Myeik dialect
{{Short description|Burmese dialect}}
{{Infobox language
|name=Myeik
|altname=Mergui, Merguiese
|region=Southeast
|speakers=250,000
|date=1997
|ref={{e16|mya|Burmese}}
|familycolor=Sino-Tibetan
|fam2=(Tibeto-Burman)
|fam3=Lolo–Burmese
|fam4=Burmish
|fam5=Southern
|fam6=Burmese
|isoexception=dialect
|glotto=merg1238
|glottorefname= Beik
}}
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.{{sfn|Kato|Khin Pale|2012|p=118}} Beik shares many commonalities with the Tavoyan dialect, although there are substantial differences especially with regard to phonology.{{sfn|Kato|Khin Pale|2012|p=118}}
Phonology
=Consonants=
Beik possesses 27 consonant phonemes:{{sfn|Kato|Khin Pale|2012|p=119}}
| class="wikitable"
! ! Bilabial ! Dental ! Alveolar ! Postalveolar ! Velar and ! Glottal ! Placeless |
| Plosive and affricate
|align=center | {{IPA link|pʰ}} {{IPA link|p}} {{IPA link|b}} | colspan="2" align=center | {{IPA link|tʰ}} {{IPA link|t}} {{IPA link|d}} {{IPA link|t̪}} | align=center | {{IPA link|tɕʰ}} {{IPA link|tɕ}} {{IPA link|dʑ}} | align=center | {{IPA link|kʰ}} {{IPA link|k}} {{IPA link|ɡ}} | align=center | {{IPA link|ʔ}} | |
|---|
| Nasal
| align=center |{{IPA link|m}} | colspan="2" align=center | {{IPA link|n}} | align=center | {{IPA link|ɲ}} | align=center | {{IPA link|ŋ}} | | align=center | {{IPA link|ɴ}} |
| Fricative
| | align=center | | align=center | {{IPA link|sʰ}} {{IPA link|s}} {{IPA link|z}} | align=center | | | align=center | {{IPA link|h}} {{IPA link|ɦ}} | |
| Approximant
| | colspan="2" align=center | | align=center | {{IPA link|j}} | align=center |{{IPA link|w}} | colspan="2" | |
| Lateral
| | colspan="2" align=center | {{IPA link|l}} | colspan="4" | |
Unlike Standard Burmese, the Myeik dialect does not have any preaspirated consonants.{{sfn|Kato|Khin Pale|2012|p=120}} Phonemes unique to the Myeik dialect include {{IPA|/ɦ/}} and {{IPA|/t̪/}}.{{sfn|Kato|Khin Pale|2012|p=120}}
File:Myeik Archipelago and Tenasserim (Tanintharyi) region from the air 03.jpgMergui Archipelago{{Cite web|last=Mergui|first=Archipelago|date=November 9, 2021|title=Mergui Archipelago|url=https://www.mergui.archipelago|url-status=live|archive-url=https://archipelago.gov|archive-date=November 9, 2021|access-date=November 9, 2021|website=Mergui Archipelago}}
=Vowels=
The Myeik dialect has three types of vowels: plain, nasalized and glottalized, with each type having seven vowels.{{sfn|Kato|Khin Pale|2012|p=121}}
| class="wikitable"
! rowspan="2" align="center"| ! colspan="2" align="center"| Monophthongs ! colspan="2" align="center"| Diphthongs |
| align="center"| Front
! align="center"| Back ! align="center"| Front offglide ! align="center"| Back offglide |
|---|
| align="center"| Close
| align="center"| {{IPA link|i}} | align="center"| {{IPA link|u}} | align="center"| | align="center"| |
| align="center"| Close-mid
| align="center"| {{IPA link|e}} | align="center"| {{IPA link|o}} | align="center"| {{IPA|ei}} | align="center"| {{IPA|ou}} |
| align="center"| Open-mid
| align="center"| {{IPA link|ɛ}} | align="center"| {{IPA link|ɔ}} | align="center"| | align="center"| |
| align="center"| Open
| | align="center"| {{IPA link|a}} | align="center"| {{IPA|ai}} | align="center"| {{IPA|au}} |
Notes
{{reflist}}
References
{{refbegin}}
- {{cite journal|last=Kato|first=Atsuhiko|author2=Khin Pale|year=2012|title=The Myeik (Beik) Dialect of Burmese sounds, conversational texts, and basic vocabulary |journal=Journal of Asian and African Studies|volume=83|pages=117–160 |url=https://www.academia.edu/45702611}}
{{refend}}
{{Burmese language}}