  We have investigated the infrared and Raman optical properties of BaMn2As2 in
the ab-plane and along the c-axis. The most prominent features in the infrared
spectra are the Eu and A2u phonon modes which show clear TO-LO splitting from
the energy loss function analysis. All the phonon features we observed in
infrared and Raman spectra are consistent with the calculated values. Compared
to the iron-pnictide analog AFe2As2, this compound is much more two-dimensional
in its electronic properties. For E || c-axis, the overall infrared
reflectivity is insulating like. Within the ab-plane the material exhibits a
semiconducting behavior. An energy gap 2{\Delta}=48 meV can be clearly
identified below room temperature.
