Burmese language

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Burmese

Region	Southeast Asia
Speakers	33 million
Language family	Sino-Tibetan
This language related article is a stub.

Burmese (မြန်မာစာ) is the official language of Myanmar. It is a member of the Sino-Tibetan language family, specifically the Lolo-Burmese branch. Burmese is the native language of the Bamar people, the dominant ethnic group in Myanmar, and serves as a second language for most other ethnic groups in the country.

Phonology

Burmese is a tonal language with three primary tones: high, low, and creaky. The language has a rich set of vowels and consonants, including aspirated and unaspirated stops, as well as voiced and voiceless sounds.

Grammar

Burmese grammar is characterized by its subject-object-verb (SOV) word order. It uses postpositions rather than prepositions and has a complex system of honorifics and politeness levels. Verbs are not conjugated for tense but are instead modified by particles to indicate time and aspect.

Writing System

The Burmese script is an abugida, which means that each consonant-vowel sequence is written as a unit. The script is derived from the Mon script, which in turn was adapted from the Brahmi script of ancient India. The script is written from left to right and does not use spaces between words.

Dialects

There are several dialects of Burmese, including the standard dialect spoken in the Irrawaddy Delta and the Yangon area. Other notable dialects include Arakanese and Intha.

Usage

Burmese is used in government, education, and the media in Myanmar. It is also the primary language of instruction in schools. Despite the presence of many other languages in Myanmar, Burmese serves as a lingua franca among the diverse ethnic groups.

Related Languages

Burmese is closely related to other languages in the Burmish subgroup, such as Lashi and Atsi. It also shares some similarities with the Tibeto-Burman languages spoken in neighboring countries.

See also

• Myanmar
• Bamar people
• Sino-Tibetan languages
• Lolo-Burmese languages
• Burmese script
• Arakanese language
• Intha language