Burmese Days Endnotes
Cultural, Historical, and Linguistic References in Burmese Days
These endnotes are the research work
of Humcore students from winter quarter, 2005.
The students looked up words and references they were unfamiliar with in
the novel, and they have offered that research to help this year’s Humcore
students. The names of last year’s
contributing students are listed at the end of this file, and they have our
appreciation.
Current Humcore students who would
like to contribute new entries to the endnotes for next year’s students may
do so by first getting permission from their instructors and then sending
the entries to Dr. Hartz at plhartz@uci.edu. Please use academically acceptable sources.
(If clicking on a URL doesn’t connect to the site, try pasting the URL into your browser.)
5 Arakanese--Of or pertaining to Arakan, a district on the west coast of Burma, or its inhabitants.
5 longyi-- A cloth, often of brightly colored silk or cotton, that is used as a piece of clothing, especially the traditional skirtlike garment of India, Pakistan, and Myanmar (Burma).
http://dictionary.reference.com/
6 clerkship—A person who keeps the records and performs the regular business of a court, legislative body, or municipal district.
http://dictionary.reference.com/
6 Sub-divisional Magistrate—A civil officer charged with the administration of the law, a member of the executive government.
7 dacoit—A member of a class of robbers in India and Burma, who plunder in armed bands.
7 lakhs--Literally one hundred thousand, but it can also be used more generally as an indefinite number. The term is commonly used in regard to money, more specifically to rupees.
7 rupee--The monetary unit of India, represented by a cupro-nickel (formerly silver) coin and equivalent to 100 paise. Also, the monetary unit of Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and a number of other countries.
8 shiko—The posture of prostration with joined hands and bowed head assumed by a Burmese in presence of a superior, or before an object of reverence or worship.
10 betel— The leaf of a plant, which is wrapped round a few parings of the areca nut and a little shell lime, and chewed by the natives of India and neighboring countries as a masticatory.
15 pagoda—A religious building of the Far East, especially a multistory Buddhist tower, erected as a memorial or shrine.
17 Irrawaddy—A river of Myanmar (Burma) flowing about 1,609 km (1,000 mi) southward to the Bay of Bengal and the Andaman Sea. It is the chief river of the country.
18 Gibraltar—A British colony at the northwest end of the Rock of Gibraltar, a peninsula on the south-central coast of Spain in the Strait of Gibraltar, connecting the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean between Spain and northern Africa. Gibraltar was captured by Arabs in 711 and passed to the Spanish in 1462. Great Britain took control in 1704 during the War of the Spanish Succession, although Spain has made repeated claims to regain the territory. Population: 31, 874.
21 Dravidian--pronunciation: dra-vid-ian. Pertaining to a part of South India. It is one of the most difficult sounding languages in South India.
23 Burma cheroot--pronunciation: sha-roo. A cigar with square cut ends. http://www.dictionary.com/
26 punkah—A large fan consisting of a framed covered with canvas that is suspended from the ceiling; used in India for circulating air in a room.
http://www.wordreference.com/definition/
IMAGE AT SITE
26 chokra--Comes from the Hindi word, chhokra, which means “a boy” and “a youngster.” More specifically, a chokra is a boy employed by a household, or a regiment. However, it is mainly used in South India to describe a boy employed by a regiment.
27 La Vie Parisienne—Was one of the more famous and well-known Parisienne magazines. Originally intended as a guide to the privileged social and artistic life in the French capital, it soon evolved into a mildly risqué publication in which illustrations of scantily dressed damsels abounded.
http://www.greatwardifferent.com/Great War/Paris at War/La Vie Parisienne 01.htm
IMAGE AT SITE
32 burra sahib—Great, used as title of respect; an important official, manager, chief
http://www.tiscali.co.uk/reference/dictionaries/difficultwords/
32 babu—Used as a Hindi courtesy title for a man, equivalent to Mr.; Hindu clerk who is literate in English;. Offensive. A native of India who has acquired some superficial education in English. British term for an Indian who has acquired some superficial education in English.
33
havildar--N. A sepoy
non-commissioned officer, corresponding to a sergeant.
33 Blackwood’s--Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine was a monthly magazine published in Edinburgh, Scotland, in the 19th and early 20th century. It “encouraged feelings of super-nationalism in connection with British exploration…,” according to Lisa Gitelman, “Arthur Gordon Pym and the Novel Narrative of Edgar Allen Poe.” Nineteenth Century Literature 1992. JSTOR . UCI Lib., Irvine, CA. Dec 2005 <http://www.jstor.org/>
33 ‘Bonzo’ pictures--The figure of a comically-shaped puppy which came into vogue through a series of drawings by G. E. Studdy (the first of which appeared in ‘The Sketch’ 8 Nov. 1922), and is used in various forms, such as toys.
![[Bonzo Dog]](../../../../Copy of winter2006/BurmeseDaysEndnotes_files/image001.gif)
34 Bolshie-- n. A jocular or contemptuous name for a Bolshevik. Adj. Left-wing, uncooperative, recalcitrant.
34 ex-officio--Adv. In discharge of one's duty.
34 piebald--N. fig. Composed of parts or elements of dissimilar or incongruous kinds; of mixed characters or qualities (always in bad sense); motley, mongrel. A person or thing of mixed character, a ‘mongrel’.
34 Prome--City in central Myanmar, on the Ayeyarwady River. It is a commercial town and port, with railroad connections to Yangon. One of the oldest cities in Myanmar, Prome was founded in the 8th cent. by the Indianized Pyus, who were conquered and absorbed by the Mon kingdom of Bago, probably in the 9th cent. It was incorporated into British Burma in 1852. The ruins of the old city are near its modern namesake.
http://www.encyclopedia.com/html/P/Prome.asp
34 British Raj--N. The British dominion or rule in the Indian sub-continent (before 1947).
35 “Après vous, madame”--French phrase meaning “After you, ma’am.”
Oxford French Dictionary. Oxford University Press Inc.: New York, 2000. (p. 22, 259, 468)
36 bazaar--N. An Oriental market-place or permanent market, usually consisting of ranges of shops or stalls, where all kinds of merchandise are offered for sale.
36 Gurkha boy--N. A member of one of the dominant races of Nepal, of Hindu descent and Sanskritic speech, and especially famous for prowess in fighting.
36 Concertina-like--Adj. Closed or folded in a manner resembling a concertina (A portable musical instrument invented by Sir Charles Wheatstone in 1829, consisting of a pair of bellows, usually polygonal in form, with a set of keys at each end, which on being pressed admit wind to free metallic reeds.); wrinkled; collapsed.
37 Emerson-Carlyle-Stevenson type”—Ralph Waldo Emerson, 1803-1882, American lecturer, poet, and essayist, the leading exponent of New England Transcendentalism.
"Emerson, Ralph Waldo." Encyclopædia Britannica. 2006. Encyclopædia Britannica Online. 30 Jan. 2006 <http://www.search.eb.com/eb/article-9032526>.
Thomas Carlyle, 1795–1881). British essayist and historian Thomas Carlyle was one of the most important social critics of his era and a leading moral force in Victorian literature.
"Carlyle, Thomas." Britannica Student Encyclopedia. 2006. Encyclopædia Britannica Online. 30 Jan. 2006 <http://www.search.eb.com/ebi/article-9273522>.
Robert Louis Stevenson. 1850-1894, Scottish essayist,
poet, and author of fiction and travel books, best known for his novels Treasure
Island (1881), Kidnapped (1886), Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and
Mr. Hyde (1886), and The Master of Ballantrae (1889).
"Stevenson, Robert Louis." Encyclopædia Britannica. 2006. Encyclopædia Britannica Online. 30 Jan. 2006 <http://www.search.eb.com/eb/article-9069666>.
37 septicæmia--N. Septic poisoning.
37 peritonitis--N. Inflammation of the peritoneum, or of some part of it.
37 paralysis of the ganglia--N. Paralysis is a disease or affection of the nervous system,
characterized by impairment or loss of the motor or sensory function of the
nerves, esp. of those belonging to a particular part or organ, thus producing
(partial or total) incapacity of motion, insensibility, or functional
inactivity in such part. Ganglia (n.
pl., sing., ganglion) are enlargements
or knots on a nerve, forming a centre from which nerve-fibres radiate.
37 pukka sahib—A synonym for “Anglo-Indian.” The term alludes to life in the former British Empire. Pukka—a. of persons: authentic, not pretended; proper or correct in behaviour, socially acceptable. Sahib-- a. A respectful title used by the natives of India in addressing an Englishman or other European (= ‘Sir’); in native use, an Englishman, a European.
37 sans peur et sans reproche--French phrase meaning “without fear and without reproach”
Oxford French Dictionary. Oxford University Press Inc.: New York, 2000. (p. 168, 321, 378, 396)
38 the Jubilee in ’eighty-seven-- the Golden (50th) Jubilee of Queen Victoria celebrated on June 20-21,1887.
http://www.royal.gov.uk/output/Page929.asp
38 salt of the earth--From The Bible. Matthew 5:13 “Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men.”
http://etext.virginia.edu/rsv.browse.html
38 Clive, [Lord]--Robert Clive, 1st Baron Clive of Plassey (1725-1774),
soldier and first British administrator of Bengal,
who was one of the creators of British power in India. http://www.search.eb.com/
Warren Hastings--[Earl of] Dalhousie, (1732–1818). India's first governor-general, consolidated and organized British power in India, building on foundations laid a few years earlier by Robert Clive.
[Lord] Curzon--George Nathaniel Curzon, Earl
Curzon of Kedleston (1859-1925), British
statesman, viceroy of India (1898–1905), and foreign
secretary (1919–24), who during his terms in office played a major role in
British policy-making.
http://www.search.eb.com/
38 spurious-- Adj. Superficially resembling or simulating, but lacking the genuine character or qualities of, something; not true or genuine; false, sham, counterfeit.
41 the Pax Britannica—The period of rapid British expansion overseas during the years following the Battle of Waterloo and the War of 1812.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pax
41 days of Thibaw—Thibaw was the king of Upper Burma who tried unsuccessfully to procure French aid against the British.
43 Belial—A figure from John Milton’s epic poem, Paradise Lost. One of the devils of hell and an eloquent speaker. See the site for an example of his rhetoric.
http://www.literature.org/authors/milton-john/paradise-lost/chapter-02.html
43 durwan—A doorkeeper.
http://www.wmcarey.edu/carey/wmward/Main%20html/glossary.html
50 gaungbaung—Literally, “headgear.” Generally a sort of cloth worn on the head to keep the wearer cool during the hot Burmese afternoons.
http://www.myanmar.gov.mm/Perspective/
50 ingyi—A traditional Burmese costume worn during festivals of great cultural importance.
http://www.ibiblio.org/obl/docs3/karenmuseum-01/ExhibitionJM.htm
IMAGE AT SITE
57 mahseer--A large, powerful fish, it is the largest member of the carp family in the world. Mahseer means “great mouth” in India, an apt name for the long slim creature known to be the toughest fighter amongst fresh water sports fish.
http://www.geocities.com/Yosemite/5112/mahseer.html
IMAGE AT SITE
58 apidistras--Evergreen perennial with large handsome basal leaves; grown
primarily as a foliage houseplant.
http://www.wordreference.com/definition/
58 bullock—A castrated bull; a steer, or a young bull.
58 saya
gyi—saya means
"teacher"; gyi is a suffix denoting respect.
http://globalpagoda.org/chaintecherlink4.htm
58 creepers—A plant that spreads through stems that creep.
59 thugyi-min—Respectful term for the village headman or thugyi.
http://www.myanmar.com/gov/perspec/2001/4-2001/hea.htm
WEBSITE GIVES A SHORT STORY THAT DEFINES THE TERM
60 Shan trousers—Traditional, loose pants associated with the Shan ethnic group in Burma.
http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Burma/blog-35587.html
61 wicker—A flexible plant branch or twig, as of a willow, used in weaving baskets or furniture.
61 hibiscus—Any of various chiefly tropical shrubs or trees of the genus Hibiscus, having large, showy, variously colored flowers wit numerous stamens united in a tube surrounding the style.
65 Rangoon—The capital, largest city, and chief port of Myanmar (formerly Burma) is Yangon. The city was known abroad
as Rangoon until 1989, when the
English name was officially changed to Yangon, a transliteration that reflects
the Burmese pronunciation of the city's name. Yangon is located on the eastern
bank of the Yangon River, about 21 miles (34 kilometers) north of the Gulf of
Martaban. http://www.search.eb.com/
68 sahiblog--“sahib” is a respectful title used by the natives of India in addressing an Englishman or other European (= ‘Sir’); in native use, an Englishman, a European. English living in the East. Comb. as sahib-log [Urdu log people, caste], the European gentlefolk in India. http://dictionary.oed.com/
71 mali--In South Asia: a member of a caste whose traditional occupation is gardening; any non-European gardener
75 dahl—A common Indian dish made from dahl seed. It is then used to make a stew-like mixture which can be eaten with lentils, legumes, onions, and various spices.
American Heritage Dictionary
http://www.andaman.org/book/app-i/texti.htm
76 mamootie--A
hand-tool for digging, shaped like a hoe with the blade at an acute angle to
the handle, used mainly in S. Asia.
http://dictionary.oed.com/
78 sepoy--pronunciation: 'sE-"poi. A native of India employed as a soldier by a European power.
83 phlox—A North American genus of herbaceous (rarely shrubby) plants (family Polemoniaceæ), with clusters of salver-shaped flowers of various colours, usually showy: many cultivated forms are found in gardens.
84 gold mohur tree—The Delonix regia
(synonymous with Poinciana regia) seen in South
and South-east Asia. Dramtic, flame-like
flowers and feathery leaves. http://toptropicals.com/html/toptropicals/articles/trees/delonix.htm IMAGE AT SITE
84 Francois Villon—(1431-after 1463),
one of the greatest French lyric poets. He was
known for his life of criminal excess, spending much time in prison or in
banishment from medieval Paris. His chief works include Le Lais (Le
Petit Testament), Le Grand Testament, and various ballades, chansons,
and rondeaux. http://www.search.eb.com/eb/
84 Charles Baudelaire—(1821-1867), French poet, translator, and literary and art critic whose reputation rests primarily on Les Fleurs du mal (1857; The Flowers of Evil), which was perhaps the most important and influential poetry collection published in Europe in the 19th century. Similarly, his Petits poèmes en prose (1868; “Little Prose Poems”) was the most successful and innovative early experiment in prose poetry of the time.
84 Guy de Maupassant—(1850-1893), French naturalist writer of short stories and novels who is by general agreement the greatest French short-story writer.
85 Marcel Proust--(1871-1922), French novelist, author of À la recherche du temps perdu (1913–27; Remembrance of Things Past), a seven-volume novel based on Proust's life told psychologically and allegorically.
85 Edgar Wallace—(1875-1932), British novelist, playwright, and journalist who was an enormously popular writer of detective and suspense stories.
89 Michael Arlen--1895-1956. British author whose novels and short stories epitomized the brittle gaiety and underlying cynicism and disillusionment of fashionable post-World War I London society. Full title: These Charming People: Being A Tapestry Of The Fortunes, Follies, Adventures, Gallantries And General Activities Of Shelmerdene (That Lovely Lady), Lord Tarlyon, Mr. Michael Wagstaffe, Mr. Ralph Wyndham Trevor And Some Others Of Their Friends Of The Lighter Sort. Available at Langson Library, PR6001.R7 T3
89 William J. Locke--1863-1930. Another writer, Locke seems to have written both serious literature and light social literature. Some of his works like Stella Maris have been turned into movies.
http://www.kessingerpub.com/spider/Locke_William_J.htm#1
94 The Tatler—English daily periodical published jointly by Joseph Addison and Richard Steele with occasional contributions from other writers. It succeeded the Tatler, a periodical begun by Steele on Apr. 12, 1709, under the pseudonym Isaac Bickerstaff. The Tatler appeared twice weekly until it ended Jan. 2, 1711. The Spectator began Mar. 1, 1711, appearing as a daily, and lasted until Dec. 6, 1712. Valuable as social history, the papers (dated from various London coffeehouses) provide an excellent commentary on the manners, morals, and literature of the day.
97 sampan-wallah—A compound word that means “a boatman in charge of a sampan.”
98 Eton-cropped—A style of cutting women’s hair close to the head all over.
101 frangipani— A fragrant ornamental shrub or tree of the genus Plumeria, esp. P. rubra.
101 pwe—A
“spectacular feast” that includes a variety of entertainment such as theater,
dance, marionette and music. Religious
ceremonies, weddings, funerals are examples of few events that can trigger a pwe,
which lasts all night. There are
various aspects of a pwe. A zat-pwe comprises of a live
performance, which includes dialogue and music, that retells ancient stories or
Buddhist legends. The Burmese legends
usually result in a moral lesson. A yoke-the-pwe
includes a performance of puppets. An anyein
Pwe consists of a series of dances that also feature clowns and, most
importantly, a solo-dance, as demonstrated in Burmese Days. The performers dress up in performance
attire, and dance to the songs that the clowns sing. Burmese dance emphasizes posture, not movement. The dances are categorized into two distinct
groups: folk dance and dramatic dance.
Folk dance varies with different types of drums. There is the bongyi, which is a big
drum, the Bom-shay, which is a long drum, the ozi, which is a
long, one side drum, and the doebat, which is a portable drum with two
faces. The dramatic dances separate
into the ritual dance, which honors Buddha or the spirits, the court dance,
which is danced to Si-daw-gyi, or the big and long hanged drum, the
theatrical classic dance, also called the Raymana dance, and the dance
of Anyein, also known as the solo dance. http://www.myanmarmtetours.com/myanmar.htm
120 topi—A type of Nepalian-Burmese cap; men’s traditional code of dress.
http://www.geocities.com/bhatkalonline/nawayat.htm
121 Martin Chuzzlewitt—Title character of Charles Dicken’s novel, The Life and Adventures of Martin Chuzzlewitt, published in 1843-4.
122 cadge—To beg or sponge.
122 prickly heat—A noncontagious cutaneous eruption of red pimples with intense itching and tingling caused by inflammation around the sweat ducts
http://www.m-w.com/dictionary/
123 gharry—A horse drawn cab especially in India or Egypt.
125 peepul tree—A kind of fig tree, Ficus religiosa, native to India, China, and South-East Asia, and regarded as sacred by Hindus and Buddhists.
126 sampan— A Chinese word meaning “boat,” applied by Europeans in the China seas to any small boat of Chinese pattern.
129 red paper—Small altars in homes and shops have been prevalent in Chinese culture since ancient times. A portrait of the deceased allowed mourners to see an image of their loved one. Red paper would adorn the area around the altar with wishes of good fortune and happiness. The color red is associated with good luck in Chinese culture. Incense was used to create an easier setting for meditation and reflection.
http://www.asia.si.edu/exhibitions/online/teen/altar2.htm
IMAGE AT SITE
143 Nirvana— Buddhism. The realization of the non-existence of self, leading to cessation of all entanglement and attachment in life; the state of being released from the effects of karma and the cycle of death and rebirth.
146 gangrene— A necrosis or mortification of part of
the body, extending over some considerable area in a visible mass. Sometimes
used to denote the first stage of mortification.
157 thakin-- A term of respectful address used by the
Burmese.
167 bantam-- A small variety of the domestic fowl, most breeds
of which have feathered legs: the cocks are spirited fighters.
169 leopard-- Their excitement was caused mainly from the fact that the opportunity of hunting a leopard doesn’t present itself very often. The leopard is a solitary, nocturnal animal. So, catching a glimpse of one is a rare sight.
174 Civil List, the Debrett of Burma—Allusion to Debrett’s Peerage
of England, Scotland, and Ireland, the first edition of which, issued in
1803, was compiled by John Debrett. A
peerage is a book containing
a list of the peers and peeresses of a country, with their genealogy, history,
connections, titles, etc.
175 Pink’un—A nickname for a newspaper printed on pink paper.
177 Rosa Dartle—Mrs. Steerforth’s companion in Charles Dicken’s novel,
David Copperfield, Miss Dartle is an embittered figure, twisted by
passionate love for Steerforth and with a face that is physically scared by
his youthful violence.
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/masterpiece/archive/programs/davidcopperfield/whoswho/rosa.html
182 pagri—A light turban or head-covering worn by inhabitants of the Indian subcontinent.
182 joie de vivre—Literally, “joy of living,” but loosely synonymous to a feeling of healthy enjoyment of life; exuberance, high spirits.
186 Shabash!—Interjection from
Urdu and Persian, literally “be joyful.” It is used in South Asia to mean
“well done!” Used to congratulate
or praise another person for having done something well.
268
grass-wallah—one who supplies feed. Certain Hindi or Hindustani
words that were adopted in Anglo-Indian use or cited in popular Anglo-Indian
spelling, as Agra wallah, native of Agra, banghy-wallah, a porter who carries
loads with a banghy or shoulder-yoke, howdah-wallah, an elephant accustomed
to carry a howdah, jungle-wallah, man of the jungle. See also LOOTIE-WALLAH,
PUNKAH-wallah, TOPI-WALLAH.
http://dictionary.oed.com/
Contributors,
2005
Wesley Banh
Navid Bayanfar
Shawn Be
Jeffrey Botwin
Brianne Bower
Dae Hyuk Chung
Doris Garcia
Katherine Gidaya
Crystal Huynh
Cassie Kuroda
Dennis Lee
Jane Lee
Rachel Leeson
Wileen Leu
Nancy Luu
Veronica Lewis
Krystol McIntyre
Ben Nguyen
Dieu Nguyen
Sophia Nolan
Tiffany Pendergast
Brandon Sutter
Morgan Swift
Daniel Walters
Contributors, 2006
Eva Wessell