GLOSSARY 



OF BURMESE WORDS 



The following glossary is intended for the use of the 

 sportsman new to the country who has no knowledge 

 of the Burmese language. No attempt has been made 

 to follow the recognised spelling. To do so would 

 necessitate a key to the pronunciation. It would 

 be quite useless, for instance, to give the word ' kya ' 

 for tiger. The uninitiated would naturally pronounce 

 the word as ' kee-a ' or ' kai-a,' with about as much 

 chance of being understood as if he had used the English 

 word. Grammarians and Higher Standard exponents 

 of the language will therefore please not quarrel with 

 the writer for using a phonetic spelling, which, while 

 admittedly incorrect, will allow of the words being 

 easily pronounced by an Englishman, and understood 

 by the Burmese villager. To those desirous of obtaining 

 an intimate acquaintance with colloquial Burmese so 

 far as books can give it, the writer recommends the 

 little pocket-book by Mr. C. Durvoiselle, entitled ' How 

 to Speak Burmese in a Month,' and' Half the Battle in 

 Burmese,' by Mr. R. Grant Brown, I.C.S. Neither of 

 these books, however, is intended for the sportsman, 



