Burmese, a Grammar of (Soe).Pdf
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Further reproduction prohibited without permission. UMI Number 9957575 Copyright 1999 by Soe, Myint All rights reserved. UMI* UMI Microform9957575 Copyright 2000 by Bell & Howell Information and Learning Company. All rights reserved. This microform edition is protected against unauthorized copying under Title 17, United States Code. Bell & Howell Information and Learning Company 300 North Zeeb Road P.O. Box 1346 Ann Arbor, Ml 48106-1346 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. “A Grammar of Burmese,” a dissertation prepared by Myint Soe in partial fulfillment o f the requirements for the Doctor of Philosophy degree in the Department of Linguistics. This dissertation has been approved and accepted by: Dr. Scott DeLancey, Chair of the Examining Committee ///a-y/fy Date Committee in Charge: Dr. Scott DeLancey, Chair Dr. T. Givon Dr. Eric Pederson Dr. Gerald Fry Accepted by: Vice Provost and Dean oftne Graduate School Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Copyright 1999 Myint Soe Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. An Abstract of the Dissertation of Myint Soe for the degree of Doctor o f Philosophy in the Department of Linguistics to be taken December 1999 Title: A GRAMMAR OF BURMESE Approved: This study describes and analyzes the major areas of the grammar of spoken colloquial Burmese, discussing, wherever appropriate, the functional and semantic motivations underlying syntactic alternations. Burmese has only two lexical word classes, the noun and the verb, together with an assortment of grammatical morphemes. Grammatical relations which are indicated by word order and inflections in other languages, are, for the most part, indicated by grammatical morphemes in Burmese. A noun may be followed by a string of morphemes indicating number, intra-clausal propositional semantic role, and inter-clausal discourse or pragmatic function. This study shows that grammatical morphemes, which follow the noun and fall into position classes, become more abstract in function and reduced in form the further they occur from the head. The analysis of the structure of the verb phrase shows an analogous pattern. Burmese is noted for the number of versatile auxiliary verbs following the head. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. V A good portion of this study relates the grammatical function of versatile auxiliaries to relative order, and shows how synchronic grammaticalized role correlates with relative versatile auxiliary order. Specifically, that the grammatical function of a versatile auxiliary varies with its position relative to other versatile auxiliaries. As the meaning of a verb determines its grammatical properties, this study categorizes verb types according to the common semantic properties they share. The study concludes with a description and analysis of clausal embedding, subordination and conjunction, providing evidence in part, from Burmese, of the correlation hypothesized to hold between strength of semantic bond and degree of syntactic integration. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. CURRICULUM VITA NAME OF AUTHOR: Myint Soe GRADUATE AND UNDERGRADUATE SCHOOLS ATTENDED: University of Oregon Ohio University University of Sydney Rangoon University Institute of Education, Rangoon DEGREES AWARDED: Doctor of Philosophy in Linguistics, 1999, University of Oregon Master of Arts in Linguistics, 1990, Ohio University Diploma in the Teaching of English as a Foreign Language, 1983, University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia Bachelor of Arts in English, 1977, Institute of Education, Rangoon AREAS OF SPECIAL INTEREST: Grammatical ization The semantics of grammar Tibeto-Burman Linguistics PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE: Graduate Teaching Fellow (Instructor o f Burmese), Department of Linguistics, University of Oregon, Eugene, 1990-1993 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Tutor, English Department, Institute o f Foreign Languages, Rangoon, Burma, 1984-1988 Tutor, English Department, Rangoon University, Rangoon, 1978-1983 AWARDS AND HONORS: Fulbright Scholarship, 1988-1990 Colombo Plan Scholarship, Australia, 1983 PUBLICATIONS: Soe, Myint. 1994. “A semantic study o f deictic auxiliaries in Burmese.” Linguistics o f the Tibeto-Burman Area. Volume 17.1- Spring 1994. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS The Department o f Linguistics at the University of Oregon has been a refuge that provided me with the time and opportunity to pursue intellectual challenges that would not have been possible elsewhere. I would first like to express my sincere gratitude to Margo Ramsing, Peter Briggs, and Ginny Stark, who, in their capacity as international student advisers, symbolized the warmth and humanity of a great university. A special note o f thanks to Dr. Gerald Fry, Dr. William S. Ayres, and Dr. Norman D. Sundberg, whom I came to know through common interests in the culture and politics of Southeast Asia and who came to take an interest in my personal well-being. Again to Dr. Gerald Fry. without whose assistance no one knows for how long my family would have had to wait in limbo in Bangkok to join me here. To the faculty of the Department of Linguistics, I would like to express my immense gratitude to each individual member for the well of encouragement that never ran dry. Again to Professor Kathie Carpenter, who brought a ton of invaluable books and materials on Burmese from Bangkok. And finally, to Professor Scott DeLancey, who was there every step of the way, for the inspiration and academic guidance, and last but not least, for the compassion without which nothing true and worthwhile is possible. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. DEDICATION To Professor Scott DeLancey with love, respect and gratitude Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. TABLE OF CONTENTS Chapter Page I. INTRODUCTION.......................................................................................................... I Background to the Language and the People ..........................................................1 Genetic Affiliations and Dialect Varieties ...........................................................3 Research by Western Scholars ..............................................................................4 Scope of the Dissertation ....................................................................................... 5 H. PHONOLOGY................................................................................................................ 7 The Syllable................................................................................................................ 7 Consonants ...........................................................................................................10 Vowels................................................................................................................. 12 Tones ....................................................................................................................13 Juncture ..............................................................................................................