Vocabulary List & Pronunciation Guide

Bangladesh: A country of southern Asia on the Bay of Bengal. Formerly part of Bengal, it became East Pakistan when India achieved independence in 1947. 

Chinlone: Chin-lone. The traditional sport of Burma or Myanmar. Chinlone is a team sport which is a combination of sport and dance. Chinlone in Burmese means basket-round or rounded basket.

Citizenship: the position or status of being a citizen of a particular country.

Dual Citizenship: a person’s citizenship status, in which a person is concurrently regarded as a citizen of more than one state under the laws of those states.

Hayma: Hay-Ma. A name, meaning forest.

Home: a place of residence or familiarity that may or may not be the person’s place of origin

Identity: the fact of being who or what a person or thing is.

Immigrant: a person who moves to a country to live.

Monsoon season: the season during which the southwest monsoon blows, commonly marked by heavy rains.

Myanmar: Me-an-mar. Official name of Burma.

Naf River: NAff river. An international river marking the border of southeastern Bangladesh and western Myanmar.

Oppress: use of power over someone else to make them feel uncomfortable.

Persecute: to continuously treat someone in a way meant to be cruel or harmful especially  because of their race or political or religious beliefs.

Refugee: a person who has been forced to leave their country in order to escape war, persecution, or natural disaster.

Refugee Camp: a temporary settlement built to receive refugees and people in refugee-like situations. Refugee camps usually accommodate displaced persons who have fled their home country, but there are also camps for internally displaced people.

Religion: a set or system of religious attitudes, beliefs, and ways of doing things.

Rohingya: Row-hin-ja. A member of a Muslim people inhabiting western Burma (Myanmar).

Said: Sigh-eed. A name, meaning happiness.

Separation: the act of keeping things apart.

Stateless: not recognized as a citizen of any country.