总的来说,英占时期给缅甸的文化带来了不少影响,但50年的军政府统治将大多数影响消除了。
我们先说说教育。英国在缅甸开设的双语学校(Anglo-Vernacular School,指英国在印度、斯里兰卡、缅甸等殖民地设立的同时用英语和本地语言教学的学校——译者注)成为了英国对缅甸殖民地文化影响的标志。随着这些新学校的设立,前殖民时期在佛教寺院中进行的传统教育逐渐退居二线,仅为那些穷人或者生活在乡间的人们保留。我自己的母亲接受的就是在寺院进行的传统教育,对那些受过现代教育的精英来说,她近似未受教育,尽管她能够流利的读写巴利语(Pali, 一种在印度次大陆流传的语言,早期的佛教经典有不少以之成文)。
奈温(Ne Win)将军上台后,所有私立学校、教会学校和大学都被国有化,英语教学也随着停止。此前,在双语教学下,大多数高中毕业生能够讲不错的英语,这场剧变之后,连大学毕业生都不再说英语,英语的使用自然退化。不仅是英语,整个高等教育体系都随着动荡变得支离破碎。大学被任意的停课,有时停课长达2、3年。学期和课程被压缩,学生们也被驱赶。可以说,在这个时期,缅甸受英国影响的高等教育已经崩溃。
殖民时期,英国在缅甸设立了一套身份等级制度(Class System)。根据这一制度,高级别的官员需要被称为”Phaya”, 这个词汇是英国等级制度中“尊敬的阁下”(Your Lordship)或“大人”(My Lord)的直接翻译。这些官员被御赐了阶级身份,叫做”Phaya Htoo Khan”。多年以后,这些由英国引进的身份等级制度与那一代人一样,在历史的潮流中褪色了。
司法制度方面,英国在缅甸设置了三级法院,包括下级法院、上级法院和高等法院。如今,这套英式司法制度由于过于腐败已经被人们放弃。
宗教方面,受殖民时期的影响,缅甸的基督教徒比泰国的要多,不过他们在缅甸多多少少受到一些歧视,尤其在保守的军队之中。
娱乐方面,如今一些深受缅甸人喜爱的缅甸老歌实际上曲子来自早先的好莱坞歌曲。缅甸上流社会热衷的高尔夫球同样也是殖民时期影响的例证,毕竟,第一批来殖民的可是苏格兰人。同样,殖民时期还带来了网球、乒乓球、曲棍球、羽毛球和英式足球(soccer),和英国人一样,缅甸人叫他足球(这里足球指的是football,和全世界大多数地方叫法一样,和北美则不同,作者如今是美国人——译者注)。
殖民时期还带来了不少别的影响。比如,如今不少英语词汇以及少数印度语词汇已经成为了正规缅甸语的组成部分。穿(Wearing)衣服、穿(Wearing)领带、穿(Wearing)裤子,这是我能想到的说法。英占时期对缅甸人姓名规则也产生了一些影响,缅甸人以前并不会将父亲的名字加入姓名中作为姓氏,但英占时期过后,缅甸人开始这么做了。当然了,这种姓名规则的变化主要是发生在大城市,生活在乡间的人们依旧照原来的传统取名。还有,在英国人来之前,缅甸男士们留长发梳发髻。殖民时代后,西方式的短发成为主流。我记得在我小时候(50年代,缅甸独立的前几年)还专门有个词——”bokay”来称呼这种短发发型。
在同样的影响下,小女孩们会穿裙子,不过随着年龄渐长她们会换成传统服饰罗衣(Longyi)。
最后说说吃方面的影响吧,黄油和面包成为了早餐的流行之选,下午茶时间也成为了英占时期的习惯。除此之外,不可少的还有冰淇淋、饼干和其他甜点。
翻译:饶溪@缅甸观察
原文:
Most of colonial British influence on Burmese Culture has been cleansed by 50 years of military rule.
First lets start with education.Britain started anglo-vernacular schools which became a badge of affluence in colonial Burma. Precolonial education in Buddhist Monasteries were no longer in and were relegated to the poor and rural My mother was educated in a Buddhist monastery and considered by the elite to be uneducated ,but she could read and write and speak Pali fluently.
However after Ne Wins power grab, he nationalized all private and missionary schools and colleges and stopped the teaching of English as a second language It deteriorated to the point where it used to be most high school grads spoke English fairly well to College grads not speaking English at all.Then with the unrest usually starting at colleges they started closing colleges two years here 3 years there then reducing the college curriculum to 6 months per year then cutting college courses to a three year course ,and scattering college students to different locations to the point higher education was pretty much broken.
Class system: British introduced a class system by which higher officials were addressed as” Phaya”, directly translated from the British My Lord or Your Lordship.These officials were designated a class called “Phaya Htoo Khan” Or addressed as Phaya.That has faded with the demise of that generation.
Legally the British set up a lower court and upper court and High Court which is kind of around but is now so corrupt it barely registers.
Religionwise there are more Christians in Burma than Thailand ,so that is colonial influence ,although Christians have faced some discrimination especially in the army where advancement is slow
Entertainmentwise, many of the few classic Burmese songs that the Burmese call Khit Haung Songs,meaning ‘oldies’ and was loved as Burmese art are actually old Hollywood tunes.
Golf as a pastime of the elite is BIG,definitely a legacy of colonial times as the first colonials were
Scots men.
Also,Tennis,table tennis,hockey,BADMINTON,S
Oh of course a lot of british words are now in the official Burmese language as are some indian words. Wearing shirt and tie and pants, that’s all I can think of.
Oh! just remembered something. Before the brits came Burmese men had long hair in a man bun.After colonization it was cut shor twestern style. In fact when I was little in the 50s (a few years post independence), the term “bokay” (western hair) was still used to describe this style. Little girls wear dresses although they switched to traditional longyis when they hit the teens.
Foodwise, bread and butter was quite popular for breakfast, and we had teatime.Not that common these days. Of course ice cream and biscuits and sweets.
Translated by 饶溪 from 缅甸观察网
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