The official language of Burma is called “Myanmar language” or Burmese. It is spoken by 32 million people and an additional 10 million people also speak Burmese as a second language in neighbouring countries.
The standard dialect of Burmese is influenced by Yangon, which is a former capital of Burma. A southern Indian alphabet called Mon became the basis of the unique Burmese alphabet. The second language in Burma is English: it is taught from kindergarten on and most academia and media is in English.
One interesting fact about Myanmar culture is that they have no family name and the initial of their name is decided by the day of birth (Monday –Sunday). It also changes depending on age and social standing throughout their lives.
