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Ethnologue > Web version > Country index > Asia > Myanmar > Burmese

Burmese

A language of Myanmar

ISO 639-3: mya

Population	32,000,000 in Myanmar (2000 D. Bradley). Population total all countries: 32,319,700.
Region	South, central, and adjacent areas. Also in Bangladesh, Malaysia (Peninsular), Thailand, United States.
Alternate names	Bama, Bamachaka, Myanmar, Myen
Dialects	Merguese (Mergui, Beik), Yaw, Danu (Taruw), Burmese, Palaw. Diglossic high and low varieties. Preferred variety is spoken in Mandalay. Merguese (250,000), Danu (100,000), and Yaw (20,000) may be separate languages and are distinct varieties (Bradley 1997). Bangladesh speakers speak Bomang [mya], not Standard Burmese.
Classification	Sino-Tibetan, Tibeto-Burman, Lolo-Burmese, Burmish, Southern
Language use	National language. 10 million as L2. Many Mon and some Shan are monolingual in Burmese. Native Burmese speakers seldom speak a second indigenous language. If they have one, it is usually English.
Language development	Fully developed. Bible: 1835–2006.
Writing system	Myanmar (Burmese) script.
Comments	Burmese dominates the nation’s publishing production. Myanma is the largest ethnic group; another is Baramagyi (Barua). Educated speech has many Pali borrowings. SOV. Peasant agriculturalists; fishermen; craftsmen; industrialists. Buddhist.

Also spoken in:

Bangladesh

Language name	Burmese
Population	300,000 in Bangladesh (Johnstone and Mandryk 2001).
Region	Myanmar border area.
Language map	Bangladesh
Alternate names	Bama, Bamachaka, Myen
Dialects	Bomang.
Comments	Buddhist.

Entries from the SIL Bibliography about this language:

Academic Publications

BRADLEY, David, author. 1997. "What did they eat? Grain crops of the Burmic groups."  

HOPPLE, Paulette M., author. 2011. The Structure of Nominalization in Burmese.  

HOPPLE, Paulette, author. 2002. Topicalization in Burmese expository discourse.  

HOPPLE, Paulette, author. 2003. The structure of nominalization in Burmese.  

SIL MSEAG, compiler. Available: 2006; Created: 2002-11. Southeast Asia 436 word list.