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    This document discusses "nissaya Burmese", a linguistic curiosity in Burma where each word or phrase from Pali Buddhist scriptures is followed by its Burmese translation. Nissaya have been used in Burma since at least the mid-16th century and have profoundly influenced Burmese language and literature. Specifically, early Western grammars of Burmese and recent studies may have overrated or underrated the importance of nissaya Burmese on the analysis of Burmese grammar. The purpose of the paper is to draw attention to the effects of nissaya Burmese in the field of language.

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    This document discusses "nissaya Burmese", a linguistic curiosity in Burma where each word or phrase from Pali Buddhist scriptures is followed by its Burmese translation. Nissaya have been used in Burma since at least the mid-16th century and have profoundly influenced Burmese language and literature. Specifically, early Western grammars of Burmese and recent studies may have overrated or underrated the importance of nissaya Burmese on the analysis of Burmese grammar. The purpose of the paper is to draw attention to the effects of nissaya Burmese in the field of language.

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    This document discusses "nissaya Burmese", a linguistic curiosity in Burma where each word or phrase from Pali Buddhist scriptures is followed by its Burmese translation. Nissaya have been used in Burma since at least the mid-16th century and have profoundly influenced Burmese language and literature. Specifically, early Western grammars of Burmese and recent studies may have overrated or underrated the importance of nissaya Burmese on the analysis of Burmese grammar. The purpose of the paper is to draw attention to the effects of nissaya Burmese in the field of language.

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    53 views1 page

    First Page PDF

    Uploaded by

    Pichaipat Chummueangyen
    This document discusses "nissaya Burmese", a linguistic curiosity in Burma where each word or phrase from Pali Buddhist scriptures is followed by its Burmese translation. Nissaya have been used in Burma since at least the mid-16th century and have profoundly influenced Burmese language and literature. Specifically, early Western grammars of Burmese and recent studies may have overrated or underrated the importance of nissaya Burmese on the analysis of Burmese grammar. The purpose of the paper is to draw attention to the effects of nissaya Burmese in the field of language.

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    L&gw 15 (1965) 186-227, Q North-Holland BubIishing Co.

    , Amsterdam
    Not to ba reproduced by pbotoprint or microfilm without written permission from the pubIisbar

    NISSAYA BURMESE
    A CASE OF SYSTEMATIC ADAPTATION
    TO A FOREIGN GRAMMAR AND SYNTAX

    JOHN OKELL

    It is recorded in the Burmese chronicles that king Anorahta ‘placed


    the thirty sets of the Pitaka’ - the Theravada Buddhist Bcriptures which
    he had brought into his kingdom - ‘in a shrine studded all over with
    precious stones, and had the noble Order of monks give instruction in
    them.’ This event is said to have taken place in the second half of the
    eleventh century AD, Instruction in the Pitaka and in Pali, the language
    in which they are written, is still given today and has had profound effects
    on the language and literature of the Burmese. The purpose of this paper
    is to draw atten& to one of t3ese effects in the field of language, namely
    ‘ptissnya Burmese’. Besides being a linguistic curiosity in itsew, nissaya
    Burmese, it is suggested, may well have an importance for the analysis
    of Burmese grammar that hais not been properly seen in perspective.
    Early Western grammars (e.g. Judsonl) and Lonsdale2)) were dominated
    by nissaya-influenced Burmese and accepted most of it without question,
    while recent studies (e.g. Stewr.rt,3) Cornyo,4) Minn Latt5)) have perhaps
    tended to underrate it.
    Nissaya are works in which each word 01’ phrase of a Pali text is
    followed immediately by its Burmese translations) (example in
    Appendix 1). They have been known in Bslrma since at least the mid-

    ‘) T’he Rev. A. Judson, Grammar of the brmese language, Rangoon, 1888, new ed.,
    i951.
    ‘) A. W. Lonsdale, Burmese grammar, Ranlpu(3n., 1899.
    3, J. A. Stewart, Manual of colloquia! _%~:++.~a,London, 1955.
    *) W.S.Comyn, Outline of Burmese mamma:: (Language Dissertation, 38), Balti-
    more, 1944.
    ‘) Minn Latt, ‘Reports on studies in Burme:e Grammar’, Arch& Orient&i, first
    report, XXX, 1962; second report, XXXT, 1963 ; ; hird report XXXII, 1964.
    4, In some nissaya the Burmese incorporar.& material, literary or explanatory,
    additional to the Pali text. Tin Lwin (see n. 8 b&w) classities four types of nissaya:
    verbatim, fnee, ornate, and translation with sho_rt notes. It is the ordinary verbatim
    type, with minimal additions, which is relevanr. for this paper,

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