Editing Myanmar (section)

== Etymology ==
{{main|Names of Myanmar}}

The name of the country has been a matter of dispute and disagreement, particularly in the early 21st century, focusing mainly on the political legitimacy of those using ''Myanmar'' versus ''Burma''.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.usip.org/blog/2018/06/whats-name-burma-or-myanmar|title=What's in a Name: Burma or Myanmar?|website=United States Institute of Peace|language=en|access-date=27 April 2020|archive-date=19 July 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200719221651/https://www.usip.org/blog/2018/06/whats-name-burma-or-myanmar|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/7013943.stm|title=Should it be Burma or Myanmar?|date=26 September 2007|access-date=27 April 2020|language=en-GB|archive-date=18 May 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200518145013/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/7013943.stm|url-status=live}}</ref> Both names derive from the earlier [[Burmese language|Burmese]] ''Mranma'' or ''Mramma'', an [[ethnonym]] for the majority [[Bamar people|Burman]] ethnic group, of uncertain etymology.<ref name=dgeh>{{cite book | title=Burma | last=Hall | first=DGE | chapter=Pre-Pagan Burma | year=1960 | edition=3 | page=13}}</ref> The terms are also popularly thought to derive from [[Sanskrit]] ''Brahma Desha'', 'land of [[Brahma]]'.<ref>{{Cite book|url={{GBurl|id=bV3shLzx0B4C|p=352}}|title=Mental Culture in Burmese Crisis Politics: Aung San Suu Kyi and the National League for Democracy|last=Houtman|first=Gustaaf|date=1999|publisher=ILCAA|isbn=9784872977486|page=352}}</ref>

In 1989, the [[military government]] [[List of renamed places in Myanmar|officially changed]] the English translations of many names dating back to [[British rule in Burma|Burma's colonial period]] or earlier, including that of the country itself: ''Burma'' became ''Myanmar''. The renaming remains a contested issue.<ref name="Houtman1999">{{cite book |url={{GBurl|id=bV3shLzx0B4C|p=45}} |title=Mental culture in Burmese crisis politics |last=Houtman |first=Gustaaf |year=1999 |series=ILCAA Study of Languages and Cultures of Asia and Africa Monograph Series No. 33 |publisher=Institute for the Study of Languages and Cultures of Asia and Africa |pages=43–54 |isbn=978-4-87297-748-6}}</ref> Many political and ethnic opposition groups and countries continue to use ''Burma'' because they do not recognise the legitimacy or authority of the military government.<ref name="steinberg">{{cite book |last=Steinberg |first=David I. |date=2002 |title=Burma: The State of Myanmar |url={{GBurl|id=CSTuWZ0BMmMC}} |publisher=Georgetown University Press |page=xi |isbn=978-1-58901-285-1}}</ref>

The country's official full name is "Republic of the Union of Myanmar" ({{langx|my|ပြည်ထောင်စုသမ္မတ မြန်မာနိုင်ငံတော်}}, ''{{transliteration|my|Pyihtaungsu Thamada Myanma Naingngantaw}}'', {{IPA|my|pjìdàʊɴzṵ θàɴməda̰ mjəmà nàɪɴŋàɴdɔ̀|pron}}). Countries that do not officially recognise that name use the long form "Union of Burma" instead.{{r|World Factbook}}<ref name="NCGUB">{{cite web |url=http://www.ncgub.net/ |title=NCGUB |publisher=National Coalition Government of the Union of Burma |access-date=3 May 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150909080518/http://ncgub.net/ |archive-date=9 September 2015 |url-status=dead }}</ref> In English, the country is popularly known as either ''Burma'' or ''Myanmar''. In Burmese, the pronunciation depends on the [[Register (sociolinguistics)|register]] used and is either ''{{transliteration|my|Bama}}'' ({{IPA|my|bəmà|pron}}) or ''{{transliteration|my|Myamah}}'' ({{IPA|my|mjəmà|pron}}).<ref name="Houtman1999" />

Official [[United States foreign policy]] retains ''Burma'' as the country's name although the [[State Department]]'s website lists the country as ''Burma (Myanmar)''.<ref name="USNaming">{{cite news |title=Burma or Myanmar? Obama calls it both on visit |url=http://asiancorrespondent.com/92211/burma-or-myanmar-obama-calls-it-both-on-visit// |agency=[[Associated Press]] |newspaper=[[Asian Correspondent]] |publisher=Hybrid News Limited |location=Bristol, England |date=19 November 2012 |access-date=19 November 2012 |quote=Yangon, Burma (AP)&nbsp;– Officially at least, America still calls this Southeast Asian nation Burma, the favoured appellation of dissidents and pro-democracy activists who opposed the former military junta's move to summarily change its name 23 years ago. |archive-date=21 November 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121121120002/http://asiancorrespondent.com/92211/burma-or-myanmar-obama-calls-it-both-on-visit/ |url-status=dead }}<br />{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2012/nov/19/burma-myanmar-obama-name-visit|date=19 November 2012|newspaper=The Guardian|title=Burma v Myanmar – what's in a name? Obama plays it safe during historic visit|author=Jason Burke}}<br />{{cite web |url=https://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/cis/cis_1077.html |title=Burma (Myanmar) |publisher=[[United States Department of State]] |access-date=13 April 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131020073109/http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/cis/cis_1077.html |archive-date=20 October 2013 }}</ref> The [[United Nations]] uses ''Myanmar'', as does the [[ASEAN]] and as do [[Australia]],<ref>{{cite web |title=Countries, economies and regions – Myanmar |url=http://dfat.gov.au/geo/myanmar/Pages/myanmar.aspx |publisher=Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Australian Government |access-date=14 September 2016 |archive-date=20 September 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170920180542/http://dfat.gov.au/geo/myanmar/Pages/myanmar.aspx |url-status=live }}</ref> [[Russia]], [[Germany]],<ref>{{cite news |title=Burma vs. Myanmar: What's in a Name |url=http://www.dw.de/burma-vs-myanmar-whats-in-a-name/a-2804762 |access-date=2 August 2013 |newspaper=DW |date=1 September 2007 |archive-date=22 March 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150322193443/http://www.dw.de/burma-vs-myanmar-whats-in-a-name/a-2804762 |url-status=live }}</ref> [[China]], [[India]], [[Bangladesh]], [[Norway]],<ref>{{cite news |last=Mudditt |first=Jessica |date=19 November 2012 |title=Burma or Myanmar: Will the US make the switch? |url=http://www.mmtimes.com/index.php/special-features/153-sanctions-to-sucess/3187-burma-or-myanmar-will-the-us-make-the-switch.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130321003449/http://mmtimes.com/index.php/special-features/153-sanctions-to-sucess/3187-burma-or-myanmar-will-the-us-make-the-switch.html |archive-date=21 March 2013 |access-date=2 August 2013}}</ref> [[Japan]],<ref name="Dittmer">{{cite book |title=Burma Or Myanmar? The Struggle for National Identity |last=Dittmer |first=Lowell |year=2010 |page=2 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=aoHP2Q2I1p4C&q=9789814313643&pg=PA2 |publisher=World Scientific |isbn=9789814313643 |access-date=9 August 2023 |archive-date=10 August 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230810233429/https://books.google.com/books?id=aoHP2Q2I1p4C&pg=PA2&q=9789814313643 |url-status=live }}</ref> [[Switzerland]],<ref>{{cite web |title=Representations and travel advice – Myanmar |url=https://www.eda.admin.ch/eda/en/home/laender-reise-information/myanmar.html |publisher=Federal Department of Foreign Affairs |access-date=14 September 2016 |archive-date=10 October 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171010114231/https://www.eda.admin.ch/eda/en/home/laender-reise-information/myanmar.html |url-status=live }}</ref> [[Canada]]<ref>{{cite web|website=Government of Canada – Global Affairs Canada|access-date=15 November 2018|title=Canada and Myanmar relations|url=http://international.gc.ca/world-monde/myanmar/relations.aspx?lang=eng|archive-date=20 November 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181120040924/http://international.gc.ca/world-monde/myanmar/relations.aspx?lang=eng|url-status=dead}}</ref> and [[Ukraine]].<ref>{{Cite web |last= |title=Кабінет Міністрів України - МЗС: Відбувся перший в історії українсько-м'янманських відносин офіційний візит до Республіки Союз М'янма |url=https://www.kmu.gov.ua/news/249653997 |access-date=27 October 2024 |website=www.kmu.gov.ua |language=uk}}</ref> Most English-speaking international news media refer to the country by the name ''Myanmar'', including the [[BBC]],<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-12990563 | publisher=BBC News | title=Myanmar profile | date=16 July 2013 | access-date=22 June 2018 | archive-date=26 June 2014 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140626082954/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-12990563 | url-status=live }}</ref> [[CNN]],<ref>{{cite news | url=http://edition.cnn.com/2013/07/30/world/asia/myanmar-fast-facts | publisher=CNN | title=Myanmar Fast Facts | date=30 July 2013 | access-date=17 March 2014 | archive-date=29 May 2017 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170529211524/http://edition.cnn.com/2013/07/30/world/asia/myanmar-fast-facts | url-status=dead }}</ref> [[Al Jazeera]],<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.aljazeera.com/news/asia-pacific/2013/07/201372271935496428.html |title=Myanmar blast hits anti-Muslim monk's event&nbsp;– Asia-Pacific |publisher=Al Jazeera |date=22 July 2013 |access-date=17 March 2014 |archive-date=20 September 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170920015012/http://www.aljazeera.com/news/asia-pacific/2013/07/201372271935496428.html |url-status=live }}</ref> [[Reuters]],<ref>{{cite news|url=http://uk.reuters.com/places/myanmar |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121027012001/http://uk.reuters.com/places/myanmar |url-status=dead |archive-date=27 October 2012 |title=Myanmar |work=Reuters |date=9 February 2009}}</ref> and the [[Australian Broadcasting Corporation]] ([[ABC News (Australia)|ABC]])/[[Radio Australia]].<ref name="ABCRA">{{cite news |last1=Woodley |first1=Naomi |title=Carr apprehensive about Rohingyas' future in Myanmar |url=http://www.abc.net.au/am/content/2013/s3801497.htm |access-date=14 September 2016 |work=AM |publisher=Australian Broadcasting Corporation |date=12 July 2013 |archive-date=10 October 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171010115947/http://www.abc.net.au/am/content/2013/s3801497.htm |url-status=live }}<br />{{cite news |title=Aung San Suu Kyi arrives in Thailand for official visit |url=http://www.radioaustralia.net.au/international/2016-06-23/aung-san-suu-kyi-arrives-in-thailand-for-official-visit/1593108 |access-date=14 September 2016 |publisher=Radio Australia |date=23 June 2016 |archive-date=10 October 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171010114241/http://www.radioaustralia.net.au/international/2016-06-23/aung-san-suu-kyi-arrives-in-thailand-for-official-visit/1593108 |url-status=live }}</ref> Myanmar is known by a name deriving from ''Burma'' in [[Spanish language|Spanish]], [[Italian language|Italian]], [[Romanian language|Romanian]], and [[Greek language|Greek]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ambafrance-mm.org/Birmanie-ou-Myanmar-Le-vrai-faux |title='Birmanie ou Myanmar ? Le vrai faux débat francophone' – La France en Birmanie |publisher=Ambafrance-mm.org |access-date=13 April 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140408202934/http://www.ambafrance-mm.org/Birmanie-ou-Myanmar-Le-vrai-faux |archive-date=8 April 2014 |url-status=dead }}</ref> French-language media consistently use ''Birmanie''.<ref>{{cite magazine |url=http://tempsreel.nouvelobs.com/topnews/20170904.AFP9687/birmanie-87-000-rohingyas-refugies-au-bangladesh-en-dix-jours-selon-l-onu.html |title=Birmanie: 87.000 Rohingyas réfugiés au Bangladesh en dix jours, selon l'ONU |magazine=L'Obs |date=4 September 2017 |access-date=9 September 2017 |archive-date=9 September 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170909131747/http://tempsreel.nouvelobs.com/topnews/20170904.AFP9687/birmanie-87-000-rohingyas-refugies-au-bangladesh-en-dix-jours-selon-l-onu.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://tempsreel.nouvelobs.com/tag/birmanie|title=L'actualité sur Birmanie par L'Obs|website=L'Obs|access-date=5 September 2017|archive-date=12 December 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171212170716/http://tempsreel.nouvelobs.com/tag/birmanie|url-status=live}}</ref>

There are at least nine different pronunciations of the English name ''Myanmar'', and no single one is standard. Pronunciations with two syllables are found most often in major British and American dictionaries.<ref group=pronunciations>examples of two-syllable pronunciations: {{IPAc-en|ˌ|m|j|æ|n|ˈ|m|ɑːr}}, {{IPAc-en|ˈ|m|j|æ|n|m|ɑːr}}, {{IPAc-en|audio=En-us-Myanmar.ogg|ˌ|m|j|ɑː|n|ˈ|m|ɑːr}}, or {{IPAc-en|ˈ|m|j|ɑː|n|m|ɑːr}}</ref> Dictionaries—such as [[Collins English Dictionary|Collins]]—and other sources also report pronunciations with three syllables.<ref group=pronunciations>examples of three-syllable pronunciations: {{IPAc-en|ˈ|m|iː|ə|n|m|ɑːr}}, {{IPAc-en|m|i|ˈ|æ|n|m|ɑːr}}, {{IPAc-en|ˌ|m|aɪ|ə|n|ˈ|m|ɑːr}}, {{IPAc-en|m|aɪ|ˈ|ɑː|n|m|ɑːr}}, or {{IPAc-en|ˈ|m|aɪ|æ|n|m|ɑːr}}</ref><ref name="Myanmar">{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/magazinemonitor/2007/09/how_to_say_myanmar.shtml|title=How to say Myanmar|work=Magazine Monitor|series=An occasional guide to the words and names in the news from Martha Figueroa-Clark of the [[BBC Pronunciation Unit]]|publisher=BBC|date=26 September 2007|author=Martha Figueroa-Clark|access-date=23 December 2019|archive-date=10 July 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190710185740/https://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/magazinemonitor/2007/09/how_to_say_myanmar.shtml|url-status=live}}<br />{{cite web |url=https://www.lexico.com/definition/myanmar |title=Definition of MYANMAR by Oxford Dictionary on Lexico.com (British & World English) |publisher=Oxford Dictionaries |access-date=29 April 2021 |archive-date=29 April 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210429132905/https://www.lexico.com/definition/myanmar |url-status=dead }}<br />{{cite web |url=https://www.ahdictionary.com/word/search.html?q=Myanmar |title=Myanmar |publisher=American Heritage Dictionary |access-date=29 April 2021 |archive-date=29 April 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210429132314/https://www.ahdictionary.com/word/search.html?q=Myanmar |url-status=live }}<br />{{cite encyclopedia |author=Thackrah, J. R. |url=http://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/myanmar |title=Definition of Myanmar |dictionary=Collins English Dictionary |access-date=1 September 2012 |archive-date=26 December 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181226082844/https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/myanmar |url-status=live }}<br />{{cite web |url=http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/myanmar?show=0&t=1345589109 |title=Myanmar&nbsp;– Definition and More from the Free Merriam-Webster Dictionary |publisher=Merriam-webster.com |access-date=1 September 2012 |archive-date=26 December 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181226082847/https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Myanmar |url-status=live }}<br />{{cite book | title=Sociolinguistics: An International Handbook of the Science of Language and Society | last=Ammon | first=Ulrich | year=2004 | edition=2nd | volume=3/3 | isbn=978-3-11-018418-1 | publisher=[[Walter de Gruyter]] | url={{GBurl|id=LMZm0w0k1c4C|p=2012}} | page=2012 }}</ref>

{{cn span|As [[John C. Wells|John Wells]] explains, the English spellings of both Myanmar and Burma assume a [[Rhoticity in English|non-rhotic variety of English]], in which the letter r before a consonant or finally serves merely to indicate a long vowel: {{IPA|[ˈmjænmɑː, ˈbɜːmə]}}. So the pronunciation of the last syllable of Myanmar as {{IPA|[mɑːr]}} by some speakers in the UK and most speakers in North America is in fact a [[spelling pronunciation]] based on a misunderstanding of non-rhotic spelling conventions. However, ''Burma'' is pronounced {{IPA|[ˈbɜːrmə]}} by rhotic speakers of English due to a [[phonotactic]] constraint, as {{IPA|/ɜː/}} occurs only before {{IPA|/r/}} in those accents.|reason=This entire paragraph makes very significant statements about the pronunciation of this country‘s name, yet it is thoroughly unsupported by citation.|date=April 2025}}