Burmese

The national language of the Union of Myanmar (Burma), Burmese is a monosyllabic, tonal language belonging to the Tibeto-Burmese language group. It is spoken by around 50 million people, in the country and in diaspora, and has been taught at Inalco since 1960.
Homme qui rentre de la pêche
Pêcheur birman, lac Inle (Birmanie) © Chinh Le Duc, Unsplash‎

Discovering the language

This is the national language of Burma (Republic of the Union of Myanmar), a world that attracts researchers for its religious, ethnological, as well as historical, geographical and linguistic characteristics. Its rich literature of poetry and prose is also a rich subject for study. Burmese, taught in the South-East Asia and Pacific Department, is of Tibeto-Burman and, more broadly, Sino-Tibetan origin. It is written alphabetically, and is essentially monosyllabic and tonal, with a lexicon that includes many terms borrowed from Pāli and other languages such as English.

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Training courses

DISTANCE TRAINING IS NOW OPEN! (Diplôme de langue, DL1, 2 et 3)

Inalco is the only university in France to offer instruction in Burmese.

This training can be taken as part of a Bachelor's degree (possibly followed by a Master's degree) in Burmese, institutional diplomas (Diplôme de langue, Diplôme de civilisation or Diplôme de langue et civilisation), or through a Passeport Langues O'.

Only language courses are accessible by distance learning, for example as part of a Diplôme de langue (DL, contact the section manager if necessary).

The "Langues, Littératures et Civilisation Etrangères et Régionales (LLCER)" degree aims to develop language skills, complemented by a solid knowledge of the cultures of the area concerned, in their historical and contemporary dimensions. Mastery of the chosen language, both written and spoken, is essential. As part of their undergraduate studies, students acquire in-depth knowledge of Southeast Asian societies through a range of disciplines, and tackle the major issues facing the region. Finally, he or she becomes familiar with the methodological and disciplinary tools required for certain professional practices and for further study at Master's level.