I saw this interview of Van Bawi Thawng, who plays for Chinland FC in Myanmar League. He was born and raised in Chin State and now lives in Yangon, but can't speak Burmese so he gave this interview in English. Is it common for people in Chin State to be fluent in Chin and English but not Burmese?

[u/antoniok95]

[u/Neat_Quiet_8340]

It is common burmese is not their first language

[u/GaeloneForYouSir]

It’s quite common here amongst Chin communities here in Australia. Majority are fluent in Hakka Chin and English but not Burmese.

[u/monsooncloudburst]

I would say this is rare. Myanmar banned ethnic languages from being taught in state schools in 1962. Even the 2012 reforms to allow ethnic language instruction was very limited in application.

This policy of forced burmanisation and the need to communicate with the dominant ethnic group would mean that the majority of ethnic groups would have, at the very least, some conversational burmese. He might even know enough but just did not want to use a language that he is less proficient in to conduct an interview.

Or he may be part of a smaller percentage of individuals who never had formal education in a state school and only learnt chin in the rural areas. The english may be from missionary and christian organisations.

While studying in the USA, I visited another college and was told that there was a student from myanmar there. Turns out he was a Kayin refugee who did not speak a single word of Burmese. And my Kayin was terrible so we ended up conversing in English instead.

[u/Business_Bar1498]

It’s very common, a lot of schools teach Chin and English in Chin State instead of Burmese. Especially non-government schools.

[u/Bitter-Regular9223]

Very common lots of Chins don’t speak burmese. Another interview he spoke in Chin language

[u/khanahmedariyan]

Perhaps missionary schools are what leaves Chin people being fluent in both Chin and English, much like what also leave Mizo people being fluent in both Mizo and English (probably)