese.
The following are consonantal, vowel and rhyme changes found in the Arakanese dialect:
in Magway Division
, particularly in Gangaw District
, which comprises Saw
, Htilin
, and Gangaw
. The Yaw dialect is very similar to standard Burmese except for the following rhyme changes:
, including Myeik/Beik (Merguese) and Dawei (Tavoyan), are especially conservative in comparison to Standard Burmese. For instance, the Dawei dialect has preserved the /-l-/ medial, which is only found in Old Burmese inscriptions. Merguese is spoken by around 250,000 people. The Tavoyan (Dawei) dialect is spoken by another 40,000. A second, well-known, dialect called Tavoyan is spoken by 400,000.
and Thai
not found in Standard Burmese.
In the Tavoyan dialect, terms of endearment
, as well as family terms, are considerably different from Standard Burmese. For instance, the terms for "son" and "daughter" are (/pʰa̰ òu/) and (/mḭ òu/) respectively. Moreover, the honorific (Naung) is used in lieu of (Maung) for young males.
The following is a list of rhyme changes unique to the Tavoyan dialect:
, a group of Bamar
descendants who migrated to Inle Lake
in Shan State. The dialect is spoken by 90,000. The Intha dialect is characterized by a retention of the /-l-/ medial (for the following consonant clusters: /kl- kʰl- pl- pʰl- ml- hml-/). Examples include:
There is no voicing with the presence of either aspirated or unaspirated consonants. For instance, (Buddha) is pronounced [boʊʔda̰] in standard Burmese, but [poʊʔtʰa̰] in the Intha dialect. This is probably due to influence from the Shan language
.
Furthermore, (/θ/ in standard Burmese) has merged to /sʰ/ in the Intha dialect.
Also, rhyme changes from standard Burmese follow these patterns:
Burmese language
The Burmese language is the official language of Burma. Although the constitution officially recognizes it as the Myanmar language, most English speakers continue to refer to the language as Burmese. Burmese is the native language of the Bamar and related sub-ethnic groups of the Bamar, as well as...
, with a largely uniform standard dialect used by most Burmese speakers, who live throughout the Irrawaddy River valley and more distinctive non-standard dialects that emerge as one toward peripheral areas of the country. These dialects include Palaw
Palaw
-External links:*...
, Beik/Myeik (Merguese), and Dawei
Dawei
-Transport:Only recently Dawei was connected to the rest of Myanmar by road and rail. There are plans to construct a deepwater port in Dawei. In November 2010, the Myanmar Port Authority signed a USD $8.6 billion deal with Italian-Thai Development to develop a deep sea port at Dawei...
(Tavoyan) in Taninthayi Division, Yaw in Magway Division
Magway Division
Magway Region is an administrative division in central Burma . Magway Region is the largest of Myanmar's seven divisions, with an area of .-Geography:...
, Intha
Intha people
The Intha are members of a Tibeto-Burman ethnic group living around Inle Lake. They speak an archaic dialect of Burmese, and are believed to have come from the Dawei area. They often live on Inle Lake, and support themselves through the tending of vegetable farms on floating gardens...
and Danu
Danu people
The Danu people are a sub-ethnic group of the Bamar, predominantly populating the areas near Pindaya Caves, in Shan State of Burma. They speak an archaic dialect of Burmese.-External links:*...
in Shan State
Shan State
Shan State is a state of Burma . Shan State borders China to the north, Laos to the east, and Thailand to the south, and five administrative divisions of Burma in the west. Largest of the 14 administrative divisions by land area, Shan State covers 155,800 km², almost a quarter of the total...
, Rakhine
Rakhine people
The Rakhine , is a nationality in Myanmar forming the majority along the coastal region of present day Rakhine State or Arakan State. They possibly constitute 5.53% or more of Myanmar's total population but no accurate census figures exist. Rakhine people also live in the southeastern parts of...
(Arakanese) in Rakhine State
Rakhine State
Rakhine State is a Burmese state. Situated on the western coast, it is bordered by Chin State in the north, Magway Region, Bago Region and Ayeyarwady Region in the east, the Bay of Bengal to the west, and the Chittagong Division of Bangladesh to the northwest. It is located approximately between...
and Marma in Bangladesh
Bangladesh
Bangladesh , officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh is a sovereign state located in South Asia. It is bordered by India on all sides except for a small border with Burma to the far southeast and by the Bay of Bengal to the south...
. Despite vocabulary and pronunciation differences, there is mutual intelligibility among Burmese dialects, as for the most part, they share the same four tones, consonant clusters and the Burmese script. However, several dialects differ in Burmese with respect to vocabulary, lexical particles, and rhymes.
Standard dialects
Spoken Burmese is remarkably uniform among Burmese speakers, particularly those living in the Irrawaddy River valley, who all use variants of Standard Burmese. The first major reason for the uniformity is the traditional Burmese Buddhist monastic education system, which encouraged education and uniformity in language throughout the Upper Irrawaddy valley, the traditional homeland of the Burmans. (According to the 1891 British census conducted five years after the annexation of the entire country, Konbaung Burma had an "unusually high male literacy" rate where 62.5% of age 25 and over in Upper Burma could read and write. The figure would have been much higher if non-Burmans (e.g., Chins, Kachins, etc.) were excluded. For the whole country, the literacy rate was 49% for males and 5.5% for females.) Secondly, the spread of Burmese speakers (and of BurmanBamar
The Bamar are the dominant ethnic group of Burma , constituting approximately two-thirds of the population. The Bamar live primarily in the Irrawaddy basin, and speak the Burmese language, which is also the official language of Burma. Bamar customs and identity are closely intertwined with general...
ethnicity) in Lower Burma
Lower Burma
Lower Burma is a geographic region of Burma and includes the low-lying Irrawaddy delta , as well as coastal regions of the country ....
is relatively recent. As late as mid-18th century, Mon
Mon language
The Mon language is an Austroasiatic language spoken by the Mon, who live in Burma and Thailand. Mon, like the related language Cambodian—but unlike most languages in Mainland Southeast Asia—is not tonal. Mon is spoken by more than a million people today. In recent years, usage of Mon has...
was the principal language of Lower Burma. After the Burmese-speaking Konbaung dynasty
Konbaung dynasty
The Konbaung Dynasty was the last dynasty that ruled Burma from 1752 to 1885. The dynasty created the second largest empire in Burmese history, and continued the administrative reforms begun by the Toungoo dynasty, laying the foundations of modern state of Burma...
's victory over the Mon-speaking Restored Hanthawaddy Kingdom
Restored Hanthawaddy Kingdom
The Restored Hanthawaddy Kingdom was the kingdom that ruled Lower Burma and parts of Upper Burma from 1740 to 1757. The kingdom grew out of a rebellion by the Mon people, who then formed the majority in Lower Burma, against the Burman Toungoo Dynasty of Ava in Upper Burma...
in 1757, the shift to Burmese language (and to Burman ethnicity) began throughout Lower Burma. By 1830, due to assimilation, the migration of Burmese speakers from north and intermarriage, it is estimated that about 90% of the population in the region identified themselves as Burman (and Burmese speakers). In the British colonial era, British incentives, particularly geared toward rice production, as well as political instability in Upper Burma
Upper Burma
Upper Burma refers to a geographic region of Burma , traditionally encompassing Mandalay and its periphery , or more broadly speaking, Kachin and Shan States....
accelerated this migration.
Despite its Upper Burmese origins, the standard dialect
Standard language
A standard language is a language variety used by a group of people in their public discourse. Alternatively, varieties become standard by undergoing a process of standardization, during which it is organized for description in grammars and dictionaries and encoded in such reference works...
of Burmese today comes from Yangon
Yangon
Yangon is a former capital of Burma and the capital of Yangon Region . Although the military government has officially relocated the capital to Naypyidaw since March 2006, Yangon, with a population of over four million, continues to be the country's largest city and the most important commercial...
(Lower Burma), because of the largest city's media influence. It used to be that the speech from Mandalay
Mandalay
Mandalay is the second-largest city and the last royal capital of Burma. Located north of Yangon on the east bank of the Irrawaddy River, the city has a population of one million, and is the capital of Mandalay Region ....
(Upper Burma) represented standard Burmese. Most differences between Upper and Lower Burmese are in vocabulary usage, not in the accent or pronunciation. For example, the most noticeable feature of the Mandalay dialect is its use of the first person pronoun (kya.nau [tɕənɔ]̀) for both males and females, whereas in Yangon, (kya.ma. [tɕəma̰]) is used by females.
Family terms
The most obvious difference between Upper Burmese and Lower Burmese is that Upper Burmese speech still differentiates maternal and paternal sides of a family:| Term | Upper Burmese | Lower Burmese | Myeik dialect |
|---|---|---|---|
|
([ʔəjí dʑí]) (or [jí dʑí]) ([ʔəjí lé]) (or [jí lé]) | ([dɔ̀ dʑí]) (or [tɕí tɕí]) ([dɔ̀ lé]) | ([mḭ dʑí]) ([mḭ ŋɛ̀]) |
|
|
([dɔ̀ dʑí]) (or [tɕí tɕí]) ([dɔ̀ lé])1 | ||
|
|
([ba̰ dʑí]) ([ba̰ lé])1 | ([ba̰ dʑí]) ([ʔú lé]) | ([pʰa̰ dʑí]) ([pʰa̰ ŋɛ̀]) |
|
|
([ʔú dʑí]) ([ʔú lé]) |
1 The youngest (paternal or maternal) aunt may be called [dwé lé], and the youngest paternal uncle [ba̰ dwé].
In a testament to the power of media, the Yangon-based speech is gaining currency even in Upper Burma. Upper Burmese-specific usage, while historically and technically accurate, is increasingly viewed as countrified speech, or at best regional speech. In fact, some usages are already considered strictly regional Upper Burmese speech, and are likely dying out. For example:
| Term | Upper Burmese | Standard Burmese |
|---|---|---|
|
([nàuɴ]) ([kò]) | ([kò]) |
|
|
([ɲì]) ([màuɴ]) | |
|
|
([ma̰]) | |
|
|
([ɲəma̰]) ([ɲì ma̰]) | ([ɲì ma̰]) |
In general, the male-centric names of old Burmese for familial terms have been replaced in standard Burmese with formerly female-centric terms, which are now used by both sexes. One holdover is the use of (younger brother to a male) and (younger brother to a female). Terms like (elder brother to a male) and (younger sister to a male) now are used in standard Burmese only as part of compound words like (brothers) or (brother and sister).
Pronunciation differences
Minor pronunciation differences do exist within regions of Irrawaddy valley. Take the example of the pronunciation of ("food offering [to a monk]"): [sʰúɴ] is preferred in Lower Burma instead of [sʰwáɴ], which is preferred in Upper Burma.Arakanese (Rakhine)
The Arakanese dialect (also known as the Rakhine; ɹəkʰàiɴ bàðà, MLCTS
MLC Transcription System
The Myanma Language Commission Transcription System, also known as the MLC Transcription System , is a transliteration system for rendering Burmese in the Latin alphabet. It is loosely based on the Pali romanisation system, has some similarities to the ALA-LC Romanization, and was devised by the...
: rakhuin bhasa) is spoken by 730,000 people in Burma's Rakhine State
Rakhine State
Rakhine State is a Burmese state. Situated on the western coast, it is bordered by Chin State in the north, Magway Region, Bago Region and Ayeyarwady Region in the east, the Bay of Bengal to the west, and the Chittagong Division of Bangladesh to the northwest. It is located approximately between...
and an additional 35,000 in neighboring Bangladesh . Rakhine proper can be divided into three varieties: Sittwe
Sittwe
-Economy:In February 2007, India announced a plan to develop the port, which would enable ocean access from Indian Northeastern states, so called "Seven sisters", like Mizoram, via the Kaladan River....
(about two thirds of speakers), Kyaukphyu
Kyaukpyu
Kyaukpyu is a major town in Rakhine State, in western Myanmar. It is located on the north western corner of Yanbye Island on Combermere Bay, and is 250 miles northwest of Yangon. The town is situated on a superb natural harbor which connects the rice trade between Calcutta and Yangon...
and Thandwe
Thandwe
-Ngapali Beach:Ngapali Beach is a beach located 7 kilometres from the town of Thandwe , in Rakhine State, Myanmar. It is the most famous beach in Myanmar and is a popular tourist destination...
. A more divergent form, Ramree (Yangbye) was spoken by another 800,000 in 1983. Including such divergent forms, the total number of Arakanese speakers is estimated to be 1.5 million to 3 million in Burma, about 200,000 in Bangladesh, and 16,000 to 32,000 in India.
Arakanese is especially prominent in its usage of the /r/ sound, which has merged to the /j/ sound in standard Burmese. Also, Arakanese has merged various vowel sounds like ([e]) vowel to ([i]). Hence, a word like "blood" is ([θwé]) in standard Burmese while it pronounced [θwí] in Arakanese. According to speakers of standard Burmese, Arakanese only has an intelligibility of seventy-five percent with Burmese. Moreover, there is less voicing in Arakanese than in Standard Burmese, occurring only when the consonant is unaspirated. Unlike in Burmese, voicing never shifts from [θ] to [ð].
Because Arakanese has preserved the /r/ sound, the /-r-/ medial (preserved only in writing in Standard Burmese with the diacritic ) is still distinguished in the following consonant clusters: /ɡr- kr- kʰr- ŋr- pr- pʰr- br- mr- m̥r- hr-/.
There are also significant vocabulary differences from Standard Burmese. Some are native words with no cognates in Standard Burmese, like "sarong" ( in Standard Burmese, in Arakanese). Others are loan words from Bengali
Bengali language
Bengali or Bangla is an eastern Indo-Aryan language. It is native to the region of eastern South Asia known as Bengal, which comprises present day Bangladesh, the Indian state of West Bengal, and parts of the Indian states of Tripura and Assam. It is written with the Bengali script...
, English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
, and Hindi, not found in standard Burmese. An example is "hospital," which is called in Standard Burmese, but is called in Arakanese, from English "sick lines." Other words simply have different meanings (e.g., "afternoon", in Arakanese and in Standard Burmese). Moreover, some archaic words in Standard Burmese are preferred in Arakanese. An example is the first person pronoun, which is in Arakanese (not , as in Standard Burmese).
The Arakanese dialect has a higher frequency of open vowels weakening to /ə/. An example is the word for "salary," which is [la̰ɡa̰] in standard Burmese, but [ləkha̰] in Arakanese.
The following are consonantal, vowel and rhyme changes found in the Arakanese dialect:
| Written Burmese | Standard Burmese | Arakanese | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| /-iʔ/ | /-aiʔ/ | e.g. ("genuine") and ("plant") are both pronounced [saiʔ] in Arakanese | |
| /saiʔ/ | |||
| -ɛʔ | |||
| /-iɴ/ | /-aiɴ/ | e.g. ("garden"), from Standard Burmese [ṵ jìɴ] → [wəjàiɴ]. Irregular rhyme, with various pronunciations. In some words, it is /-ɛɴ/ (e.g. "soul", from Standard Burmese [wèiɴ ɲìɴ] → [wḭ ɲɛ̀ɴ]). In a few words, it is /-i -e/ (e.g. "oppress", from Standard Burmese [ɲ̥íɴ] → [ɲ̥í, ɲ̥é]). |
|
| /-aiɴ/ | |||
| /-iɴ/ | /-ɔɴ/ | ||
| /-aɴ -uɴ/ | is /-wɔɴ/ | ||
| /-i, -e, -ɛ/ | /-e/ | A few exceptions are pronounced /-aiɴ/, like ("clear"), pronounced [kràiɴ] | |
| /-e/ | /-i/ | e.g. ("carry") and ("cancel") are pronounced [tɕʰì] and [tɕʰè] respectively in Standard Burmese, but merged to [tɕʰì] in Arakanese | |
| /-aʔ -uʔ/ | /-aʔ/ | ||
| /-eiɴ/ | /-iɴ/ | ||
| /-ouɴ/ | /-uɴ/ | ||
| Nasal initial + Nasal initial + |
/-i/ | /-eiɴ/ | e.g. ("red") is [nì] in Standard Burmese, but [nèiɴ] in Arakanese In some words, the rhyme is unchanged from the standard rhyme (e.g. "land", usually pronounced [mrì], not [mrèiɴ], or "mother", usually pronounced [əmḭ], not [əmḛiɴ] There are few exceptions where the nasal rhyme is /-eiɴ-/ even without a nasal initial (e.g. "thread", from Standard Burmese [θì] → [θèiɴ]). |
| Nasal initial + | /-u/ | /-ouɴ/ | e.g. ("tender") is [nṵ] in Standard Burmese, but [no̰uɴ] in Arakanese |
| /-wá/ | /-ɔ́/ | e.g. ("bamboo") is [wá] in Standard Burmese, but [wɔ́] in Arakanese | |
| /-w-/ | /-rw-/ | Occurs in some words (e.g. ("snake") is [mwè] in Standard Burmese, but [mrwèiɴ] in Arakanese) | |
| /ʃ-/ | /hr-/ | ||
| /tɕʰ-/ | /ʃ-/ | Occasionally occurs (e.g. ("want") is [tɕʰìɴ] in Standard Burmese, but [ʃɔ̀ɴ]~[tɕʰɔ̀ɴ] in Arakanese) | |
| → | /t- d-/ | /r-/ | e.g. The present tense particle ([dɛ̀]) corresponds with ([rɛ̀]) in Arakanese e.g. The plural particle ([do̰]) corresponds with ([ro̰]) in Arakanese |
| /ʃ-/ | /h-/ | Found in some words only | |
| -ɛ | -e |
| Written | ||||||||
| Standard Burmese | ʔəmè ɡa̰ | ðədʒàɴ pwɛ́ dwìɴ | wuʔ jàɴ | tʰəmèiɴ | ʃiʔ tʰɛ̀ | pé laiʔ pà | sʰò dɛ̀ | |
| Arakanese | ʔəmì ɡa̰ | θɔ́ɴkràɴ pwé hmà | waʔ pʰo̰ | dəjɔ̀ | ʃaiʔ tʰè | pí laʔ pà | sʰò rì | |
| Arakanese (written) | ||||||||
| Gloss | ||||||||
| English | Mother says "Give me eight pasos for wearing during the Thingyan festival." | |||||||
| Open syllables | weak = ə full = i, e, ɛ, a, ɔ, o, u |
| Closed | nasal = eiɴ, ɛɴ, aiɴ, auɴ, ɔɴ, ouɴ stop = eiʔ, ɛʔ, aiʔ, auʔ, ɔʔ, ouʔ |
Yaw dialect
The Yaw dialect is spoken by 20,000 people near the Chin HillsChin Hills
The Chin Hills are a range of mountains in Chin State, northwestern Burma , that extends northward into India's Manipur state. They are part of the Arakan Mountain Range . The highest peak in the Chin Hills is Nat Ma Taung, or Khonumthung , in southern Chin State, which reaches 3,053 meters...
in Magway Division
Magway Division
Magway Region is an administrative division in central Burma . Magway Region is the largest of Myanmar's seven divisions, with an area of .-Geography:...
, particularly in Gangaw District
Gangaw District
Gangaw District is a district of the Magway Division in central Myanmar.-Townships:The district contains the following townships:*Gangaw Township*Tilin Township*Saw Township...
, which comprises Saw
Saw Township
Saw Township is a township of Gangaw District in the Magway Region of Burma . The principal town and administrative seat is Saw.-External links:* Township 112 on Myanmar Information Management Unit * Maplandia...
, Htilin
Tilin
Tilin, Tilim or Htilin is a town in Gangaw District in the Magway Region of Burma . It is the administrative seat for Tilin Township.-External links:* Maplandia...
, and Gangaw
Gangaw
Gangaw is a town of Gangaw Township in Gangaw District in the Magway Division in Myanmar. Gangaw is also known as the City of Yaw, a certain region in Myanmar including Gangaw, Tilin, Saw and villages around them...
. The Yaw dialect is very similar to standard Burmese except for the following rhyme changes:
| Written Burmese | Standard Burmese | Yaw dialect | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| /-ɛʔ/ | /-aʔ/ | ||
| /-iɴ/ | /-aɴ/ | ||
| | /-auʔ/ | /-oʔ/ | |
| /-aʔ/ | /-ɛʔ/ | ||
| /-uʔ/ | /wɛʔ/ | ([wùʔ] in Standard Burmese, [wɛʔ] in Yaw) | |
| /-aɴ/ | /-ɛɴ/ | ||
| /-ùɴ/ | /-wɛɴ/ | ([wùɴ] in Standard Burmese, [wɛ̀ɴ] in Yaw) | |
| /-ɛ, -e, -i/ | /-ɛ/ | ||
Taninthayi Division dialects
Dialects in Tanintharyi DivisionTanintharyi Division
Tanintharyi Region , is an administrative region of Myanmar, covering the long narrow southern part of the country on the Kra Isthmus. It borders with the Andaman Sea to the west and with the Tenasserim Hills, beyond which lies Thailand, to the east. To the north is the Mon State. The capital of...
, including Myeik/Beik (Merguese) and Dawei (Tavoyan), are especially conservative in comparison to Standard Burmese. For instance, the Dawei dialect has preserved the /-l-/ medial, which is only found in Old Burmese inscriptions. Merguese is spoken by around 250,000 people. The Tavoyan (Dawei) dialect is spoken by another 40,000. A second, well-known, dialect called Tavoyan is spoken by 400,000.
Tavoyan dialects
The Tavoyan or Dawei dialect retains /-l-/ medial that has since merged into the /-j-/ medial in standard Burmese and can form the following consonant clusters: /ɡl-/, /kl-/, /kʰl-/, /bl-/, /pl-/, /pʰl-/, /ml-/, /m̥l-/. Examples include (/mlè/ → Standard Burmese /mjè/) for "ground" and (/kláuɴ/ → Standard Burmese /ʧáuɴ/) for "school". Also, voicing only with unaspirated consonants, whereas in standard Burmese, voicing can occur with both aspirated and unaspirated consonants. Also, there are many loan words from MalayMalay language
Malay is a major language of the Austronesian family. It is the official language of Malaysia , Indonesia , Brunei and Singapore...
and Thai
Thai language
Thai , also known as Central Thai and Siamese, is the national and official language of Thailand and the native language of the Thai people, Thailand's dominant ethnic group. Thai is a member of the Tai group of the Tai–Kadai language family. Historical linguists have been unable to definitively...
not found in Standard Burmese.
In the Tavoyan dialect, terms of endearment
Term of endearment
A term of endearment is a word or phrase used to address and/or describe a person, animal or inanimate object for which the speaker feels love or affection...
, as well as family terms, are considerably different from Standard Burmese. For instance, the terms for "son" and "daughter" are (/pʰa̰ òu/) and (/mḭ òu/) respectively. Moreover, the honorific (Naung) is used in lieu of (Maung) for young males.
The following is a list of rhyme changes unique to the Tavoyan dialect:
| Written Burmese | Standard Burmese | Tavoyan dialect | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| /-iɴ -aɴ -aɴ/ | /-aɴ/ | ||
| /-iɴ -jiɴ/ | /-iɴ -jiɴ/ | ||
| /-auɴ/ | /-ɔɴ/ | ||
| /-ouɴ/ | /-uːɴ/ | ||
| /-aoɴ/ | |||
| /-ouɴ/ | /-iːɴ/ | ||
| /-ouʔ/ | /-ṵ/ | ||
| /-aoʔ/ | |||
| /-ɛʔ -aʔ -aʔ/ | /-aʔ/ | ||
| /-eiʔ/ | /-ḭ/ | ||
| /-ɛ, -e, -i// | /-ɛ/ | ||
| /-iʔ -jɛʔ/ | /-iʔ -jiʔ/ | ||
| /-we/ | /-i/ | is pronounced as in standard Burmese | |
| Open syllables | weak = ə full = i, e, ɛ, a, ɔ, o, u |
| Closed syllables | nasal = iːɴ, iɴ, aiɴ, an, ɔɴ, uɴ, uːɴ, aoɴ stop = iʔ, aiʔ, aʔ, ɔʔ, uʔ, aoʔ |
Intha dialect
The Intha dialect is spoken by the Intha peopleIntha people
The Intha are members of a Tibeto-Burman ethnic group living around Inle Lake. They speak an archaic dialect of Burmese, and are believed to have come from the Dawei area. They often live on Inle Lake, and support themselves through the tending of vegetable farms on floating gardens...
, a group of Bamar
Bamar
The Bamar are the dominant ethnic group of Burma , constituting approximately two-thirds of the population. The Bamar live primarily in the Irrawaddy basin, and speak the Burmese language, which is also the official language of Burma. Bamar customs and identity are closely intertwined with general...
descendants who migrated to Inle Lake
Inle Lake
Inle Lake is a freshwater lake located in the Nyaungshwe Township of Taunggyi District of Shan State, part of Shan Hills in Myanmar . It is the second largest lake in Myanmar with an estimated surface area of , and one of the highest at an altitude of...
in Shan State. The dialect is spoken by 90,000. The Intha dialect is characterized by a retention of the /-l-/ medial (for the following consonant clusters: /kl- kʰl- pl- pʰl- ml- hml-/). Examples include:
- "full": Standard Burmese ([pjḛ]) → ([plḛ]), from old Burmese
- "ground": Standard Burmese ([mjè]) → ([mlè]), from old Burmese
There is no voicing with the presence of either aspirated or unaspirated consonants. For instance, (Buddha) is pronounced [boʊʔda̰] in standard Burmese, but [poʊʔtʰa̰] in the Intha dialect. This is probably due to influence from the Shan language
Shan language
The Shan language is the native language of Shan people and spoken mostly in Shan State, Burma. It is also used in pockets of Kachin State in Burma, in northern Thailand, and in Xishuangbanna Dai Autonomous Prefecture, Yunnan Province, China. Shan is a member of the Tai–Kadai language family, and...
.
Furthermore, (/θ/ in standard Burmese) has merged to /sʰ/ in the Intha dialect.
Also, rhyme changes from standard Burmese follow these patterns:
| Written Burmese | Standard Burmese | Intha dialect | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| /-iɴ/ | /-ɛɴ/ | ||
| /-iɴ/ | /-iɴ/ | ||
| /-eiɴ -eiɴ -aiɴ/ | /-eiɴ/ | ||
| /-jɛʔ -ɛʔ/ | /-aʔ/ | ||
| /-aʔ/ | /-ɛʔ/ | ||
| /--ɛ, -e, -i/ | /-e/ | /-i/ if initial is a palatal consonant | |
| /-eiʔ -eiʔ -aiʔ/ | /-aiʔ/ | ||
| Open syllables | weak = ə full = i, e, ɛ, a, ɔ, o, u |
| Closed | nasal = iɴ, eiɴ, ɛɴ, aɴ, ɔɴ, ouɴ, uɴ stop = iʔ, aiʔ, ɛʔ, aʔ, ɔʔ, ouʔ, uʔ |