Burmese English
Myanmar English
အင်္ဂလိပ်
A welcome sign in English in Myanmar.
Pronunciation	[bámísɪ́ɰ̃gəlɪ̀ʔ]
Native to	Myanmar
Language family	Indo-European Germanic West Germanic Ingvaeonic Anglo-Frisian Anglic English Asian English Southeast Asian English Burmese English
Early forms	Proto-Indo-European Proto-Germanic Proto-English Old English Middle English Early Modern English Modern English
Writing system	Latin (English alphabet)
Language codes
ISO 639-3	–
IETF	en-MM

Burmese English orMyanmar English, colloquiallyBurglish orMyanglish, is theregister of theEnglish language used inMyanmar, spoken as a second language by an estimated 2.4 million people – about 5% of the population in 1997.^[1] English was introduced to Myanmar during initial British contact in the 17th century, but it became more prominent after British colonization began in 1826.^[2][3] English language teaching (ELT) in Myanmar has been shaped by practical needs, public attitudes, government policies, and learning opportunities.^[2] British English, particularly Received Pronunciation, was the main model, though American English also influenced learners through American-educated teachers and media.^[2] The role and status of English in Myanmar evolved across four key periods: the colonial era, the independence era, the socialist era, and the military rule.^[2] Currently, English is taught from Standard 0 (kindergarten), as a second language in Myanmar.

Prior to colonization, Buddhist monasteries led education in local languages like Mon, Burmese, and Shan.^[2]

TheBritish Empire annexed modern-day Myanmar in three stages over a six-decade span (1824–1885), starting with the British annexation ofLower Burma in 1826, after which English was established as the official language of British Burma. It was integrated into the education system primarily to train local citizens for lower- and middle-ranking civil service positions.^[2] The first English-language missionary schools appeared around 1830, with the first government school established inMoulmein (now Mawlamyine) in 1834.^[2]

By 1900, three types of schools existed: English-only schools, Anglo-vernacular schools, and vernacular schools.^[2] English was taught from kindergarten in the first two, though access was limited to less than 5% of children.^[2] In 1876, a national Department of Education was formed, and in 1874, the first British high school in Rangoon (Yangon) was upgraded to a university college, later becoming part ofRangoon University in 1920.^[2] English was themedium of instruction in higher education, although it did not replaceBurmese as the vernacular.

Teaching methodologies emphasized immersion, memorization, and recitation.^[2] Some early teachers were American or Indian, particularly in Lower Burma.^[2] However, growing nationalist sentiment from 1916 onwards sparked resistance to the dominance of the English language. Student protests and the establishment of national schools emphasized Burmese as a symbol of national identity. Burma was administered as a province ofBritish India until 1937. Despite nationalist sentiment, English remained the official working language of government until the end of British rule in 1947.^[2]

After gaining independence in 1948, Myanmar’s new government initiated the “Burmanization” policy, replacing English with Burmese as the official language.^[2] Nevertheless, English maintained its administrative importance due to existing English-language documents and officials' proficiency in English.^[2]

On 1 June 1950, a new education policy was implemented to replace English as the medium of instruction in all state schools, although universities, which continued to use English as the medium of instruction, were unaffected. Henceforth, English was taught as a second language only from the Fifth Standard.^[4] English remained the language of instruction at Burmese universities until 1965, especially in fields like medicine, science, and technology, due to a lack of Burmese-language resources.

Under theUnion Revolutionary Council (1962–1974) and Socialist government (1974–1988), Myanmar became largely isolated.^[2] Burmese was reaffirmed as the sole official and instructional language by the1974 Constitution.^[2] English was reduced to a subject taught at schools and universities.^[2]

In 1964 and 1965, the University Act and educational reforms enforced the uniform use of Burmese in all institutions, replacing English as themedium of instruction at the university level, with the passing of the New University Education Law the previous year.^[5] English instruction began in Standard Five and focused primarily on reading and writing. After 1974, the government produced local English textbooks for basic and tertiary education.

By the 1980s, concerns about declining English proficiency in the country prompted a “New Education Program” (NEP). English language education was reintroduced in 1982.^[2] Key initiatives included:

• Introducing English as a compulsory subject from kindergarten (1981),
• Using English to teach science and economics at upper secondary and university levels (1986),
• Implementing teacher training programs.

However, these reforms were frequently disrupted by political unrest and closures of educational institutions.

In 1988, after the military takeover following the8888 Uprising, the country was renamed the Republic of the Union of Myanmar. A shift toward a market economy, increased foreign trade, tourism, and digital communication reignited interest in English.^[2]

Since 1991, English and Burmese have both been used as the medium of instruction in the 9th and 10th Standards, particularly in science and math subjects, which use English-language textbooks.^[4] Because of this, many Burmese are better able to communicate in written English than in spoken English, due to the emphasis placed on writing and reading.

Small private language schools emerged in urban centers, and the Institute of Foreign Languages was upgraded to theUniversity of Foreign Languages (UFL), offering English and other language degrees.^[2] Due to widespread university closures (1988–2000), many students turned to distance education or private institutions, and some studied abroad.^[2]

Efforts to improve English instruction included intra-department teacher training, one-year postgraduate diplomas in ELT, and the introduction of PhD programs in English atYangon andMandalay Universities from 2002.^[2] Despite these efforts, English instruction in Myanmar remained teacher-centered, with an emphasis on grammatical accuracy over communicative fluency. Listening and speaking skills were often neglected in classrooms.^[2]

The preferred system of spelling is based on that of the British, althoughAmerican English spellings have become increasingly popular. BecauseAdoniram Judson, an American, created the first Burmese-English dictionary, many American English spellings are common (e.g.color,check,encyclopedia).^[6] The ⟨-ize⟩ spelling is more commonly used than the ⟨-ise⟩ spelling.

Burmese English reflects a mix of influences and localized usage. Some words come fromIndian English, likedacoit (armed robber) andpandal (makeshift structure), while others are borrowed from Burmese to describe culturally specific items, such asoozie (elephant driver) andpwe (public performance).^[2] TheOxford English Dictionary lists more than 40 words of Burmese origin in English.^[2] Unique Burmese English coined terms includeplatform (meaning 'pavement' or 'sidewalk') andstage show (meaning 'concert').^[2] Some English words are used with different meanings, such assidecar for 'trishaw' andlinecar for 'public bus.'^[2] Due to limited vocabulary, Myanmar speakers may use simpler or redundant expressions, likeeat forhave/drink and phrases likefluency skills instead of justfluency.^[2]

For units of measurement Burmese English use both those of theImperial System and those of theInternational System of Units interchangeably, but the values correspond to the SI system. Burmese English continues to use Indian numerical units such aslakh andcrore.

TheBurmese language, especially the colloquial form, has borrowed daily vocabulary from English, especially asportmanteaus with native Burmese vocabulary. For instance, the Burmese word for 'ball' isbawlon (ဘောလုံး,lit. 'round ball'), while the Burmese word forbus isbat-sa-ka (ဘတ်စကား,lit. 'bus car').

Burmese names represented in English often include various honorifics, most commonly "U", "Daw", and "Sayadaw". For older Burmese who only have one or two syllables in their names these honorifics may be an integral part of the name.

Burmese English is often characterised by its unaspirated consonants, similar to Indian English. In Burmese English, the k, p, and t consonants are unaspirated (pronounced/k/,/p/,/t/), as a general rule, as in Indian English. The following are commonly seen pronunciation differences between Standard English and Burmese English:^[7][8]

In addition, many words retain British pronunciation, such asvitamin/ˈvɪtəmɪn/. Burmese English isnon-rhotic.

• Commonwealth English

• Dialects of English
• Languages of Myanmar
• Southeast Asian English

• Articles with short description
• Short description is different from Wikidata
• Use British English from January 2024
• All Wikipedia articles written in British English
• Use dmy dates from November 2025
• Articles containing explicitly cited English-language text
• Pages with plain IPA
• Language articles with IETF language tag
• Language articles without speaker estimate
• Dialects of languages with ISO 639-3 code
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