Phases of Pre-Pagan Burma: Languages and History

Abstract

This work presents what is known or can be conjectured about the history and identity of the people inhabiting Burma before the period covered by the author's Old Burma - Early Pag n . Luce bases his conclusions on references in written sources such as the Chinese histories and the Burmese chronicles and in inscriptions, and upon his own researches into the unwritten languages of the tribal people of the area, conducted over a period of forty years until his death in 1979. Luce's 'daring' and 'revolutionary' views on the origins and early history of Burma and its peoples have not always been accepted without reservation by other scholars, but are invariably stimulating and cannot be ignored by anyone interested in the early history of Burma. Less controversial, and indeed in many ways unique, is his contribution to the comparative linguistic history of the area. The publication of such an important collection of his language material is bound to make a major and lasting contribution to this growing field of interest.

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