The Myeik dialect, also known as Beik in Burmese, Mergui and Merguiese 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 Myanmar.[2] Beik shares many commonalities with the Tavoyan dialect, although there are substantial differences especially with regard to phonology.[2]

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

Phonology

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Consonants

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Beik possesses 27 consonant phonemes:[3]

Bilabial Dental Alveolar Postalveolar
and palatal
Velar and
labiovelar
Glottal Placeless
Plosive and affricate p b t d tɕʰ k ɡ ʔ  
Nasal m n ɲ ŋ   ɴ
Fricative   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]

 
Mergui Archipelago

Mergui Archipelago[5]

Vowels

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The Myeik dialect has three types of vowels: plain, nasalized and glottalized, with each type having seven vowels.[6]

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

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  1. ^ Burmese at Ethnologue (16th ed., 2009)  
  2. ^ a b Kato & Khin Pale 2012, p. 118.
  3. ^ Kato & Khin Pale 2012, p. 119.
  4. ^ a b Kato & Khin Pale 2012, p. 120.
  5. ^ Mergui, Archipelago (November 9, 2021). "Mergui Archipelago". Mergui Archipelago. Archived from the original on November 9, 2021. Retrieved November 9, 2021.
  6. ^ Kato & Khin Pale 2012, p. 121.

References

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