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Glite Dictionary
📝 A surname 🌏 From Myanmar 🧑 A Myanmar person 🗣️ Myanmar language
Burman

Burman

8.2
The language of Myanmar's largest ethnic group or a person from that group
  • proper noun
translation icon : birmano
  • This comic reversal is part of a minority marketing strategy; the songs eschew any social problems experienced by Shan people in a country militarily and culturally dominated by Burmans.

Examples

  • While visiting Myanmar, I had the chance to meet several Burman elders who shared their stories and traditions.

  • Speaking with a Burman linguist, I learned about the complex grammar of the language spoken by this ethnic group.

  • A Burman-language speaker, the siblings' father monitored ongoing events in Burma and Thailand.

    Academic text (2015)

  • Thus, they constitute the most populous ethnic group in Myanmar after the Burmans.

    Academic text (2016)

  • These are the same Arakanese who, ironically, regularly accuse the government of attempting to aggressively assimilate Arakanese into the Burman way of life.

    Blog text (24)

  • These establishments survive not just because of the market created by Shan migrants wanting to consume familiar foods, but also because of the visibility and popularity of Shan cuisine in the country among Burmans and other ethnic groups.

    Academic text (2016)

  • The Burman community in Yangon is known for its vibrant festivals and rich cultural heritage.

Synonyms

Burmese language
vsBurman
6.7

The official language spoken in Myanmar

also denotes a person of the dominant ethnic group as well as the language
Burmese
vsBurman
8.0

The main language spoken in Myanmar

also means a member of the dominant ethnic group as well as the language

Compounds

Tibeto-Burman
  • Specialized
9.9

A group of related languages spoken from Tibet to the Malay Peninsula

Tibeto-Burman language
  • Specialized
8.9

A language from a family that includes Tibetan and Burmese, spoken from Tibet to Southeast Asia

Surface Forms

Burman main

Morphology

Burman = Burma (transparent) = Burma + an

The term is a demonymic derivative of 'Burma'; its extension to the dominant ethnic group or their language is a predictable extension of country-based demonyms.

Etymology

Burman comes from the local word Bamar for the majority people of Myanmar and was also used for their language. So Burman can mean either the people or the language they speak.