Part of Speech Burmese
Types
7 Conjunction
orå
coordinate and subordinate 8 Function
Particles
ypPnf:
plural, relative clause, restriction on an object, restriction on an action,
demonstrates speaker’s bravery, interrogative, negative
9 Exclamation Interjection
tmarÉdwf
emotive words registering shock, pity, surprise, wonder, fear, unexpected
events. Table 12. Parts of Speech Recognized by the MLC
It should be noted that the official Myanmar position on parts of speech follows Indo- Aryan, Pali traditional categories generally. This may be due to the prestigious position of
Pali scholarship historically and to a European educational cultural overlay where similar types of linguistic categories are preferred. The Myanma Language Commission’s categories
basically agree with Taw Sein Ko’s 1891 analysis.
3.4.11 Myint Soe
The University of Oregon dissertation by native Myanmar linguist, Myint Soe 1999, employs a functionalsemantic linguistic model to present a refreshingly modern grammar of
Colloquial Burmese. Regarding word classes Myint Soe agrees with Stewart 1936 that there are two major lexical word classes—the noun and the verb. Grammatical morphemes
particles as a class were sub-classified according to their position in the noun phrase, verb phrase, and clause. The functional grammatical relation of adverb and adjective is treated as
the derived nominal form.
Three types of nouns are distinguished: simple, compound, and derived. Of the simple there are two subtypes—monosyllabic and disyllabic. Four types of compound nouns are
distinguished based upon the lexical classification and the type of semantic head within the compound Myint Soe 1999:22 and are displayed in table 13 together with their
distinguishing characteristics. Derived nouns are formed either by prefixation with
t-
a- +
Verb to form deverbal nouns, or by suffixation of a clause with the
wm
ta realis or
rSm
hma
irrealis nominalizing postpositional particle of Colloquial Burmese.
Type of Compound
Noun Characteristics Semantic
Head Example
1 N+N
coordinate with no head
en:f vrf
:
nany: lam:
way + road = method
subordinate type attribute +
head
qD rD
:
hci: mi: oil +
fire = oil lamp
Type of Compound
Noun Characteristics Semantic
Head Example
2 V+N transitive
verb usually
resembles reduced
relative clause
a| aomuf \rpf
re sauk mrac [[water
drink] root] = tap root, N + V + N
3 N+V transitive
N is usually the semantic object
qefyswf
hcan pyat
rice boil = rice gruel 4 N+Vstative
close juncture
a|cJ
re hkai: water
hard = ice Table 13 Types of compound nouns according to Myint Soe
Myint Soe’s analysis covers a vast array of topics demonstrating insight, particularly into the semantics and relative ordering of particles. He posits word, phrase noun phrase and
verb phrase, clause—transitive and intransitive, nominal complement, sentential complement, adverbial relative, and adverbial nominalized clause types, and the simple and
complex sentence.
As a lead into a discussion about phrase, clause, and sentence, a summary of Myint Soe’s grammatical constructions will be presented here. This approach, as mentioned above,
is functionalsemantic and therefore the types of categories used and distinctions made have been on the basis of semantic function. In contrast, such distinctions are not made in the
present work, since the aim is toward a basic framework of Burmese grammar and the role of nominalization in that framework.
On Phrase, Myint Soe 1999:39 presents a helpful chart outlining the structure of the Noun Phrase. This chart is reproduced in an adapted form in table 14 to characterize
succinctly his point of view. It will be used to compare the functional constructions with the nominal structural view of Burmese grammar.
Restrictive Attributive
1
Attributive
2
Quantity Demonstrative
Genitive phrase
Complement Relative
clause Active V
NOM.V
stative
NP HEAD
Stative V NOM.V
stative
Plural mkr.
Number Classifier Quantity
Table 14. Noun phrase structure The Verb Phrase is one of the areas which will not be addressed in this work, since the
focus is on nominals, but it will be helpful to summarize other scholars’ categories and viewpoint. The following table is an adaptation from information summarized from Myint
Soe’s work 1999:120. The column order follows the syntagmatic ordering. The polite particle is represented twice as it can be found in either position, but only once in a verb
phrase. It should be noted that the post-head particles move in a direction out toward the speech situation.
Pre-head Auxiliaries
Verb Head
Post-head Auxiliaries
Particle
polite
Particle
aspect
Particle
polite
Particle
attitude
36 possible versatile
verbs 42
possible versatile
verbs polite
yg
pa
4 aspects polite
yg
pa
3 particles
Table 15. Verb phrase structure Again employing an adaptation of Myint Soe’s charts as a basis, it will be helpful to
present here the basic framework for the independent clause 1999:129. It should be noted that from the Verb Phrase table 15 and the Independent Clause table 16 the elements and
relationships to the head of the particles are conceived as linear, a placement in the horizontal string, an “affix ordering chart” view to the relations of the particles to the main verb.
Verb Phrase Particles
speech act, tense, polarity
Particles
attitude
Positive Declarative Nominalizer
onf
sany
Concessive, gentle Negative Declarative
Gentle Positive Imperative
Manly, male Negative Imperative
Nonchalance Hortative
Of course, naturally Interrogative
Verb Phrase see table 15
Negative Interrogative Table 16. Independent clause
Finally, the dependent clause, called the Independent Nominal Sentence is presented in table 17, adapted from Myint Soe 1999:130. It is because his analysis is clear and his
charts are conceptually precise that his work is being represented here as the more traditional linguistic approach to categories in Burmese.
Verb Phrase Particles
speech act, tense, polarity
Particles
attitude
Verb Phrase see Table 16 In Colloquial Burmese htahma
In Formal Burmese
onf
sany
rnf
many
polite indeed
gentle So, in fact he did VP
‘VP really? of course
Table 17. Independent nominal sentence
3.4.12 Summary