HISTORY
Teaching Myanmar as a foreign language course was first offered in 1974 at the Institute of Foreign Languages (IFL). Since the Department of Myanmar had not yet been established then, the teachers from Yangon University came to teach Myanmar. Department of Myanmar was established at the Institute of Foreign Languages in 1985. Only Myanmar proficiency classes were opened there till the 1988- 1989 academic year. The undergraduate program began in the 1997-1998 academic year and the Diploma program from the 1999-2000 academic year. There are altogether 1727 foreign students who were taught the Myanmar language in YUFL from 1974 to 2016-2017 academic years. Most of the students who came to learn the Myanmar Language are scholarship holders, army officers, diplomats, businessmen, those who want to learn Tharawada Buddhism, and the university students who come by the partnership program so the students are from various countries who speak various languages with various ages.
Now, the Centre of Excellence for Teaching of Myanmar as a Foreign Language has been founded and drawn future plans in order to support the department and the students studying Myanmar language, literature, and culture.
In YUFL, the Myanmar Language course for Foreigners was opened firstly in 1974. As the Myanmar department had not yet been established in IFL at that time, teachers from Yangon University had to come to teach the Myanmar Language. Myanmar department was established in 1985 at this institute then known as the Institute of Foreign Languages. At first, it was called the Department of Myanmarsar and then, according to the other foreign languages departments, it was renamed as the Department of Myanmar Language.
The proficiency classes were introduced in the 1988-89 Academic year. BA programme was introduced in the 1997-98 Academic year, the Diploma programme in 1999-2000 AY, CHRD evening classes in 2013, and MA program in 2018-2019 AY.
The heads of the Department of Myanmar Language are as follows:
Daw Nu Nu Swe
Daw Mar Lay …
MISSION
To increase the number of international studends and to train Myanmar Language teachers to be excellent foreign language teachers in Myanmar departments around the world.
VISION
- To be the focal department for teaching and learning Myanmar as a foreign language
- To introduce Myanmar culture to overseas students
- To encourage more foreigners to come to Myanmar and study the Myanmar language at YUFL
The founder of the Department of Myanmar Language is Daw Nu Nu Swe (Lecturer/Head of Department). She was born in November 26, 1933 from U Ba and Daw Thein Tin in Wah Khema. She was the sister of the famous writer “Khin Hnin Yu” and the cousin of the former Prime Minister U Nu. Her husband was Lt. Colonel Kyi Swe (Deputy General Manger, Custom department).
Sayarmagyi Daw Nu Nu Swe got MA (Literature) at Yangon University and worked as Head of the Department of Myanmarsar which was founded in 1985 at IFL. Other teachers worked with her were U Saw Tun (now in USA), Daw Ah Mar Ni (Retd.), Daw Soe Myint (Retd.), U Nyunt Thaung (Retd.), Daw Maw Maw Aye (Retd.) and Daw Hla Hla Aung. Sayarma Daw Nu Nu Swe passed away in October 27, 2007.
Another well-known professor for Myanmar Language Department, YUFL was U Tin Shwe (Professor/Head of Department, Rtd., YUFL). He was born in Kyon Byaw Township, Aye-yar Waddy Division on 3rd. August, 1941 from U Than and Daw Net. He passed the matriculation exam from SHS No.1, Pathein. He got BA in 1962, BL in 1965 and MA in 1973 from Yangon University.
He started his career as a Tutor at Myanmar Department, YIT in 1964. He also worked at Pyay College, Yangon University, Yangon Institute of Education, Sittwe University and Yangon University of Foreign Languages. He got retired as Professor/Head of the department from YUFL in 2006. He worked as an honorable Professor of Myanmar Language at Osaka University, Japan from 1995 to 1997. He introduced and established a department of Myanmar Study at Pibulsongkram Rajabhat University in Thailand. While working there, he taught “The aspect of Literature and World Literature” to international students.
He wrote research papers about Literature, teaching language and articles about Literature. He managed to prepare a text book of Myanmar Language for foreign students and published the text books. He also translated the books with the pseudonym “Tint Tun Shwe”. He wrote a text book for third year Myanmar language for foreigners and preparing to publish the Teaching Vocabulary for foreigners. For the time being, he has founded “Sayargyi U Yaw Lay scholarship programme” and is acting as chairman.
Daw Pa Pa Win
Daw Tin Moe
Dr Khin Mar Swe
Dr Kyin Thar Myint
Dr Than Than Aye
Dr. Khin Myo Aye
Research
2006 : ‘What is Tourism’ in the Journal of Myanmar Academy of Arts and Science
2011 : ‘A Studies of Adaptations’ in Myingyan Degree College Research Journal
2012(Vol 3) : A Study of the Similarities Between English Proverbs and Myanmar Proverbs’ in Loikaw University Research Journal
2015 : ‘A Studies of the Morphology of Kayah Language Focusing on Linguistics’ in Loikaw University Departmental Research
2015(Vol 7) : ‘The Characteristic of Adapted Novels’ in Yangon University of Foreign Languages Research Journal
2017 : ‘A Study of the Kayah Compound Words’ in 53rd Annual Paper Reading, Yangon University of Foreign Languages
