Burmese - Thai - English Dictionary

[simon43]

To help me in my efforts to learn some Burmese, it would be useful to have a dictionary that offers at least Burmese-Thai-Burmese (with Burmese pronounciation using Thai script). By using Thai script for correct pronounciation of the Burmese words, it's much easier to represent the tones, as opposed to transliterating into English.

I use a Thai-Mandarin dictionary and phrasebook for learning Mandarin, and it's very useful to assist with getting the tones correct.

Does anyone know of a suitable dictionary, either hard-copy or online?

Thanks

Simon

[hellodolly]

No I don't but I was wondering is Burmese a tonal language?

[simon43]

Yes -it's tonal, so it's much easier to use another tonal language (Thai) to represent the correct pronounciation of the words. Thai and Burmese tones are not exactly the same, but using Thai also allows for short and long syllable representation etc

Simon

[rak sa_ngop]

I was learning Burmese about 12 years ago during a 1 year work contract in Yangon. From what I remember the number of tones is fewer and easier to use. However one difference is that the endings of many words change depending on the following word e.g. a bit like " a book" but "an apple" but more frequently and for many endings.

I purchased (1998) a comprehensive Burmese course on cassette (about 33 cassettes) produced by the School of Oriental and African Studies in London. (by John Okell) A very good course with good documentation but painfully slow to progress through.

Maybe one day I will copy the cassettes into a digital format, but it will take some dedication of effort.

Simon, if you are interested in seeing the material (3 books) I have it in Bangkok (Silom) but sorry, I will not part with it!

[sabaijai]

While Burmese is often said to be a tonal language, differences in relative pitch are correlated with vowel phonation, loudness, duration, and vowel quality. Hence some linguists consider Burmese a pitch-register language like Shanghainese.

Some info from wiki

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burmese_language#cite_note-rj-135-136-11

[Rama]

Amazon has several English-Burmese dictionaries available. Amazon will ship books to Thailand also. I have not heard of a Thai-Burmese dictionary.

[sabaijai]

http://openlibrary.o...nmar_dictionary

online:

http://glosbe.com/th/my/

and in the other direction

Burmese-Thai: Kan chai phasa phama: sap lae kham plae ("Myanmar Language Usage: Thai - English - Myanmar") by Choochart Tengsuwan. 1995, Chiang Mai, Sangsip Printing. Vocabulary, arranged by topic (e.g. person, group of person, position, animals, body organs, secrete substance, disease and body symtpoms disorder, etc), and laid out in three cols: Thai, English, Burmese. Thai is given in script, with pron in roman and Burmese, and Burmese is given in script, with pron in roman and Thai. Not without errrors.

Burmese-Thai: Phama-Thai - Thai-Phama Potchananukrom ("Burmese-Thai - Thai-Burmese dictionary") by Wirat Niyomtam and Oranut Noyomtam. 1994, Bangkok, (Bangkok: Thailand Research Fund)