Explanation of the names of Burma/Myanmar: Encyclopedia II - Explanation of the names of Burma/Myanmar - Burmese names

Explanation of the names of Burma/Myanmar - Burmese names

In the Burmese language, the country Burma/Myanmar is known as either Myanma () or Bama (). Myanma is the written, literary name of the country, while Bama is the oral, colloquial name of the country. Burmese, like Javanese and other languages of Southeast Asia, has different levels of register, with sharp differences between literary and colloquial language.

The colloquial name Bama is supposed to have originated from the name Myanma by shortening of the first syllable (loss of nasal "an", reduced to non-nasal "a", and loss of "y" glide), and then by transformation of "m" into "b". This sound change from "m" to "b" is frequent in colloquial Burmese, and happens in many other words. Although Bama may be a later transformation of the name Myanma, both names have been in use alongside each other for centuries.

The first time the name of the country appeared was in a Mon inscription dated 1102, inside which the name was spelled Mirma. The first record of the name in a Burmese inscription is dated 1190, in which inscription the name was spelled Mranma. Today in Burmese the name is still spelled Mranma, but over time the "r" sound disappeared in most dialects of the Burmese language and was replaced by a "y" glide, so although the name is spelled "Mranma", it is actually pronounced Myanma. In Chinese, the name appeared for the first time in 1273 and was recorded as 緬 (pronounced Miǎn in Mandarin). This is still the name used by Han Chinese today.

The etymology of Mranma remains unclear. One often heard etymology, which is given official credence in Myanmar, is that the name comes from Sanskrit Brahma, which is the name of the realm of the gods, from where came the first humans. This interpretation of the name was spread to India by some Buddhist monks from Ceylon and, although the usage is no longer current, Burma/Myanmar was historically known in India as "Brahma-desh" ("Brahma-land"). This etymology is not scientifically proven, however, and is rejected by most linguists.

In the decades preceding independence, independence parties were in search of a name for the new country to be born, which would be made up not only of Burmese speaking people, but also of many minorities. In the 1920s, some favored the name Myanma, which had been the name applied to the old Burman kingdom destroyed by the British in the 19th century. In the 1930s, the left-wing independence parties favored the name Bama, as they thought this name was more inclusive of minorities than Myanma. Indeed, the Burmese puppet state set up by the Japanese occupation forces during the Second World War was officially called Bama. However, at the time of independence in 1948 it was the name Myanma that was chosen for the new country. This name has been the official name of Burma/Myanmar in the Burmese language ever since 1948, while the name Bama is used by Burmese people in colloquial conversation.

Despite the controversy in the years preceding independence, it remains certain that historically (before the 20th century) both the names Bama and Myanma referred only to the polities established by Burmese speaking people in the Irrawady valley, and none of these two names included the current minorities of Myanmar. Historically, there has never been a name for the whole country Burma/Myanmar, which is in part a creation of the British colonial authorities, who annexed to their colony of Burma some peripheral areas inhabited by non-Burmese speaking people.

Adapted from the Wikipedia article "Burmese names", under the G.N U Free Docmentation License. Please also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki