Burmese 1
Undergraduate
ANU-BURM1002 2026Course information for 2026 intake View information for 2025 course intake
- Study method
- 100% online
- Assessments
- 100% online
- Enrol by
- 15 Feb 2026
- Entry requirements
- Prior study needed
- Duration
- 14 weeks
- Price from
- $1,700
- Upfront cost
- $0
- Loan available
- FEE-HELP available
Burmese 1
About this subject
Upon successful completion, students will have the knowledge and skills to:
- Use an active vocabulary of around 300 Burmese words in spoken and written forms.
- Recognise and pronounce the basic 32 Burmese consonants, 7 basic vowels, and 3 tones, including other distinctive features of Burmese pronunciation with Burmese scripts.
- Reproduce Burmese pronunciation according to a romanization system to support the basic use of English-Burmese and Burmese-English dictionaries.
- Recognise and produce sentence structures in the spoken style Burmese used in short conversations and reading and writing of short, basic texts.
- Communicate using correct grammar and pronunciation for everyday situations such as greetings, small talk with friends and family and shopping.
- Develop and demonstrate an understanding of basic cultural practices such as honorifics for Burmese names and the custom of birthdays of the week.
- Burmese
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.
This subject is ran via face-to-face video at a set time prescribed by the University. Please be aware of potential time zone differences.
- Participation (10%)
- Weekly Online Quizzes (15%)
- Midsemester Written and Reading Assessment (10%)
- Midsemester Listening Comprehension and Oral Assessment (20%)
- Final Written and Reading Assessment (20%)
- Final Listening Comprehension and Oral Assessment (25%)
For textbook details check your university's handbook, website or learning management system (LMS).
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Entry requirements
Others
If you have studied or have previous experience with the language and are not sure which course level is right for you, please take a language proficiency assessment, or reach out to our friendly student services team at ANU: cap.student@anu.edu.au.
Additional requirements
- Equipment requirements - To successfully engage in this subject, students will need a laptop or computer with a camera (inbuilt or webcam), a headset with a microphone, Mozilla Firefox or Google Chrome, reliable internet access, and access to a scanner or smartphone.
Study load
- 0.125 EFTSL
- This is in the range of 10 to 12 hours of study each week.
Equivalent full time study load (EFTSL) is one way to calculate your study load. One (1.0) EFTSL is equivalent to a full-time study load for one year.
Find out more information on Commonwealth Loans to understand what this means to your eligibility for financial support.
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