Rare reading materials in the Khmer language that have been edited for clarity and easy comprehension!
With the scarcity of available reading materials in the Khmer language in electronic form where I can edit to raise my larger point of the NEED FOR USE OF PUNCTUATIONS, I am glad I can illustrate using the Khmer Bible.
If you ONLY know English, and this is how you have been habituated to read English, how far would you go in your education?
For the KHMER reader, click here and read this chapter from the book of JOSHUA.
(The verse numbers are acting as a punctuation, but without them, the chaos would be UTTER CHAOS.)
For the ENGLISH reader, click here and read this chapter, but imagine there are no proper nouns (no capitalized words) and no punctuations except for the full stop.
The vocabulary (translation) is very good -- as it done by a committee with checks and rechecks, unlike most of the other translations being produced in the whole of society. But without commas and other punctuation, is the Khmer chapter clear and understandable?
This is how Cambodians read the Cambodian language. For Cambodians with means or an opportunity to rely on another language, after they're stuck with the Cambodian language (which is very early on), they rely on their 2nd language for knowledge.
But for the MAJORITY of Cambodians who do not know a 2nd language, they have to fight the printed page and mangled language (of misspelling, of "creative" texting-style punctuation, or just run-on phrases) to get even a scant piece of knowledge.
It is in English to give a non-Cambodian reader a feel for how Cambodians read Khmer (and the magnitude of the crisis.)
Seen and heard on Ms. Theary C. Seng's BLOG...
4 comments:
Dear Theary Seng,
please your language crisis is just you're in crisis of Khmer literature please don't change or add anything to the way Khmer writing text you're confusing me there were Bible already print in khmer's language there is no need to add or subtract anything from them.
I read your khmer's print above is so confusing what is the plus sign under letter meant? What is its function? I have seen this kind of writing all over internet these days its so confusing and make me kinda sad to see unnecessary changes way of writing because of some stupid dumb person thought that old way of writing is complicated to them they advocate to change to meet their iliterature stupidity idea of how Khmer's language should be written.
Theary Seng,I admired you for anything but not this" language crisis theory" only crisis i see is You! You're making thing complicated by add or subtracting unnecessary to suit your incompetence need in reading khmer's cripts/texts.Please find something useful to do if you have too much spare time and don't worry about the way khmer's writing texts its been like this eversince Norkor kork thlork why change now!? I suggest you should hire people to teach you how to read is better than trying to change to make it worse or confusing more making people give up read so Khmers will be all iliterature like you in Khmer language.
Kmenhwatt
The Khmer language is NOT at all in crisis!
The very people who are in crisis are those who try to adapt the Khmer language to English!
You think in Khmer when you speak Khmer and you learn to think in English when you speak English if you are not a native English speaker.
One is definitely in crisis if he or she, growing up in an English-speaking country, tries to speak Khmer using English language structure.
Learn to think as a Khmer and speak as a Khmer then there is no crisis.
Any language needs new words as society moves into a modern world with new laws and technological advance; these new necessary words can be created in the context of the cultural and customary identity and norm of the society the language comes from. Crisis will certainly happen if you try solely to create new Khmer words based on the English language without taking into consideration the richness of the Khmer language.
Remember most Khmer people speak Khmer and not both Khmer and English fluently!
Pissed Off
3:25 AM. Your analysis is excellent.
Thank you
Khmer Girl
Dear Theary,
perhaps you want khmer's literature to be like Siam or Yuon maybe like Roman English right? Its not going to happen because only small percent of Cambodian that read English and how to write like English.The French missionary changed the way Yuon writing long time ago and they tried to change the way khmer's literature/writing too by burned down all books/texts/scripts,but Khmers monks kept on teaching Khmers students not to change/give up thatwise you see Khmer today not adapt to anyone language but her own.You should be proud of your language and don't be Americanize advocates to change the way khmer's writing because of you get used to write as an American's way! I have read khmer's texts on line is so confusing they used PLUS sign under the letter instead of write the way its should be [proper way of writing] what's plus sign under letter do? I am confuse!!! Do i have to learn how to read this new way all over again? Old saying state; If its not broken don't fix it!....
Yobal Khmer
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