Dr. Win Maung Htet - English-Burmese Dormitory Dictionary

Pronunciation guide

When studying a language, the sounds of that language are very important. The sounds of English, in particular, are very different from the English sounds that most Burmese speak.

Now that English is a major raw material for various disciplines around the world, it is necessary to pay special attention to pronunciation when studying English. If the pronunciation is wrong, the meaning may be misunderstood and the words may not be understood, so this dictionary has been compiled with special attention to pronunciation.

The pronunciations presented in this dictionary are written in Burmese based primarily on the system established and approved by the International Phonetic Association (IFA).

In fact, it would be more beneficial to express English pronunciation using phonetic symbols, but since most Burmese young people and adults are not yet familiar with phonetics, the pronunciation has to be expressed using Burmese characters like this.

It is.

I want you to believe that the English pronunciation in Burmese characters is almost 100% the same as the original English pronunciation. This is because the author himself systematically learned English words and English sounds from real English speakers in his childhood.

For example, the English word (boy) is pronounced as (boy) by Burmese people. English people do not pronounce it like that at all. They pronounce it as (o-ai). Although it is written as (bo-ai) in Burmese, the sound (bo-ai) can be pronounced as (fi-rut) and the sound (ei) can be pronounced as (pho-rut). A clearer symbol would be (bo-ai) or (bo-ai).

The reason for this pronunciation is that if we review the phonetic symbol for boy (/b 5 i), we will see that /b/, which is similar to (မာ), should be pronounced as the (မာ) sound, while the symbol for /1 i/ should be pronounced as the double vowel (မာတ်း).

According to phonetic theory (consonant + vowel = sound) , if you combine (ບາ) and (ອ

The Burmese pronunciation (ອີນອນ) written next to the English word (boy) would sound funny if read as Burmese.

This means paying special attention to the fact that stress is always present in English pronunciation.

Therefore, when reading the pronunciation of Burmese words presented in this dictionary , special attention should be paid to the stress sign (..). The sound of the word above this sign should be stressed and pronounced. The rest of the word should be pronounced with a soft sound. Only then will the pronunciation of the English word be as close as possible to the English pronunciation.

Now , I would like to explain the pronunciation of the ending sounds. Since the ending sounds are no longer a full sound (or are only part of a sound), special care should be taken when pronouncing these ending sounds.

For example, the phonetic symbol for cate is / kxt/ , so in Burmese pronunciation it would be written as (မြ-မြ်). This is because / k/, which is similar to the English letter k , has a (မ) sound base and is a consonant. ( x ), which is similar to the English letter X , is a vowel sound (မ). ( t ), which is similar to T , is a final symbol (a consonant sound), so it would be (မြ်).

(Consonant) and (vowel) can combine, but (consonant) cannot combine and must be pronounced separately. Therefore, it is pronounced as (အ + အ + အ = အမ - အမ).

In summary, in Burmese, words that are pronounced with only one syllable (one sound) should be pronounced with stress on the initial full sound and the final final sound should be pronounced with stress, even if there is no stress sign.

If the pronunciation of words with two syllables and more than two syllables is written in Burmese, a stress sign (:) is added. Please pay special attention to the fact that the sound directly under the sign is stressed and the remaining sounds are pronounced with a vowel sound.

Usually, the stress mark of words with only two sounds is only on the first sound. However, this should not be considered a fixed rule. In some words with two sounds, the stress mark is also on the last sound. Therefore, the stress mark is very important in the dictionary.

The main sound of the flute and the second main sound of the flute

Primary Stress g ę Secondary Stress

Some words that are longer than two sounds in pronunciation often have two types of stress markings. The primary stress marking is usually placed at the top of the word, and the secondary stress marking is usually placed at the bottom of the word.

' The sound marked with the accent mark above the word is pronounced with a stress, while the sound marked with the second accent mark below the word is not pronounced with a stress, but is simply pronounced with a clear voice.

(Example)- nationality / nationality/

- nationalization / நல-ஶனலாஇஸ்ரன-ன/

- opportunity/ offer union/

In addition, the Myanmar words used in the phonetic dictionary are read aloud and pronounced as follows.

• P (pronounce it as the Myanmar alphabet sounds)
• P (pronounce the Myanmar alphabet sound) -
• F (bite your lower lip slightly and pronounce it like the English f sound)
• ป (pronounce it as the Myanmar alphabet sounds)
• V (bite your lower lip slightly and pronounce it like the English v sound)
• Ya (pronounce it as the Myanmar alphabet sounds)
• Ya (Slide the Myanmar letter “Ya” with your tongue and pronounce it)
• (pronounce with a rolling sound)

When pronouncing consonants (स्, त् , न , म , ख), do not make your voice full, but rather pronounce it with a soft, incomplete, or half-voiced sound.

Then, when reciting Burmese sounds from beginning to end, you cannot recite them one by one like you would read Burmese. You must use the concept of reading quickly by connecting the sounds.