Has anyone learned Burmese?

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nooj
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Has anyone learned Burmese?

Postby nooj » Sat Mar 10, 2018 9:32 am

Who here has learned Burmese? What kind of experiences have you had with it?
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Re: Has anyone learned Burmese?

Postby eido » Sun Mar 11, 2018 3:12 am

I'm watching this thread because I have some interest in Burmese. My mom works closely with two Burmese people who don't speak English too well. I'd like to make them feel more comfortable in America by extending an olive branch, so to speak. From what I read it seems like it would be a beast of a language to learn. I'd like to know if it is actually that way - if I'm psyching myself out or not.
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Re: Has anyone learned Burmese?

Postby Speakeasy » Sun Mar 11, 2018 4:15 am

I have never studied Burmese and have no intention of ever doing so. Nevertheless, as questions concerning this language have come up in the past, I bookmarked the following threads:

Burmese Resources? – LLORG – March 2016
https://forum.language-learners.org/viewtopic.php?f=19&t=2234

Burmese Resources – LLORG – June 2016
https://forum.language-learners.org/viewtopic.php?f=19&t=2909

Burmese – HTLAL – April 2006
http://how-to-learn-any-language.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=2648&PN=140
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Re: Has anyone learned Burmese?

Postby tarvos » Sun Mar 11, 2018 9:01 am

eido wrote:I'm watching this thread because I have some interest in Burmese. My mom works closely with two Burmese people who don't speak English too well. I'd like to make them feel more comfortable in America by extending an olive branch, so to speak. From what I read it seems like it would be a beast of a language to learn. I'd like to know if it is actually that way - if I'm psyching myself out or not.


There are millions of Burmese people out there and they managed to learn it. They're not all geniuses. You can do it.
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nooj
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Re: Has anyone learned Burmese?

Postby nooj » Sun Mar 11, 2018 1:00 pm

They learned it as a first language, and first language acquisition is quite different from second language learning. For one thing, first language learners (babies) are exposed to an enormous amount of first language, either from just their parents or family, or from the wider speech community.

Most of us will not be exposed to much Burmese in our daily lives. This is just one factor that makes learning Burmese much, much harder for us than for a Burmese child who is exposed to tens of thousands of hours of Burmese before they hit 5 years old.

But that should not detract away from encouraging people to learn Burmese. Let's just not undersell the monumental task that is learning a second, third, fourth etc language.

I noticed these resources in my university library a couple days ago (my uni teaches Burmese):

Burmese by ear Okell, John [London] : Sussex Tapes, [2002]

Burmese (Myanmar) / John Okell ; with assistance from U Saw Tun and Daw Khin Mya Swe.
Published Dekalb : Northern Illinois University Press, 2010.
Burmese (Myanmar) an introduction to the spoken language
Burmese (Myanmar) an introduction to the script
Burmese (Myanmar) an introduction to the literary style

I flipped through them, they are pretty incredible resources.
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Re: Has anyone learned Burmese?

Postby aravinda » Mon Mar 12, 2018 6:33 am

nooj wrote:Burmese by ear Okell, John [London]: Sussex Tapes, [2002]
I have not studied Burmese either but I too have heard good things about Burmese by Ear. It can be downloaded from the SOAS website for free:
https://www.soas.ac.uk/bbe/
Other resources from the same website:
https://www.soas.ac.uk/sea/burmese/studymaterials/
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Re: Has anyone learned Burmese?

Postby tarvos » Mon Mar 12, 2018 12:57 pm

nooj wrote:They learned it as a first language, and first language acquisition is quite different from second language learning. For one thing, first language learners (babies) are exposed to an enormous amount of first language, either from just their parents or family, or from the wider speech community.

Most of us will not be exposed to much Burmese in our daily lives. This is just one factor that makes learning Burmese much, much harder for us than for a Burmese child who is exposed to tens of thousands of hours of Burmese before they hit 5 years old.

But that should not detract away from encouraging people to learn Burmese. Let's just not undersell the monumental task that is learning a second, third, fourth etc language.

I noticed these resources in my university library a couple days ago (my uni teaches Burmese):

Burmese by ear Okell, John [London] : Sussex Tapes, [2002]

Burmese (Myanmar) / John Okell ; with assistance from U Saw Tun and Daw Khin Mya Swe.
Published Dekalb : Northern Illinois University Press, 2010.
Burmese (Myanmar) an introduction to the spoken language
Burmese (Myanmar) an introduction to the script
Burmese (Myanmar) an introduction to the literary style

I flipped through them, they are pretty incredible resources.


Exposure is a choice, not a given.
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Re: Has anyone learned Burmese?

Postby Tristano » Tue Mar 13, 2018 12:09 pm

nooj wrote:They learned it as a first language, and first language acquisition is quite different from second language learning.


Children are worse language learners than adults. They're constantly exposed to the language, yet they need twenty years to be able to understand university classes (if ever).

If you want to learn the language take the time that you need. If it is important for you.
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