Burmese is the official language of Myanmar and is also the main lingua-franca in the country as well as in Burmese communities worldwide. Myanmar embraces many ethnic groups and a diversity of cultures while being a Buddhist country. Burmese also has a long history of use in literary works and music, and now the language is a key medium that connects the Myanmar communities domestically and internationally via the internet. Students will develop an understanding of basic cultural practice in Myanmar societies through this course.

 

In this course students will be introduced to the spoken-style Burmese language and gain communicative commands at an introductory level. The course will emphasise conversations in everyday situations such as greetings, shopping and family gatherings. Students will also learn how to use the language appropriately in different social situations as well as familiarise themselves with reading and writing Burmese script. 

 

Students will study short conversations and scripts, learning the main aspects of phonology, pronunciation, grammar and vocabulary of Burmese. Students are given opportunities to practice their Burmese listening, speaking, writing, reading and translation skills with the help of a dictionary.  

 

Throughout the semester, students will role-play conversations and occasionally interact with Burmese guest speakers sharing their lived experiences of their own places and cultures to enhance their receptive, interactive and productive skills. 

Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion, students will have the knowledge and skills to:

1. Use an active vocabulary of around 300 Burmese words in spoken and written forms.
2. Recognise and pronounce the basic 32 Burmese consonants, 7 basic vowels, and 3 tones, including other distinctive features of Burmese pronunciation with Burmese scripts.
3. Reproduce Burmese pronunciation according to a romanization system to support the basic use of English-Burmese and Burmese-English dictionaries.
4. Recognise and produce sentence structures in the spoken style Burmese used in short conversations and reading and writing of short, basic texts.
5. Communicate using correct grammar and pronunciation for everyday situations such as greetings, small talk with friends and family and shopping.
6. Develop and demonstrate an understanding of basic cultural practices such as honorifics for Burmese names and the custom of birthdays of the week.

Required Resources

Required Teaching Resources are found on the BURM 1002 - Burmese 1 Wattle site.

Students are strongly recommended to obtain this dictionary.

Pocket Burmese Dictionary (Burmese-English / English-Burmese)

Publisher: Periplus

Edition: 2008

Ebook (2014) is also available.

Recommended Resources

1.Burmese by Ear or Essential Myanmar

Author: John Okell

Price: Free

Notes:

Available for free download from here.

https://www.soas.ac.uk/bbe/

The website of School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London.

2.Burmese: An Introduction to the Spoken Language Book 1

Author: John Okell

Northern Illinouis University Press 1994, 2010

Price: Approx. US$55.00

(This book is available at the Menzies Library, ANU for two hour loan. Please contact the loans desk.)

Staff Feedback

Students will be given feedback in the following forms in this course:

• Written comments
• Verbal comments
• Feedback to the whole class, to groups, to individuals, focus groups

Student Feedback

ANU is committed to the demonstration of educational excellence and regularly seeks feedback from students. Students are encouraged to offer feedback directly to their Course Convener or through their College and Course representatives (if applicable). The feedback given in these surveys is anonymous and provides the Colleges, University Education Committee and Academic Board with opportunities to recognise excellent teaching, and opportunities for improvement. The Surveys and Evaluation website provides more information on student surveys at ANU and reports on the feedback provided on ANU courses.

Class Schedule

Week/Session	Summary of Activities	Assessment
1	Week 1: 20- 24 Feb	Welcome and introduction Burmese pronunciation Our romanization system for Burmese
2	Week 2: 27 Feb - 3 March	From greetings to small talk Some essential rules of Burmese grammar Burmese names Numbers: 0 - 10 Quiz 1
3	Week 3: 6 - 10 March	What have you got in your room? Naming things in Burmese How to say the possessive in Burmese Numbers: 11 - 100 Quiz 2
4	Week 4: 13 - 17 March	Having snacks and drinks at a tea house Request forms (How to ask others to do something) Numbers: 100 - 10,000 Quiz 3 Public holiday (Canberra Day - Mon. 13 March)
5	Week 5: 20 - 24 March	Shopping, sightseeing and visiting pagodas Adjectives and adverbs Daily schedules Numbers: 10,000 - 100,000 Midsemester Exams Oral Exam Listening comprehension Exam Written and Reading Exam (all written in romanization) Details on Wattle site.
6	Week 6: 27 March - 31 March	Introduction of Burmese characters 1.Vowels, 2.Consonants and 3.Exercises Let's sing a Burmese New Year 'Water Festival' song Quiz 4
7	Teaching Break: 3 - 14 April	Assignment: Exercises of Burmese characters Public holiday (Good Friday - 7 April and Easter Monday - 10 Apr)
8	Week 7: 17 - 21 April	Review of Week 1 and Week 2 in Burmese characters (Burmese characters are phonetic symbols, but because of the gap between writing and pronunciation we need to learn the spelling of each word.) Quiz 5
9	Week 8: 24 - 28 April	Review of Week 3 in Burmese characters Quiz 6 Public holiday (ANZAC Day - Tue. 25 April)
10	Week 9: 1 - 5 May	Review of Week 4 in Burmese characters Quiz 7
11	Week 10: 8 - 12 May	Review of Week 5 in Burmese characters Quiz 8
12	Week 11: 15 - 19 May	Family terms Calendars Birthdays (Burmese celebrate birthdays both annually and every week as well) To make a suggestion to do something together with others. Quiz 9
13	Week 12: 22 - 26 May	How to travel to your destination Transportation Why? (How to ask the reason) Quiz 10 Final Exams *will be arranged during the Final Examination period (1-17 June) Oral Exam Listening comprehension Exam Written and Reading Exam Composition Exam Details on Wattle site.

Assessment Summary

Assessment task	Value	Due Date	Return of assessment	Learning Outcomes
Quiz x 10	15 %	28/05/2023	29/06/2023	1, 2, 4, 5
Midsemester Oral Exam	15 %	22/03/2023	29/03/2023	1, 4, 5, 6
Midsemester Listening Comprehension Exam	5 %	26/03/2023	29/03/2023	1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6,
Midsemester Written and Reading Exams	10 %	26/03/2023	29/03/2023	1, 2, 4, 5, 6
Final Oral Exam	20 %	05/06/2023	29/06/2023	1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6
Final Listening Comprehension Exam	5 %	31/05/2023	29/06/2023	1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6
Final Written and Reading Exam	15 %	31/05/2023	29/06/2023	1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6
Final Composition Exam	5 %	31/05/2023	29/06/2023	1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6
Class Participation	10 %	24/05/2023	29/06/2023	1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6

* If the Due Date and Return of Assessment date are blank, see the Assessment Tab for specific Assessment Task details

Policies

ANU has educational policies, procedures and guidelines, which are designed to ensure that staff and students are aware of the University’s academic standards, and implement them. Students are expected to have read the Academic Misconduct Rule before the commencement of their course. Other key policies and guidelines include:

• Student Assessment (Coursework) Policy and Procedure
• Special Assessment Consideration Policy and General Information
• Student Surveys and Evaluations
• Deferred Examinations
• Student Complaint Resolution Policy and Procedure

Assessment Requirements

The ANU is using Turnitin to enhance student citation and referencing techniques, and to assess assignment submissions as a component of the University's approach to managing Academic Integrity. For additional information regarding Turnitin please visit the ANU Online website Students may choose not to submit assessment items through Turnitin. In this instance you will be required to submit, alongside the assessment item itself, hard copies of all references included in the assessment item.

Moderation of Assessment

Marks that are allocated during Semester are to be considered provisional until formalised by the College examiners meeting at the end of each Semester. If appropriate, some moderation of marks might be applied prior to final results being released.

Participation

It is mandatory that students attend live online class on every Monday and Wednesday both from 4:30 pm to 6 pm (Canberra local time). Vigorous participation to class activities is expected as a part of assessments, not just attending the class.

Assessment Task 1

Quiz x 10

Weeks 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12

Vocabulary and grammar

Assessment Task 2

Midsemester Oral Exam

Week 5

1. Individual presentation and 2. Individual interview by the examiner.

More details will be given in Wattle.

Assessment Task 3

Midsemester Listening Comprehension Exam

Week 5

Listening comprehension skills.

More details will be given in Wattle.

Assessment Task 4

Midsemester Written and Reading Exams

Week 5

1. vocabulary and grammar, 2. reading comprehension in romanization and 3. basic cultural knowledge about Myanmar

More details will be given in Wattle.

Assessment Task 5

Final Oral Exam

This exam will be arranged during the Final Exam period.

1. Presentation: pair work and 2. individual interview by the examiner.

More details will be given in Wattle.

Assessment Task 6

Final Listening Comprehension Exam

This exam will be arranged during the Final Exam period.

Listening comprehension skills.

More details will be given in Wattle.

Assessment Task 7

Final Written and Reading Exam

This exam will be arranged during the Exam period.

1. vocabulary and grammar, 2. reading ability in Burmese and 3.basic cultural knowledge about Myanmar.

More details will be given in Wattle.

Assessment Task 8

Final Composition Exam

This exam will be arranged during the Fina Exam period.

Writing skills in Burmese.

More details will be given in Wattle.

Assessment Task 9

Class Participation

Listening and speaking skills together with basic skills of reading and writing Burmese script through class tasks and assignments.

Academic Integrity

Academic integrity is a core part of our culture as a community of scholars. At its heart, academic integrity is about behaving ethically. This means that all members of the community commit to honest and responsible scholarly practice and to upholding these values with respect and fairness. The Australian National University commits to embedding the values of academic integrity in our teaching and learning. We ensure that all members of our community understand how to engage in academic work in ways that are consistent with, and actively support academic integrity. The ANU expects staff and students to uphold high standards of academic integrity and act ethically and honestly, to ensure the quality and value of the qualification that you will graduate with. The University has policies and procedures in place to promote academic integrity and manage academic misconduct. Visit the following Academic honesty & plagiarism website for more information about academic integrity and what the ANU considers academic misconduct. The ANU offers a number of services to assist students with their assignments, examinations, and other learning activities. The Academic Skills and Learning Centre offers a number of workshops and seminars that you may find useful for your studies.

Online Submission

The ANU uses Turnitin to enhance student citation and referencing techniques, and to assess assignment submissions as a component of the University's approach to managing Academic Integrity. While the use of Turnitin is not mandatory, the ANU highly recommends Turnitin is used by both teaching staff and students. For additional information regarding Turnitin please visit the ANU Online website.

Hardcopy Submission

For some forms of assessment (hand written assignments, art works, laboratory notes, etc.) hard copy submission is appropriate when approved by the Associate Dean (Education). Hard copy submissions must utilise the Assignment Cover Sheet. Please keep a copy of tasks completed for your records.

Late Submission

No submission of assessment tasks without an extension after the due date will be permitted. If an assessment task is not submitted by the due date, a mark of 0 will be awarded.

Referencing Requirements

Accepted academic practice for referencing sources that you use in presentations can be found via the links on the Wattle site, under the file named “ANU and College Policies, Program Information, Student Support Services and Assessment”. Alternatively, you can seek help through the Students Learning Development website.

Extensions and Penalties

Extensions and late submission of assessment pieces are covered by the Student Assessment (Coursework) Policy and Procedure The Course Convener may grant extensions for assessment pieces that are not examinations or take-home examinations. If you need an extension, you must request an extension in writing on or before the due date. If you have documented and appropriate medical evidence that demonstrates you were not able to request an extension on or before the due date, you may be able to request it after the due date.

Privacy Notice

The ANU has made a number of third party, online, databases available for students to use. Use of each online database is conditional on student end users first agreeing to the database licensor’s terms of service and/or privacy policy. Students should read these carefully. In some cases student end users will be required to register an account with the database licensor and submit personal information, including their: first name; last name; ANU email address; and other information. In cases where student end users are asked to submit ‘content’ to a database, such as an assignment or short answers, the database licensor may only use the student’s ‘content’ in accordance with the terms of service — including any (copyright) licence the student grants to the database licensor. Any personal information or content a student submits may be stored by the licensor, potentially offshore, and will be used to process the database service in accordance with the licensors terms of service and/or privacy policy. If any student chooses not to agree to the database licensor’s terms of service or privacy policy, the student will not be able to access and use the database. In these circumstances students should contact their lecturer to enquire about alternative arrangements that are available.

Distribution of grades policy

Academic Quality Assurance Committee monitors the performance of students, including attrition, further study and employment rates and grade distribution, and College reports on quality assurance processes for assessment activities, including alignment with national and international disciplinary and interdisciplinary standards, as well as qualification type learning outcomes. Since first semester 1994, ANU uses a grading scale for all courses. This grading scale is used by all academic areas of the University.

Support for students

The University offers students support through several different services. You may contact the services listed below directly or seek advice from your Course Convener, Student Administrators, or your College and Course representatives (if applicable).

• ANU Health, safety & wellbeing for medical services, counselling, mental health and spiritual support
• ANU Diversity and inclusion for students with a disability or ongoing or chronic illness
• ANU Dean of Students for confidential, impartial advice and help to resolve problems between students and the academic or administrative areas of the University
• ANU Academic Skills and Learning Centre supports you make your own decisions about how you learn and manage your workload.
• ANU Counselling Centre promotes, supports and enhances mental health and wellbeing within the University student community.
• ANUSA supports and represents undergraduate and ANU College students
• PARSA supports and represents postgraduate and research students