Myanmar–English Dictionary

Myanmar–English Dictionary (Burmese: မြန်မာ-အင်္ဂလိပ်အဘိဓာန်) is a modern Government project in Myanmar (formerly Burma), first published in 1993 by the Government of Myanmar's Myanmar Language Commission.^[1]

It is a guide dictionary for translating between English and the Myanmar Language. It was recorded the members of the Myanmar Language Commission and the two Myanmar–English Dictionary Work Committees who participated in the compilation of this dictionary.

Myanmar–English Dictionary Work Committee(1)

1. U Ba Nyunt,Member of the Myanmar Language Commission,Chairman(deceased)
2. U Htin Gyi,Member of the Myanmar Language Commission,Member
3. Daw Kyan,Member of the Myanmar Language Commission,Member
4. Dr.Than Htun,Member of the Myanmar Language Commission,Member
5. U Thaw Kaung,Librarian,Universities' Library,Member
6. U Thi Ha,Retired Professor of English,Member
7. Staff members,Department of the Myanmar Language Commission

Myanmar–English Dictionary Work Committee(2)

1. Hla Shwe, Member of the Myanmar Language Commission, Chairman
2. Htin Fatt, Member of the Myanmar Language Commission, Member
3. Daw Myint Than, Member of the Myanmar Language Commission, Member
4. Than Htut, Member of the Myanmar Language Commission, Member
5. Win Pe, Member of the Myanmar Language Commission, Member
6. Hla Mae, Retired Lecturer in English, Member
7. Hpwa Yin, Retired Lecturer in English, Member
8. Khin Kyi Kyi, Retired Lecturer in English, Member
9. Khin Mae, Retired Lecturer in English, Member
10. Ko Ko, Retired Secretary, Myanmar Red Cross Society, Member (deceased)
11. Myint Kyi "Tekkatho Myat Soe", Member
12. Staff members, Department of the Myanmar Language Commission

The first English–Burmese Dictionary was compiled and published by Adoniram Judson, and is still available in a new revision. U Htun Nyein: dictionary and Tet Toe Dictionary are famous among Burmese students.

Hla Pe (who was Professor of Burmese at the University of London 1948–1980) worked with others on the Burmese–English dictionary project, which began in 1925 under the aegis of the Burma Research Society, was continued at the University of Rangoon and then the School of Oriental and African Studies (London). This small group completed 5 volumes of the dictionary, each 80 large-format pages, but it remains incomplete. Other participants were J. A. Stewart, C. W. Dunn, J.S. Furnivall, Gordon H Luce, Charles Duroiselle, Anna Allott, John Okell and, from the United States, R. Halliday and A. C. Hanna.

Oxford Dictionary 4th editor C. T. Onions said "A lexicographer's life is a dog's life, but a lexicographer generally lives to an old age". This is true of several contributors to these Burmese dictionaries.

References

1. Vicky Bowman, San San Hnin Tun Burmese Phrasebook Lonely Planet 2001 Page 10 "The best available bilingual dictionary is their Myanmar-English Dictionary published in 1993."