Burmese 1
UndergraduateANU-BURM10022025
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- Study method
- 100% online
- Assessments
- 100% online
- Entry requirements
- Prior study needed
- Duration
- 14 weeks
- Start dates
- 17 Feb 2025
- 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.
Each week students are expected to study for 6 hours as follows:
1. 90 minutes in total, before each online class, working on the written and audio materials for the week, and, memorising the written and spoken forms of that week’s vocabulary;
2. 180 minutes in total, participating in two 90-minute online classes;
3. 90 minutes in total, completing online follow-up exercises regarding listening, speaking, reading and writing skills and vocabulary.
It is also expected that students should spend at least 4 hours of individual study practicing the week’s written and spoken language forms and vocabulary and reviewing feedback on their work.
- Lesson 1 Welcome and introduction Burmese pronunciation Our romanization system for Burmese
- Lesson 2 From greetings to small talk Some essential rules of Burmese grammar Burmese names
- Lesson 3 Naming things in Burmese How to say the possessive in Burmese
- Lesson 4 Having snacks and drinks at a tea house Request forms (How to ask others to do something)
- Lesson 5 Shopping, sightseeing and visiting pagodas Adjectives and adverbs Daily schedules
- Lesson 6 Introduction of Burmese characters 1.Vowels, 2.Consonants and 3.Exercises Burmese new year song
- Lesson 7 Review of Lesson 2 in Burmese characters
- Lesson 8 Review of Lesson 3 in Burmese characters
- Lesson 9 Review of Lesson 4 in Burmese characters.
- Lesson 10 Review of Lesson 5 in Burmese characters.
- Lesson 11 Family terms Calendars Birthdays (Burmese celebrate birthdays both annually and every week as well) To make a suggestion to do something together with others.
- Lesson 12 Transportation (How to travel to your destination) Why? (How to show the reason)
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 is a fast paced academic course at a University level via face-to-face video at a set time prescribed by the University. Please be aware of potential time zone differences.
- Quizzes x 10 (15%)
- Final listening comprehension test (10%)
- Mid-term oral test (10%)
- Mid-term listening comprehension test (5%)
- Mid-term written test (10%)
- Class participation (5%)
- Final oral exam (20%)
- Final written exam (25%)
For textbook details check your university's handbook, website or learning management system (LMS).
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Entry requirements
Others
Prior study is not required for Burmese 1, but students with some knowledge of the language will be required to take a placement test. Students are not permitted to enrol in a subject that is lower than the level they achieve in the placement test, or a lower level than a subject they have already completed.
Additional requirements
- Equipment requirements - To successfully engage in this course students will need the following: • Laptop or computer • Computer camera (either inbuilt or webcam) • Headset with microphone • Mozilla Firefox or Google Chrome browser • Reliable internet access • 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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