Dear All,
I wish we could debate this subject in Khmer. Why? To defend the “Defenseless Khmer Language” for she cannot defend herself! “Khmer Language is a nightmare, lacking clarity”. In other words, it’s bewildering the audience in comprehending the intended communication messages in both spoken and written, thus, deemed abysmal to be used in classroom teaching – “It causes the listeners to lose understanding..”
My fellow Khmers, I am not speaking as a linguist nor am I speaking as a lawyer, nor is introducing my professional title to you necessary because none of those is relevant. What’s significant is the underlined subject matter!
Cambodian Language has been in existence for as far and long as our history – Angkor Era and prior. We need some catching ups to do in modernizing our written language for sure! However, our mother tongue whether it’s in a verbal form or written, it can be as literal and specific and abundantly clear as crystal. There is no ambiguity nor obscurity anywhere to cause “Aghastness” as it has been asserted.
Profanity/Foul Language exists in every language in the world – Cambodian is no exception. To stereotypically charge Cambodian language and/or Cambodian people as a Prevalently Crude, Offensive language and/or social group is purely an exaggerated presumption, and that should stop!
(អញ អ្ហែង វា ផើម)—These may be “Stylized” but certainly not “Antiquated”. Using any one of these wouldn’t necessarily “Dehumanize” a person either. Example: a conversation between an elder and his/her son/daughter as a “First and Second Person” or as a (3rd Person). Some close friends would use these words as well in their communication. (ផើម) is still commonly used in some far distant countrysides of the country as their normal human word – They are still people and they’re still normal Khmers! Using this term within certain villages of Cambodia does not make them any less human than the rest of Khmer population in any shape, manner or form! Words in any languages do hurt, dehumanize a person if they’re so intended!
Swearing, cussing namecalling etc., do exist in any language along with other human
values – Moral, whether it’s rural or tribal. Being “Polite or Impolite” is not the words being verbalized, but it’s the person himself whose education plays a significant role...
One interesting observation of this “A Language in Crisis” article that raises eyebrows of many, me included, is that “Current written Khmer language is a nightmare with great limitation for communicating complex ideas and for understanding. The written lacks clarity”. My question is [Is it the Khmer Language or a person with Limited Khmer language] experiencing the nightmare?
Look at the structure of Angkor. Does it look simple or complex? Who built it? How did Khmers communicate then? How many thousand years ago now? That was the works of “Khmer Super Architects” with great precision architecturally, then, wasn’t it? No Master, no Ph.D.!
No human ideas are complex beyond Khmer language’s ability to transcribe!
B Boy
08/22/2011
21 comments:
How many khmerican can speak their native tongue? Mrs. Theary is only making light of what is going on. American scholar had made the same comment about the English language changing because the younger generation is using more slang.
Mrs. Theary article should trigger all Khmers to refresh their native tongue. Why the bickering? Because the truth hurt? Move on people.
Yes, 12:13 pm the true hurt! That is why Khmer people start to come out and is trying to defend their language! Good job Theary! You need to hit where it hurt one in a while, otherwise, Khmer will not waik up and always think that speaking foreign languages make them look cool!
i agree with the rebuttal. thank you for your rationalization - the process of trying to create a sense of logic for something that we know is wrong.
Like Mdm Chuloung Samuara, Naly of LICHADO, Theary seng can't write, but can read khmer a little. She can't speak khmer well either. Everytime I hear her speaking khmer, honetestly it distresses me. She is not the best person to assess the khmer language; obvously she did no researches at all on the khmer language.
What I admire her about is that she is a brave young lady, a great leader. She is a beautufully attractive lady.
Like Mdm Chuloung Samuara, Naly of LICHADO, Theary seng can't write, but can read khmer a little. She can't speak khmer well either. Everytime I hear her speaking khmer, honetestly it distresses me. She is not the best person to assess the khmer language; obvously she did no researches at all on the khmer language.
What I admire her about is that she is a brave young lady, a great leader. She is a beautufully attractive lady.
I believed Khmer Language and tones are far better than Vietnamese language, Thai/Siam language/Laotian language which are having Chinese tonal or tones. Khmer language are having many beautiful tones, Consonants, vowels, and so on. There are many Chinese-Khmer, Viet-Khmer, and Thai-Khmer have funny tone (like Chinese tonal) speak Khmer languages very funny tone and different dialect. There are many Khmer farmers or residents in remote areas who speak different dialects from Khmer folks living in the cities (i.e. Phnom Penh, Kompong Cham, ...).
Khmer Language needs to be restructured in standard way, rules when it comes to Business communications and artistic communication. There are Cambodian many actors and actresses or artist professors or teachers are not well aware of the bad languages they speak daily or unprofessional way.
The schools and universities or colleges need to have Liberal Arts programs or Communication program, Speech program for the students who are required to pass the appropriate speaking, writing and speech classes so that it will help all the people of Cambodia, Cambodian businessmen or businesswomen, politicians, and other high educators to speak better or communicate better in the professional ways.
Just want to share the view or perspective.
Khmer Youerng!
there are more and more Khmer who speak and write khmer uncorrectly (tv animator, ...), that is not a language crisis?
To B Boy: which language, khmer scolar prefere to use, sanskrit or khmer?
Neokhmer
I don't understand...Ms. Seng is calling for Khmer to safeguard and protect the Khmer Language and Khmer people attack her for not knowwing the Khmer language well?
What the Hell? Come on Khmer people...stop wraping yourself in Angkor Wat... our ancestors built Angkor wat...we didn't built it...stop taking credit for yourself. We should safegaurd and protect Angkor wat as well as our language and not basking in our ancestors' glory only. If Khmer only arrogantly sit back and talk about how beautiful Angkor wat and Khmer language are and working hard and be honest with ourselves about our failings...Khmer are doomed to be ignorant and to repeat the Pol Pot's mentality.
B Boy,
you are a typical ignorant, arrogantly, pol pot type Khmer. What you are saying are off the street craps everyone knows, nothing new at all. Try to think deeper and multifacet approach. Do you think our ancestors ignorant like you? Do you think idiots like yourself can built Angkor wat? OUR ANCESTORS DID POSSESS MASTER'S AND PHD'S LEVEL OF KNOWLEDGE!
You arrogant bastard. Keep basking yourself like you built angkor wat and that you're the only one who loves angkor wat. Oh..please... you SUCK.
the funny thing is that every one claim that they love Khmer language so much, so why don't they write here in khmer?
So from this day on, when talking about Khmer among khmer, not with other nation, can we write in Khmer?
I hope you all who insult Seng Theary, who claim to be Khmer language fan, have installed already khmer unicode on your machine.
Neokhmer.
10:17PM! sound good! But suck! go to another website that they write in Khmer let this be it!
Not many of us can type in Khmer Now ( It dificult as Thery mention) and some of Khmer over sea want to invole in Cambodia problem too even they canot read and write Khmer!
This play is for Khmer who know Enlish if you want another languages go somewhere else!
10:48PM: you see? that is a real problem that Khmer cannot type Khmer. Or you don't see it?
I bet not only many can't type Khmer, but there are many khmer that type Khmer incorrectly, this is not a language crisis as Theary stated?
Neokhmer.
Compromise you two @10:17PM and 10:48 PM,
let it be free for all - write khmer if you want to, write english if you want to, ok my friends? But if Heng Soy can write Khmer in here on KI-Media, how hard can it be?
ហេ ស្រុះស្រូលគ្នាបានល្អ អាសំឡាញ់ទាំងពីរនៅ
១០:១៧PM នឹង ១០:៤៨PM,
ទុកសេរីភាពអោយគ្រប់គ្នា! ចង់សរសេរជាខ្មែរ
ក៏សរសេរទៅ ចង់សរសេរ ជាអង់គ្លេស ក៏សរសេរ
ទៅ អូកេ អាសំឡាញ់អាប់?
ប៉ុន្តែ បើ ហេង ស៊យ អាចសរសេរជាខ្មែរ
នៅលើ ខេអាយមីឌីយ៉ា នេះបាន តើវាមានអីពិបាក
ទៅ??? ហាហាហា!!!(j/k)និយាយលេងទេណ៎ា!
Kalonh Chuck
គាលុញ ឆឹក
កាឡុញ ឆឹក!
ចាប់ នាង សុជាតា នៅ ខេអាយមីឌីយ៉ា នេះអោយ
សរសេរខ្មែរ មើល បើមឹនសើចលេច អាចមន៏ រាក
នោមចុក ពោះប្រកាច់ងាប់ភ្លាមមួយ រំពេចហ្នឹង!
Wanna try to get Socheata of KI-Media to write Khmer and see? You all may laugh, Shit and pee at the same time to death my friends!!!
ROFLMAO
12:11am,
You miss the point! People that can write is no guarenty that they are Khmer. I know that there are a lot of Vietnamese can speak and write Khmer well. But the bottom line here is for our own Khmer people to value our Khmer language and speak properly. Isn't what Ms. Theary brought this subject up in the first place? Although Ms. Theary miss said that Khmer language in crisis, it should be Khmer people that speak Khmer are in crisis. The word that Ms. Theary brought up which I had head people use in Phnom Penh. Most beautiful young lady (children of new Khmer rich), they are talking in Khmer language like Khmer would be know as Koun Ort Pout! If only these young lady keep their mouth close, their beauty still shine, but one they speak...we recognize they are come from Koun bart Phar!!
That is why I had suggest earlier that the old rich khmer (not much money anymore) from the Lon Nal regime can earn money by teaching the new Khmer rich from the Hun's regime to speak Khmer properly.
Anyway, from my point of few the Khmer speaking language in crisis is not as bad as Khmer in rampage ganster rapping Khmer resources and distroy the country of both natural and her human resources (such as sending Khmer youth abroad to be a slave in the region, their soul are dying slowly without an identification to hold on to). This should be the pressing issues that we should consider. Proper usage of the language will come when one obtain enough resources to be able to put one children into a proper schooling.
May all Khmer really their own potential in contributing to rebuild Khmer nation!!
Anyway, from my point of few the Khmer speaking language in crisis is not as bad as Khmer in rampage ganster rapping Khmer resources and distroy the country of both natural and her human resources (such as sending Khmer youth abroad to be a slave in the region, their soul are dying slowly without an identification to hold on to). This should be the pressing issues that we should consider. Proper usage of the language will come when one obtain enough resources to be able to put one children into a proper schooling.
May all Khmer really their own potential in contributing to rebuild Khmer nation!!
It is not that the truth hurts. The truth is, Theary Seng sounds stupid.
The Phnom Penh Post might run my 800-word version of my rebuttal to bang Theary Seng's absurd opinion, on Thursday. Please read the full version here. Thank you.
They might also publish a translated version, in Khmer.
http://sambathmeas.blogspot.com/2011/08/khmer-language-is-alive-and-well-brain.html
Dear Ms. Meas,
First, Congratulations to you for being a “Koun Khmer” with pure heart and soul!
Second, Congratulations to your academic achievement, and the further pursuit of a higher education, I’m so proud of your “Khmer Values”!
Thirdly, Thank you for being a part of my article discussion in referencing to “A Language in Crisis” published by the Phnom Penh post August 16th, 2011. It’s a piece that I viewed as a “Misinformed Article”, unverified and rushed to judgment by the author herself. All and all, I personally and truly appreciate her concerns raised over this issue – The Moral Deficiency, NOT “A Language in Crisis”!
Fourth, I have read the entire of your six-page article in a rebuttal to the aforementioned piece. It’s an eloquent and fact-based analysis I ever read – Yours! Thank You!
Let’s set some seriousness aside, I truly enjoy “Don’t call me bong, call me che!”
Please have a nice night, and be successful in whatever educational ambitions you may further pursue, Ms. Meas!
Regards,
B Boy
Sambath Meas,
Your comment "It is not that the truth hurts. The truth is, Theary Seng sounds stupid. " is a childish uneducated response. Ms. Theary is a brave lady who work tirelessly and in a dangerous environment to help our people, your people! Give her due respect! I don't see you over there running your mouth about CPP.
Since Me publicly confess that Me ain't ashamedly illiterate, who implicitly know small English & Khmer languages, therefore Me ain't explicitly have any comment.
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