Burmese: An Introduction to the Spoken Language, Book 1 ( With Audio CD) (Bk. 1) [Paperback]

John Okell (Author), with U Saw Tun and Daw Khin Mya Swe (Author), John Okell (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 1, 1994 | ISBN-10: 1877979414 | ISBN-13: 978-1877979415 | Edition: Pap/Cas

This introduction to spoken Burmese language focuses on early encounters with Burmese speakers in Burma (Myanmar) or abroad. It is the first of a four-volume course. Includes 12 audio cassette tapes (to be upgraded to audio and MP3 CDs in 2008)

Editorial Reviews

Language Notes

Text: English

About the Author

John Okell, a graduate of The Queen's College, Oxford, is a lecturer emeritus at the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London. He is the author of numerous articles on Burmese grammar, linguistics, and lexicography, in addition to First Steps in Burmese (1989), Burmese (Myanmar) Dictionary of Grammatical Forms (2001), A Guide to the Romanization of Burmese (2002), and A Reference Grammar of Colloquial Burmese (2002)

Product Details

• Paperback: 274 pages
• Publisher: Northern Illinois University; Pap/Cas edition (December 1, 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1877979414
• ISBN-13: 978-1877979415
• Product Dimensions: 10.8 x 8.3 x 1.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,120,353 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent introductory course, December 16, 2001

By 

John B. Waits (Centreville, AL USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Burmese: An Introduction to the Spoken Language, Book 1 ( With Audio CD) (Bk. 1) (Paperback)

This book has the perfect mix of grammar, vocabulary, pronunciation, and conversation. Okell is a superb teacher, and has chosen good, native speakers for his tapes. The progression of information is very logical and helpful. He also includes an Appendix to allow you to quickly get some useful prhases under your belt, as you methodically learn the carefully chosen vocabulary in the Lessons. The review sections are thoughtfully designed to quickly get you back up to speed after a break (as opposed to having to work through lessons again).

The pronunciation section (book & tape) portion is the best I have seen in an introductory text. For example, having wroked through introductory texts in Greek, Thai, and Vietnamese, his explanation of the differences in aspirate, plain, and voiced consonants is the most clear.

As you consider purchasing this text (a wise decision), you really ought to consider simultaneously purchaseing Okell's Burmese: An Introduction to the Script. For anyone wanting to learn more than cursory Burmese, the sooner you learn the script the better. The Roman-alphabet transliteration is far from standardized in Burmese (as opposed to the Vietnamese standardization a century ago) and can get confusing.

Final note: although amazon.com asks that I not display postal addresses or URLs, at the time of this writing, amazon.com was out of most of these books, while the Center for Southeast Asian Studies at Northern Illinois Univ (the publisher) was fully stocked. Just an FYI.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Burmese: An Introduction to the Spoken Language - John Okell, February 25, 2001

By 

David Greco (Ancaster, Ontario, Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Burmese: An Introduction to the Spoken Language, Book 1 ( With Audio CD) (Bk. 1) (Paperback)

I have purchased many self-teaching language courses and this is by far the best. Starts off simple and builds knowledge and confidence gradually. The variations in exercises also keeps the student interested throughout the book. The tapes are very much like an actual lecture. Okell includes many fascinating points about Burmese culture and the added bonuses at the end of the tapes such as BBC Burmese broadcasts and traditional Burmese music are really interesting to hear. What every language package should be.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Burmese, an introduction to the spoken language, November 29, 2008

By 

Brian Noronha (Vancouver, BC) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Burmese: An Introduction to the Spoken Language, Book 1 ( With Audio CD) (Bk. 1) (Paperback)

Just the right language course for any serious learner of the Burmese language. Within the first few lessons, John Okell is able to teach the learner a useful set of Burmese phrases. He approaches language training by encouraging the learner to repeat the Burmese phrases over and over. This rigorous approach may sound somewhat dull, but I find the method effective, down to earth and, yes, quite entertaining.