5/24/22, 10:22 PM The unexpected origins of the controversial Myanmar word 'kalar' | Coconuts Coconuts yangon Search... Home Retire in Thailand (2022)? Get Quote Coconuts Yangon News Food & Drink Lifestyle Features Travel Features, Columns The unexpected origins of the controversial Myanmar word ‘kalar’ Select City The unexpected origins of the controversial Myanmar word ‘kalar’ In a piece titled ‘Opening a Can of Worms in Burmese Teaching: Tackling Controversial Words in a Language Class‘ writer Kenneth Wong talks about the struggles of teaching contentious Burmese words — and their linguistic origins — to an American audience. Below is a reprint of Wong’s research into the history behind the word ‘kalar’, one of the most controversial words in the Myanmar language today. By K e n n e t h Wo n g One internet meme circulated on social media by Burmese users quips: “If you ask someone what their race is, they should be able to reply Kachin, Mon, Kayar, Rakhine, Shan … [names of the major ethnic races recognized as part of Burma]. But if they don’t answer, they’re probably Kalars.” The ultra-nationalist social media users sometimes call the late U Ko Ni, a constitutional scholar and advisor to Aung San Suu Kyi’s NLD party, as “Ko Ni Kalar.” (U Ko Ni was assassinated in January at Yangon International Airport. Many believe his Muslim faith, along with his work to undermine the Burmese military’s power in the parliamentary structure, made him a target.) https://coconuts.co/yangon/features/kenneth-wong-the-origins-of-the-controversial-myanmar-word-kalar/ 1/12