Burmese-English English-Burmese Compact Dictionary [Paperback]

Nance Cunningham and Aung Soe Min (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 15, 2009

This practical Burmese-English, English-Burmese dictionary is designed to help English speakers communicate in Burmese, whether or not you can read the Burmese alphabet. All Burmese words are listed in both Burmese script and an easy-to-learn, English-like pronunciation system that fully expresses the Burmese sound, including the tones and everything else you need to speak and understand Burmese words correctly.

Unlike traditional dictionaries, there are three sections: you can look up an English word in the English section, look up a Burmese word you read using the Burmese Script section, or look up a Burmese word you hear by its sound in the unique Burmese Sound section.

Whether you are visiting Burma for a short while or studying the Burmese language, you will find most of the vocabulary used in everyday life, including basic medical, cultural, political and scientific terms.

It's the one dictionary you can really use! And it comes in a portable size that is easy to carry around Burma.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Aung Soe Min (pen name Lut Lat Ein) graduated as a mechanical power engineer from the Governmental Technical Institute in Chauk in 1993. That same year, he founded Lin U Taya Publishing. Since that time, he has published numerous books, written three books on current issues, one book-length poem, and has translated six English books into Burmese, along with writing numerous news articles, magazine essays, reviews, poems, and educational materials, among other writing projects. He has been editor of Thint Bawa, Thet Tan Yaung Zin, New Spectator, General English Magazine, and Pandawwin among other general interest and educational magazines.

Nance Cunningham has a BA in International Studies from the University of Washington, and a Masters in Health Science from Johns Hopkins School of Public Health. She has lived in Burma since 1999. After immersion in Burmese language for eight years, she spent a year as a Blakemore Fellow, learning Shan. In addition to public health and humanitarian work, she writes and records educational materials for learning English, Burmese, and Shan.

Product Details

• Paperback: 950 pages
• Publisher: Paiboon Publishing; Bilingual edition (July 15, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1887521585
• ISBN-13: 978-1887521581
• Product Dimensions: 5.7 x 4.2 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #293,444 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #64 in Books > Education & Reference > Foreign Languages > Instruction > Southeast Asian

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Not bad, but International Phonetic pronunciation would make it beter., January 7, 2010

By 

Sue - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Burmese-English English-Burmese Compact Dictionary (Paperback)

I bought this book because I work with English Language Learning students - many of whom are Burmese - and while it's certainly better than nothing (it IS a rather comprehensive dictionary), the IPA pronunciation and better instruction on phrase building would significantly improve this book. An aide in the classroom is a native speaker of Burmese, and she has to correct my pronunciation the majority of the time.

As a student of linguistics, and my exposure to dozens of languages, I might have an easier time than some when it comes to deciphering the pronunciation. If you're a beginner to the language, I won't suggest that you don't buy this book, but I would recommend that you use it as a companion guide to something else. While I'm personally not a huge fan of the Lonely Planet phrase books (for the same reason - the lack of proper IPA pronunciation), I appreciate the fact that they release phrase books for languages that a Westerner might consider obscure. As well, their version of phonetic pronunciation tends to be easier than that found in this book, and their low costs makes them worth the investment.

I give the book 3 stars because it's still useful, but not something to be used alone by a beginner. Pick up the Lonely Planet Burmese phrasebook to go with it. You'll be better off. Thanks for taking the time to read my comment.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Decent for a beginner, July 8, 2010

By 

T. F. Rhoden - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Burmese-English English-Burmese Compact Dictionary (Paperback)

I thought it interesting that another reviewer had not recommend this dictionary for folks just starting out in Burmese.

I would have to disagree for two main reasons: 1) the vocabulary has all of the essentials that a student needs; and 2) the "Burmese Sound" section is obviously intended for beginners, because after you've spent some time with the script you should eventually be able to move beyond using any type of helping transliteration (whether it be IPA or not) and just work off the Burmese script which is fairly phonetic anyway.

For intermediate students I think other dictionaries might fit better. However, I think the dictionary deserves at least a solid four stars for what it sets out to accomplish. For the student just beginning to learn Burmese, I do not think you could come across a better dictionary!

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful little dictionary, December 27, 2009

By 

Jim (Santa Clara, CA, United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Burmese-English English-Burmese Compact Dictionary (Paperback)

Great dictionary.

Divided into 3 sections - English, Burmese Script, and Phonetically spelled Burmese.

Includes a very large number of words for such a small book. (I haven't found any missing obvious ones, yet).

It uses a phonetical spelling that's closer to Mesher's than Orkell (so it spells hat like o'-hto' instead of ouq-t'ouq, as many other dictionaries do.)

I recommend it highly.