Kenneth Whistler wrote:
>
> In any case, as John Cowan pointed out, this is a matter of
> transliterations of what is ultimately the same name in either
> case--
Right. The relatively conservative orthography reflects an older
pronunciation, as does the long-standing Chinese name for Myanmar,
_Mian3dian4_.
> And while it may not currently be possible to conduct a
> nationwide public opinion poll in Myanmar to ask the general
> populace what they think about use of the term "Myanmar" (and
> ask yourself anyway about the premises for considering that such
> a mechanism should be used for determining the "answer" anyway),
Yes. For one thing, it seems doubtful that non-English-speaking
people in Myanmar would have a strong opinion on this matter.
As has been pointed out, the Myanmar (Burmese) name of the country
has not changed.
Scott
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