Myanmar is home to an incredible number of linguistic groups. Some groups have only a few hundred speakers while others have millions; some are highly concentrated in one area while others are scattered throughout the territory. Myanmar is also home to a bewildering array of linguistic “regimes” or arrangements, which are currently negotiated and renegotiated in the context of the political transition. In some regions, the local ethnic language is dominant and has imposed itself a quasi-official language. In others, however, multiple languages co-exist and one language, often Burmese, has become a sort of lingua franca. This diversity is also reflected in the numerous institutions that exist to preserve and transmit languages. Some groups have relied on churches and monasteries, while others have used ethnic armed groups, civil society organizations or, since the transition, public schools. As a result, Myanmar represents a particular challenge for creating a linguistic policy that represents true linguistic diversity, protects and promotes languages, while preserving freedom of movement and ensuring that minorities can benefit from the same economic and political opportunities than majority Burmese-speaking population. The paper argues that current conceptions of linguistic rights in Myanmar, as they are deployed in the transitional period, tend to attach too much importance to either individual linguistic rights or territorial linguistic rights to the detriment of more flexible alternatives. The paper explores an alternative non-territorial solution to linguistic protection and suggests that only a flexible linguistic regime can accommodate Myanmar’s complex and intricate diversity without triggering new conflicts.
