Myeik dialect

The Myeik dialect, also known as Beik in Burmese, Mergui and Merguese in English, and Marit (มะริด) in Thai, is a divergent dialect of Burmese, spoken in Myeik, the second largest town in Tanintharyi Region, the southernmost region of Burma.[2] Myeik shares many commonalities with the Tavoyan dialect, although there are substantial differences especially with regard to phonology.[2]

Myeik
Mergui, Merguese
RegionSoutheast
Native speakers
250,000 (1997)[1]
Language codes
ISO 639-3–
Glottologmerg1238

Phonology

Consonants

Myeik possesses 27 consonant phonemes:[3]

Bilabial Dental Alveolar Postalveolar
and palatal		 Velar and
labiovelar		 Glottal Placeless
Plosive and affricate pʰ p b tʰ t d t̪ tɕʰ tɕ dʑ kʰ k ɡ ʔ  
Nasal m n ɲ ŋ   ɴ
Fricative   sʰ s z   h ɦ  
Approximant   j w  
Lateral   l  

Unlike Standard Burmese, the Myeik dialect does not have any preaspirated consonants.[4] Phonemes unique to the Myeik dialect include /ɦ/ and /t̪/.[4]

Vowels

The Myeik dialect has three types of vowels: plain, nasalized and glottalized, with each type having seven vowels.[5]

Monophthongs Diphthongs
Front Back Front offglide Back offglide
Close i u
Close-mid e o ei ou
Open-mid ɛ ɔ
Open a ai au

Notes
  1. Burmese at Ethnologue (16th ed., 2009)
  2. Kato 2012, p. 118.
  3. Kato 2012, p. 119.
  4. Kato 2012, p. 120.
  5. Kato 2012, p. 121.

References
  • Kato, Atsuhiko; Khin Pale (2012). "The Myeik (Beik) Dialect of Burmese" (PDF). Journal of Asian and African Studies. 83: 117–160.
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