INTRODUCTION TO SHAN

By

Sao Tern Moeng

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FOREWORD

This article is a basic course of written Shan. The text consists of Shan initial consonants, vowels, diphthongs, consonant endings, combinations of initial consonants and vowels, and compound consonants combined with possible vowels and consonant endings. Phonetic symbols of consonants and vowels are illustrated beside their corresponding characters in the consoanants and vowel charts, and also in the introduction of each drill. Hence, a student ought to study and practise in order to get the correct pronunciation of the consonants and vowels in a current lesson before proceeding to the next and new lesson.

There are five tones for each Shan word, and occasionally a sixth tone when the speaker wishes to emphasize his message. However, only five tones are used in this course, except for very few examples that are shown with the sixth tone.

Each category is accompanied by drills and exercises. In the drills for vowels, each vowel is combined with various initial consonants, and with consonant endings wherever possible.

The first few lines in each drills are shown, as much as possible, with the vowel that is newly introduced and then mixed with other vowels as the course progresses. Examples in the drills are phrases or short sentences produce sensible meanings, to help a student remember what the an example portray, as well as recognize the vocabulary, while enabling him to pronounce the consonants, vowels and tones correctly.

It is very important that a student master the five tones, because a wrong tone for a word will give the incorrect message of what he wants to convey.

Sao Tern Moeng

INTRODUCTION TO SHAN

CONSONANTS

There are 20 consonants of the alphabet in the Shan language.

0 d C
ga ka nga
CO co cp
za sa nJa
00 CD as
da ta na
0 co t9
ba pa fa
~ U) 9.
rna ya ra
(\) 0 so
la wa tha m

ha

a

1

Exercise

o

co

00

o

co

m

c

00

co

TONES

There are five tones for each Shan word, and a e tone when a word is expressed emphatically.

Tone 1 - Rising Tone (not represented by any symbol)

o o

Tone 2 - Low Level Tone (represented by a comma) Tone 3 - Mid Level Tone (represented by a semi-colon) Tone 4 - High Level Tone (represented by a colon) Tone 5 - Falling Tone (represented by a period)

Tone 6 - Emphatic Tone (represented by two inverted commas)

o

PUNCfUATIONS

The two main punctuaiton marks in Shan are: I which is equivalent to a comma (,) in English, and II which is equivalent to a period (.) in English. Question marks are used by some Shans, although they are not necessary because Shan statements have interrogative particles. Quotation marks are also getting to be commonly used in Shan literature.

2

VOWELS

There are 10 pure vowels in the Shan language.

e
00 a rolaa 00 i GOO e
C'
EOOe rou 000 0 GOOI o
Il Il
oC' oC'
roo UJ oo os
l Il Pronunciation:
m pronounced as a In mat
m1 pronounced as a In father
~ pronounced as e In me
Gm pronounced as a In may
em pronounced as e In met
m pronounced as u In sue
Il
mS pronounced as 0 In hoe
Il
Gml pronounced as aw In law
o1S pronounced as u in Ugh!
rBS pronounced as e in her
Il 3

1. Drills and exercises with the vowel ro1 - aa
ro1 - rol 0019 001; oop rol°
°1 °19 °1; 0p °1°
cl c19 cl; Cpt cl°
CPl CP19 cPP cPp CPl° 1.

Please come!

to bring along .

[I] came to look for the horse.

Thatch is very expensive.

Aunty Hsa brought a basket.

A horse is disturbing Aunty Hsa's rice field.

2. Drills and exercises with the vowel r8 - i
9 9 9 9 9 9
ro - 00 009 00; oo e roo
c8 9 c8; c8:: c80
009
9 e e e 9
0 09 0; 0:: 00
9 9 9 9 9
0') 009 Q)~ 00:: 000 2.

99

~ 0:: II

Fat bear.

Brother Wee's flute.

Sister Lee is at the loom.

Sister Ee"s fan is at the loom.

A knife for cutting thatch.

4

3. Drills and exercises with the vowel GOO - e

GOO -

GOO

GCOg

ceo,

GOO

GCDo

3.

Miss Hsay.

GC08 Gm9" Few papers.

Goo8Gmll to carry infant on the back

e e e

G080 ;0.:> sco as 19' II Borther Yee' s jewish harp is very good.

Gm8GCD8GC08Gm8G:>':>8" Miss Htay carries Miss Hsay on her back.

e

Goo;:>.:>laGlroos19" Shan paper is nice and thick.

4. Drills and exercises with the vowel eco - e

8m - em em9 em8 8m8 8mo
80s em9 e3G8 8OS8 eoso
e"=l e"=l9 8"=l8 8~8 e"=lo
e9 e99 e98 898 890
4. 8~8e~9'1 Chinese woman.
800 eq8oooeooo" The goat is very tame.
e"=l;e~geO;eoo " The Chinese woman is avoiding the goat.
°l;eose"=l;cScSero; " Tell it to mother nicely.
GOO"=ll gero9~1 ;eaG9 " Are you coming to visit me? 5

5. Drills and exercises with the vowel 00 - u It

00 00 O?tg
Il Il
0 Og
Il Il
d ig
Il
00 ~g
Il
5. Og:l.) II
Il Il
~~~gll.
C8U)g~;~:nl
Il Il
o g::l.) 9l 0 II
Il Il Il
00; E~8 009000 II
Il Il Il
e
co U) 9 00 U) g£a&g II
Il Il Il 000 00:: 000
Il9 Il Il
00 0:: 00
Il9 Il Il
i~ d8 ,0
Il
000 00:: 000
Il9 Il Il Your grandfather.

The pig's ear is wrinkled.

Snakes live in holes.

Your grandfather is looking for crabs.

Father fixes a broken cradle.

How do are you? Are you well?

6. Drills and exercises with the vowel 00 0 - 0
Il
C 000 C mO° 0008 c
000 - oo o, moo
Il Il Il Il II Il Il
cO C c c c
co COo C08 COo
Il Il Il II Il Il
C C C 000:: c
000 OOOg OOO~ 0000
Il Il Il It Il
coO C coO~ co 08 C
co 09 co 00
It Il Il It Il 6.

c c c 00800dO II It Il Il

The cow is afraid of the bridge.

Five sheep.

The cow met the sheep at the bridge.

The beans and sesame are very good.

c e c

dl~CO 0::0 ~co OoEOO~ II

Il Il

I took Brother Hto for a stroll.

6

7. Drills and exercises with the vowel Gml-;)

=t - =i Gmlg Gmp Gml8 Gmlo
G9?l G9?lg G9?l3 Gc:pp Gc:plo
GOOI GOOlg GOOl3 GOOP GIDlo
GOOI GOOlg GOOl3 GOOlg GOOlo
7. G913 GOJlo II Drive a cart.
GOl3 G~lGOloll Father knows how to beat.
GOl GOl g GOl8 II Very cheap jute.
e Mother knows how to weave the loom.
E~3G~lGOOPOg II
G~PG013 G~p~EO')oEOOo II It is also really noisy. 8. Drills and exercise with the vowel ~8 - ill

~8 oC' oC' oC' ~8g oC'
mo co o, moo O{oo
l l l l 9 l
0(' oC' oC' oC' oC'
3&0 '*tOg 3&00 es os 3&00
l l 9 l l
88 oC' 0(' 88g oC'
OOg 00; 000
l l l l l
tB8 oC' tR80 tB8g oC'
mOg ~Oo
l l l 9 l 8.

Are you going to buy?

0(;' 0('

COOP,)013COII

l It .II.

What is your name?

~80~lgOI3~811

e 0(;' 0(;' ~gG~l;,Og <l1009pll

0(;' oC'

co 0;:» OJ OgEO')oEO')ol

l It l

How many did you buy?

Do [you] have a tea brewing pot?

Your name is really famous.

7

9. Drills and exercises with the vowel r8 S - g
Il
OC OC oc oc oc oc
000- 000 oo o, oo os oo os moo
Il Il Il Il 9 Il Il
OC: OC: oc: oc: oc
co COg COo COg COo
Il Il Il 9 Il Il
0(' OC oc: a28g oc:
aGO aGOg 3& 00 as o,
R Il R II Il Il
OC: OC oc: oc: oc:
~o ~Og ~O~ ~Og ~Oo 9.

oc: oc o oro 011

Il Il

extra salt

Don't be foolish!

o c o c ~Og~O~ol: II Il Il

[He/she] went back yesterday.

OC o c o c

0')1:D OC 0~U) gOO O~II

Il..fl Il Il

The tiger's eyes are shining, you know.

OC o c oc v.c c C;O')~Og~o~oogmo~ II

Il II. .1i. R.

[I'm] going back the day after tomorrow, you know

(Note: Shans do not often use personal pronouns in sentences and statements when the subject of whom is being spoken about is known to the speaker or the listener. Hence, in the English translations of the examples, pronouns that are being referred to are shown in brackets.)

8

10. The vowel 00 - a

(a) The vowel m has no symbol. This type of vowel is very noticable in an initial consonant that is not accompanied by any vowel symbol, and when used in a bound word to from real word, for it has no meaning of its own. It usually proceeds a letter or word and it is pronounced as a very short syllable. It is this type of initial consonant that creates multi-syllable words in the Shan language.

Example:

promise

(co is a short syllable)

9 00009

geography (pali word)

(0 and 00 are short syllables)

Drills and exercises with the short vowel 00 as a bound word.

Very cautious and alert.

I live in Kalaw.

[I] will come by train.

[I] will ride a train and come.

Caution and promise.

[Is] your teacher coming?

om 8g£ro~00a& 0 U

Il Il

Pa-O and Hta- Nu (ethnic groups)

Sister Hta is good-hearted.

(b) The short vowel 00 can be detected when an initial consonant is used with a final consonant. (See explanation and drills in Final Consonants.)

(Note: In the Shan language, as will also be seen in the drills and exercises, pronouns are not usually used in statements when the subject is known by whoever is making the statements. Hence, the subject could be the speaker, the second person, or the third person.)

10

DIPHTHONGS

There are 12 diphthongs or compound vowels.

9

00 aj

9 = ro+ro

9

001 aaj

9 = rol + ro

9 ro + ro Il

m ,..S. oj = Il "t'

e: 9 roo + ro Il

C' OOOaw

c :: ro+roo Il

C'

m10 aaw =

c rol + roo

Il

9 9
OJ oj = Grol + ro
GC' c
OOOej = Gro+ roo
Il
oS oe:
am = ro+roo
c l oC' mOuj =

9 e: ro+roo Il

~8ew= c
ero+ roo
Il
o C' o c 9
~ce mj = roo + ro
l
0 C' o c 9
or O?tce ~j = roo + ro
Il 11

Pronunciation:

9 00

9 001

o c

ot<t>

o c

~<t>

pronounced as y III my (but shorter in duration)

pronounced as y in my

pronounced as u III sue and e in me (simultaneoulsy)

pronounced as 0 in moe, and e in me (simultaneously)

pronounced as ow in cow (but shorter in duration)

pronounced as ow in cow

pronounced as oy III boy

pronounced as ouie in Louie (but shorter in duration)

pronounced as eo in Leo

pronounced as eow in meow

pronounced as a in father and u in Ugh! (simultaneously)

pronounced as u in Ugh! and e in me (simultaneously)

pronounced as e in her and e in me (simultaneously)

(Note: It is difficult to give examples for the exact pronunctfions of the diphthongs 00 as , oS' , dS,..' and dS -S; . )

Il -I: c l "t' Il "t'

12

1. Drills and exercise with the vowel rrJ - aJ
9 9 9 9 9 9
en - en ffi9 en~ eng oo ,
9 9 8~ 9 9
0 09 Og 00
9 9 9 9 9
C C9 C~ C8 Co
9 9 ~~ 9 9
co C09 COg co °
1. 9 9 chicken egg
d909"
~ 9 9 Shan man is lighting fire.
gOO ~U> gil
8 9 9 9 ~ The chicken laid eggs here.
9d 9d 900; ~ II
~ 9 9 9 Clear trees and plough the farm.
9~ oG:DCO 5' ~"
9 99 This person also walks far.
GOl03GoGOl;OO II 2. Drills and exercise with the vowel en~ - aaj

9 enl -

9 9 9
enl~ enl:: enlo
9 d~g 9
dl; dlo
9 9 9
COl~ COl:: COlo
9 9 9
:Dl; :xng :lJlo co1

9 C019

2.

ro~ro1 II

plainly; with nothing

Ai Sai is obedient.

Miss Mai has a sharp knife.

9 9 9 9 9

asl:: co s ~ ::U>1p.:> 1 011

The Shan woman is on the left.

The Chinese woman is selling striped silk.

13

3. Drills and exercises with the vowel ~ cp - uj
~q?- C' C' C' C' ~cpo
~ce ~ce9 roceo ~ceg
l 9
C' C' oocpo C' ~cpo
CY.tce CY.tce9 l 9 CY.t ceg
~CP C' C' ~CPg C'
~ce9 as ceo ~ceo
l 9
C' C' C' C' C'
qce qce9 qc:p~ qceg qceo 3.

9 C' C'

rol ~q ceoG009 cegEas II

J'1q?~q?~EOOoEOOo II

4. Drills and exercises with the vowel ro cP - OJ
Il
C' C' C'
roq?- 0?t'P 0?t'P9 roceo
Il Il 9
<>tCP C'
~ce9 as cpo
It 9
C' C' C'
~'P ~ce9 ~ceo
Il "
~cP C' ~cP~
S:'P9 4.

C' C' C'

eo room coso cos Ero~oolo II Il -.: Il I: Il-':

fluffy cotton

chubby and fluffy dog

Ai Pui will swim and show [ us].

The cotton fibers separates easily.

chubby, fat, fluffy

C' C'
roceg 0?t'P0
Il
ascpg as cpo
Il Il
~~g C'
~'P0
C' C'
~c:pg ~'P0 banana seeds

shucking cotton seeds

There's frost in the valley only.

Better think about it yourself

Pot holder and cotton basket..

14

5. Drills and exercise with the vowel 008 - aw
c c c m8~ c c
000- 000 0009 ooos moo
c c c c c
00 009 OO~ OOg 000
C C C C C
dO dOg dO~ dOg dOo
c8 c89 c C c
CO~ COg COo 5.

Taking the light pillars.

The tortoise is stirring up the ash,

We came early.

The farmers are uprooting rice seedlings.

9 o c C ~ C

008asOdOOO dO~ II

It l

The Chinese Shans are milling rice.

6. Drills and exercises with the vowel 0018 - aaw

00188 C
00100
C C
00108 00100
C :>':>180
:>':>108
C 00180
00108 6.

News.

Twenty long-legged maidens.

9 c ('9 c ot g0108d 0800 ~:>.:>O II

J Il

Put cloth railings at the post.

c i c C'C C

mlO"08mOdO~u)oo II

Our uncle had taken the rice.

Are you listless because you're sick?

15

7. Drills and exercises with the vowel ci -oj
9 9 9 9 9 9
eo - m 0'69 m 0 00 a eo ,
0 0 09 0 0
9 9 9 9 9
00 ~9 00 0 00 s 000
0 09 0 0
9 9 9 9 9
co ,,&9 ro 0 co s ro 0
0 09 0 0
9 9 9 9 9
s ~9 ~~ ~g ~o 7.

9 9

OO19g ~~ ~ II

'd8cJ 96~a28cJ II

o J Il 0

They are breaking sod on the hill farm.

Don't hang it yet.

Just say it slowly.

Diced bamboo shoot fmely.

I hung the kettle a moment ago.

8. Drills and exrcises with the vowel d3 8 - iw

ri38- r88 OC' ri38~ OC' OC'
m09 ooos moo
d38 OC' OC' d38g OC'
0009 000; 0')00
t£8 t£89 OC' OC' t£C'
mo; eo oe 00
OC' a289 a28; OC' OC'
aGO asOg sse,
8. OC' OC' Finger [digits]
asOo~Og II
l
d38~G:>.:>§8~€ro~ II Lift it and weigh it.
a28o~ 08Sl1 ;a20oll Five fmgers.
OC' C' 9 9 The strands of cotton breaks easily.
ooqq:>aGU6 9aG1911
OC' 9 9 The surface of the wood is very rough.
ooo oaG oeo18aG19 II 16

9. Drills and exercises ~th the vowel 03 8 - ew
GC' GC' GC' GC' GC' GC'
000- 000 0009 oo os oo os moo
98 GC' 98~ GC' 980
Sl09 90g
GC' 0389 GC' GC' 0380
000 oo os OOOg
GC' at89 GC' at8g GC'
aso as 09 as 00 9.

GC' GC' C008WO~1I

Clear and tidy up too soon.

GC' o c GC'

W o~~ osco oscot II Il

Clear and tidy up now.

Green green grass.

Sai Ai's has green pants.

Are they Shans living in Lashio?

10. Drills and exercises with the vowel o§ 8 - ew
~8 - 018 0189 018~ 0188 0180
e8 e89 e8~ e8g e80
~8 ~89 ~8~ ~8g ~8o
€C' £C' £C' ~8g €C'
~o ~O9 ~o; ~Oo 10.

GC' . _£C' CO08tDO II

arriving early [than expected]

The cat is eating ranky fish.

The kettle is really broken.

There are several rows and lines.

The smell offish is very ranky.

17

11. Drills and exercises with the vowel 01 -aru
c
r8- 01 019 010 018 010
c c c (,9 c c
~ C' cd° cd8 ~o
az9 (.9 c
-;:8 ~9 -;:8~ -;:88 ~o
c c, c
~ ~9 ~~ ~8 ~o
11. .£ o~ 0Il to want to [have something performed]
(.9 9
~9<{ 8"211 to take seriously [to heart]
d8.£ ~~l gaE ~ 0 II They want to come this morning.
(, c.
C' C' e c:£ Where is the new blanket?
U>l~'l 'l9~8 II
~~~ ~~l 8u2 8~ 8 II [I] want you to come early. 12. Drills and exercises with the vowels dl cS and dl cS - ruj and oj

l .. ~ Il~

o1ce - die: o e: o e: n1CP8 ~cpo
lCP ~CP9 ~cP~
~ci? o e: ~cP~ ~CP8 o c:-
OJ?CP9 mcpo
Il Il
o e: ~9?9 §9?~ §cp8 o c:-
~cP ~cpo
~c:- oc:- Hey! Hey!
l cpo "19?0 n
oc:- C'§C:- Hey! Cow!
~cpo ~Og cpo II
o~ e 9 Hey! Come here!
m 81~pO')~36S0011
Il Il
o~ c 0 c Hey, my friend!
OJ? 8GOl09og O{CP~II
n1ceo I ro'~~~gm'~n Oh, boy oh boy!
~ceol uS' ~PU)9" Hey! Who's coming!
Il c Il (Note: This vowel combination is used mostly in interjections.)

18

CONSONANT ENDINGS OR FINAL CONSONANTS

There are six consonants that are used as final endings that are used in the Shan language, and these six consonants can be used as endings for any of the ten pure vowels.

The six final consonants endings are:

o

c

00

o

o 0') o have abrupt endings. These consonant endings are unaspirated and have to be stopped abruptly when uttering them, not letting any puff of air escaping from the mouth. (These final consonants are equivalent to English words that ends with a k, t, p.)

'(

c as ~ have gliding endings, and is expressed with a smooth and gliding

sound. (These consonants are equivalent to English words

that ends with a ng, n, m.)

The following examples are pairs of words in Shan and English that produce the same pronunciation to illustrate the endings of the words. The English words are not the translations of the Shan words.

Examples with abrupt Endings:

C"

00')0 but

co

:lUo cup

c8So lick

Examples with gliding Endings:

£ co

~asg men

co

9~g hum

::Etg sing

The final consonants, cp and 0 are used only as endings in compound vowels or diphthongs. As stated above, these six final consonants can only be used with the 10 main or pure vowels, and never with compound vowels or diphthongs.

A final consonant is shown with the "silencer" or "killer" symbol, co , above it,

which denotes that the consonant is silenced and is not uttered audibly, and it is pronounced with only a slight hint of that consonant.

19

CONSONANT ENDINGS DRILLS

The following drills and exercises are used with selected initial consonants with each of the vowels and with each of the possible six consonants endings using all five

tones.
1. The short vowel ro a with final consonants with abrupt endings.
c rof., c rof.,~ mf,& mf>o
0')0 - 0')09
08 c c c c
009 oo~ 00& 000
'da5 c ~~ ~& dCf.,o
dCY.)9
C" c co8~ c c
coo c009 coo 8 COOo The short vowel ro a with final consonants with gliding endings.
c rot c c c mEo
me - me9 me~ ooca
C" as89 c c asto
asc ase; ascs
oo~ c C" c oo~
00369 OO36~ coass
C" c c 00&8 c
ooa ~9 ~3 ~o There are lots of crows.

The water is really cold.

Do you like [eating] it?

Grasp it tightly!

~~od8~w8g:>J8 " ~~~as8~roE9 II

What kind of meals do you like?

Who wants to sit on a chair?

20

2. The long vowel 001 aa with final consonants with abrupt endings.
C' C' 00189 C' C' C'
0010 - 0010 0010~ 0010g 00100
C' C' 0018~ C' C'
0010 00109 00108 00100
C' C' C' C' C'
010') 010')9 010')~ 010')g 010':>0
C' C' C' C' C'
0010 00109 OOlO~ CU10g 00100 The long vowel 001 aa with final consonants with gliding endings.
C' C' C' C' C' C'
OOlC - OOlC 001C9 OOlq OOCg OOCo
U>lt U>lt9 U>lt~ tDltg U>lto
Cl~ C' C' Cl~g Cl~
C1aG9 C1aG~
C' C' C' C' C'
CP'~ CP'~9 CP'~~ CP,~g CP'~o There are three hundred cows.

He has ajob.

Good luck and good fortune.

I will buy oranges.

The floor sags, and so it is making noise.

It's so difficult!

21

3. The vowel 9 i with final consonants with abrupt endings.
00
cAA - 0(' ~g9 0(' 0(' 0('
(Y,)O mo~ coos moo
d38 0(' d38~ d38:: d380
0009
tBoS tBoS9 tBoS~ o c tB('
tDOOg 000
0(' 0(' 0(' 0(' 0('
00 009 oo~ nOll 000 The vowel 9 i with [mal consonants with gliding endings.
00
0(' ~t 0(' 0(' ri3tg 0('
mc- mC9 mq ooc,
~t 0(' 0(' 0(' ss.
~C9 ~q ~Cg
c8aS c8aS9 c8aS~ o (' c8a£.
coess
0(' ~&9 0(' ~g aa&o
as~ ~~ Don't get in his way.

0(' 0(' ~9as~as~Ero~ II

Will you stay still!

A tree branch came rolling.

c 0(' _ f,) c 0 c C\X)g:DeS) WOOg U>O')g n

It's totally dark.

The monkey likes [to eat] chilli.

Eat till you are satisfied, okay?

22

4. The vowel ceo e with fmal consonants with abrupt endings.
sC' sC' sC' sC' sC' sC'
0')0 - 0')0 0009 0009 cocs moo
~ AA9 tsS9 AAg sC'
000
cS05 cS059 s C' s C' cSoSo
00009 cocos
sC' sC' sC' sC' sC'
9° 9°9 9°9 90g 9°0 The vowel ceo e with final consonants with gliding endings.
sC' sC' sC' sC' sC' sC'
mc- mc mC9 mq oocs eoc,
~E ~9 ~9 ~Eg ~Eo
d3~ d3~9 d3~9 S C' S C'
OOO6g 00060
sC' sC' sC' sC' sC'
~ ~9 <Ja9 <Jag <Jao Seven slices of pineapple.

The tea is all gone.

Don't pretend to eat!

He lives in Chiangmai.

I am picking up paper rolls.

They are going around the hill for fun.

23

5. The vowel em e with fmal consonants with abrupt endings.
~S- ~S ~S9 ~S~ ~Sg ~So
£C' £C' £C' £80 &C'
~o ~09 ~O~ ~ 0 ~Oo
£ C' 8cfJ9 £ C' £cfJo £ C'
000 OOO~ o 0 0000
~S ~S9 ~S~ ~Sg .ss, The vowel em e with fmal consonants with gliding endings.

~~- ~E ~~ ~E~ o§Eg ~&
~E ~t9 ~t~ ~tg .ss.
9aS 9aS9 9aS~ 9aSg 9aSo
!S !S9 !&~ !Sg ss, asl~g~E~aS~~ 9 II eaS;G:l)9aS~cpg II

£ C' _EC' 0 C'

0009 ccoco ~80aG II

Namg Leng is running.

[He] grins and looks upward.

Scrape up and lick and eat.

G~l;~S~£ro~~aSo II

£ C' oc £ c £ C' ~aG~:ll0~oas~aGg II

[My] neck is tight, so [1] choked.

The dress sleeve is protuding out.

He knows how to lie and cheat.

24

6. Thevowel ~ u with fmal consonants with abrupt endings.
c c c c c c
O?o - O?O 0?09 oro~ orm O?OO
1S c c c 1So
1°9 10~ 1m
c c c ~oS& c
~O') ~OO9 ~O')~ ~OOo
c c c c c
cqo cq09 cqo~ cqO& cqoo Thevowel 0( u with final consonants with gliding endings.
c O?t c c c c
ore- O?C9 O?q ore8 O?Co
U?t U?t9 U?t~ Uit& U?E.,
C c c c c
'las 'las9 'laG~ 'laG& 'laGo
c c c c c
1~ 1~9 1~~ 1~& 1~o Greetings to You!

c c 'lc9'iaGGol~e~~ II

c ce c ~9CX?09rotq09 II

Honor and glory of parents.

It's not suitable to sow.

. To stand up and lift.

The shrimp dish is not enough.

To hold a conference.

25

7. The vowel C' o with final consonants with abrupt endings.
O?O
C' C' C' C' C' C'
O?o - O?o O?o O?o~ O?O8 O{0o
C' C' C' C' C'
0j10 0j109 ot°~ 0(08 0(00
C' C' C' C' C'
100 tOOl' 100~ i008 tOOo
C' C' C' C' C'
<[0 lO9 lOll lO8 <[00
C' o with final consonants with gliding endings.
The vowel O{0
C' O{E C' c C' c
O?c- O{C9 O{Cll O1c8 O{co
C' c C' C' c
C<jlc C<jlc9 C<jlCll C<jlC8 ~co
C' C' c C' C'
<*iaG ~aG9 ~aGll ~aG8 aE>aGo
..
c C' C' C' C'
CXjl(:,) ot(:,)9 ot(:,)~ CXjl(:,)8 O{(:,)O Five or six chairs.

The mountain is avalanching.

The bird is on the plant.

Garden of the rice farmer.

I have muscle ache, and so I'm bowing my head.

Met a lot of people.

26

8. The vowel (;ml o with final consonants with abrupt endings.

c O2b c c c c
~o - 0209 0209 O2m 0200
c c c c c
~o ~09 ~09 v= ~oo
c c c c c
D'20') ~~ ~OO9 ~O')g ~O')o
C C C C C
Olu ~U9 ~U9 ~Ug OAuo The vowel Gml o with fmal consonants with gliding endings.
c c c c c c
~c - o2c O2C9 O2q 02Cg 02 Co
c c c c c
Olc ~C9 ~q ~Cg ~Co
c c c c c
<=2ab ~~ ~a6~ ~abg ~a60
c c c c c
~~ i~9 i~9 i~g i~o To whom does this Shan drum belong?

A hunched back person

Legacy of great-grandfathers.

Mekong river

Do [you] have an umbrella?

Lift the cup together with me.

27

9. The vowel oc- with final consonants with abrupt endings.
cy?o ur
oc- oc- oc- oc- oc- oc-
cy?0- cy?o CY?09 cy?09 cy?m cy?oo
~8 oc- oc- oc- oc-
'(09 '(o~ <tm '(00
o c o c o c o c o c
5100 51009 51009 ,5l008 51000
oc- oc- oc- oc- oc-
~o ~O9 ~o~ ~08 ~Oo The vowel oc- with final consonants with gliding endings.
cy?0w
oc- oc- oc- 0(' 0(' 0('
cy?c- cy?c cy?C9 cy?q cy?C8 cy?co
0(' oc- 0(' 0(' 0('
<ic <iC9 <iq 'lC8 'lco
o c- o c- o c- o c- o c-
cqos cqOS9 cqos~ cqOS8 cqoso
oc- oc- oc- oc- oc-
O?~ 0?09 0?09 0?08 0?0o A red pencil.

The bird is rising up again.

Shallow water is not deep.

There are ten thousand people.

[I] stopped and slept one night.

The day before yesterday the market was thriving.

28

10. The vowel oc il with final consonants with abrupt endings.
0(0
oC' oC' oC' oC' oC' oC'
~o- ~o O{0g Olo~ ~m ~oo
oC' oc oC' oc oC'
to 10g 1o~ 10g tOO
o C' o C' o C' o C' o C'
~oo "iOOg ~oo~ "iOOg ~ooo
oC' oC' oc oc oC'
<j(0 'lOg <j(o~ s= «00 The vowel oc il with fmal consonants with gliding endings.
~o
oC' oC' oc oc oC' oc
~c - ~c O{Cg ~q O(C:l O(co
oC' oC' oC' oc oC'
<ic <iCg <iq s= r=
o C' o C' o c ul~g o C'
UjlaG ~aG9 ~aG~ ~aGo
oC' oC' oC' oC' oC'
~~ C'<l~g C'<l~~ ~~g ~~o A peaceful country.

To hold a birthday party.

That house is slanted, you know.

Wild and untamed animal.

The python slithered away.

To imitate other people's things.

29

COMPOUND CONSONANTS OR CONSONANT CLUSTERS

In addition to the initial consonants that had been introduced earlier, the Shan language also has a number of consonant clusters which are occasionally used, most often in borrowed words. These consonant clusters generally appear as initial consonants and never as final consonants. They should be treated as any other initial consonants.

Consonant Clusters.
0+00 '11
o + 0 0
c
~ + 00 ~J
~ + 0 ~
c
:).)+'1. e3
00+0 0')
c
0+00 oJ
0+ 0 0
c
'=> + 00 '=>J Examples -

Shan/Burmese

&IP to boast
e319 master/teacher
c deer
Ole
c
§l~g - big scar/welt 0+'1. B
0+00+ 0 &I
~+<t §
~ + 00+ 0 &I
00+'1. §
00+0 00
c
0+'1. B
00+'1. §
'=>+ '1. § English

0(" Jim
0J,=>g
~~g - green
£ (" Gwen
o ass
c
BSg cream (Note: The consonant q_ may be used with the consonant co by some speakers.

Hence,§ may be expressed as coco, pronounced :).)(\)10 , § 19 - :).)(\)l9)

30

kwaa

010

(.9

kwi

kwe

kWe

kwoj

9

Q,

kwaaj

kwak

kwaak

ro8~§19Uo(:)lg II co8~<t~G91gE31g II CZl9~g01g(:)lg II 01gE31g :X>lE9d1911

GOg c

9 Olg c

c 000 (. 0

The reverend monk has arrived.

The monk is preaching sermon.

[I] have been to the temple.

Buddha, religious teachings, and monks.

Listening to the teacher talk.

Don't like boasters.

The deer was stunned, so it jumped.

Enlarging a big hole.

He slipped and fell.

Jim went to visit John.

The dish is very tasty.

Live happily and eat happily.

To give thank and gratitude.

The buffalo's back has mud stains.

9

Q,o

32

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 20

21 22 30 100 101 120 200 250

SHAN NUMBERS AND COUNTING IN SHAN

,.

C' C' C' C'

0") 0 as o, 0) 0 enlas9

Il Il

to nap. to aan,

Following are English numbers and their Shan equivalents.

91~

C' Sl 08

G C' co cos

€ C' 00)9

C' OO~

OC' co 08

o c G~<:

:>':>08 en 0)8

0(" C'

co 08 co C o

C' oC'

:>,)108 as C~ 1 l

oC' C'

as C~ :>':>108 l

C' G c

:>':>108 en 0")8

C' ("

:>')108~ C

C' 0 C' co H~:>':> 0 8

0(" c C' o c

as C~ 0109/0109 as C~

l l

c 9 G C' 010901 en 008

(" 9 ("

0109 (01) :>':>108

(" ("

:l6 C 0109

C' C' 9

~ C 0109 (01) 91~ 0("

co 08

nmng;

saarn

si,

haa;

hok:

set:

pet,

kaw;

s"ip:

s'ip: et: s'ip: son

s'aaw: nmng; I

nmng; s'aaw:

s'aaw: et:

s'aaw: s'onq

s'aam s'ip:

nWI]; paak, I paak, nIDI];

paak, paaj et; paak, (paaj) s'aaw:

s'onq paak,

s'~ng paak, (paaj)

haa; s'ip:

291

1000

1100

10,000

14,000 100,000

1,000,000

10,000000

s'onq paak, (paaj) kaw;

s'Ip: et:

nmng; heng I heng nmng;

heng paaj paak,

nmng; mmn; I mmn; nmng;

mmn, (paaj) s'i, heng

nmng; s'en. I s'en nmng;

nmng; laan .. I laan. mung;

nmng; kuk. te,

DAYS OF THE WEEK

GC' C' C'

eo 00& (\) o~ o as s L

set: luk: wan:

Some Shan speakers used the Shan days of the week, while others used the Burmese days of the week. Following are the English days of the week expressed in both Burmese and Shan.

English

Sunday

Monday

Tuesday

Wednesday

Thursday

Friday

Saturday

Shan !Burmese

C' C' C'

oas s 00 as cs as (\)9 Il -r:

wan: ta nang: noj,

C' C'

oas s 00 es cs (\)19

wan: ta nang: laa,

C' ('

o as s me9 °19

wan: ang, kaa,

C' C'

oas s o oj co o s

l -4l

wan: puk; ta hu:

C'

oas s 0J19 Gon/oJ19 en U Grog

wan: kjaa, te: / wan: kjaa,ta pa te:

C' C'

o as s ~ 00 0J19

wan: s'ok, kjaa,

wan: sa ne,

Shan ITai

C' 0 C'

o as s m1 00000

wan: aa tit.

C' C'

o es s co es

wan: san

C' (' C'

o as s meg o as s

wan: anq: kan:

C' C'

o as s co 000 l

wan: p'ut:

C' C'

oas s tncos

wan: p'at:

C' C'

o as s co 0& l

wan: s'uk:

(' C'

oas&:l.)O

wan: s'aw

THE 12 MONTHS OF THE YEAP

0(" c 0 c

:::D o sco C (\) as

o Il

s'ip: s'onq Ion

The Shan calendar is divided into 12 lunar months, which though they do not correspond exactly to the English months they are roughly equivalent. As follows:

January

o c e c co as CO C Il

Ion senq

February

o c c co as O~ Il

Ion karn

March

oe- (" co C :::D 1~ Il

Ion s'aam

April

May

o ("

"i1 as ,., 19

Ion haa:

June

c8~{)hg

Il ..fl

Ian hok:

o c 6 c co as CO 0') s Il

Ion s'et:

o c e c co as o 0') 9 Il

Ion pet,

o c c co as 009 Il

Ion kaw;

o (" 0(" co as :::D o g Il

Ion s'ip:

o c 0(" 6 c

co as :::D o 0 m 0') g

Il 51

len s'ip: et:

o (" 0(" e-

co as :::D o s :::D C

Il 0

len s'ip: s'on g

July

August

September

October

November

December

(December - January

(January - February

(February - March

(March - April

(April- May

(May - June

(June - July

(July - August

(August - September

(September - October

(October - November

(November - December

(End of Tape B)

Capricorn)

Aquarius)

Pisces)

Aries)

Taurus)

Gemini)

Cancer)

Leo)

Virgo)

Libra)

Scorpio)

Sagittarius)