Thursday, September 19, 2013

Why Punctuation Matters






Old vs. New books




Theary C. Seng, June 2007


Read. Read. Read. 

A critical component of the development of the imagination is reading. We Khmers need to read, read, read and read some more. When we read, we prepare ourselves for any and all opportunities which otherwise would pass us by. The Chinese have it right it defining 'success' by combining the character for preparation (internal individually determined) with the character for opportunity (externally determined).

The majority of Khmer live in a harsh reality of abject poverty, crimes and abuse. More than ever we need to keep in mind that reality can be 'beaten with enough imagination'. Imagination, then, is the gateway to wisdom and change, and ultimately to personal and social development.


Losing our mother tongue
The Phnom Penh Post, Feb. 9, 2013

Some young people seemingly pretend to be unable to speak their mother tongue...

But when writing in Khmer, which is their native tongue, no one seems to care about accuracy. Even if the dictionary of Patriarch Chuon Nat is installed on their computer, they never bother to open it...

"Khmer citizens must know the national language clearly, in both oral and written form, to ensure it survives."
. . .

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. 

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

Stop patronizing us, Theary Seng.

Anonymous said...

ហ៊ុន សែន ញញឹម បញ្ចេញពីភាពជោគជ័យបានមកពីការបោកប្រាស់!


សូមជម្រាបថា ស្ដេច ព្រះបាទនរោត្តម សីហមុនី កំពុងតែបង្ខំឳ្យរាស្ដ្រដើរដល់ផ្លូវទាល់ច្រកហើយ!
សូមមេដឹកនាំ គណបក្សសង្គ្រោះជាតិ មេតាពិចារណា ឳ្យបានល្អិតល្អន់ឡើងវិញ! ទឹកចូលច្រមុះយើងខ្ញុំ ដល់តំណាក់កាលត្រូវ ត្រដរពេញទហ៊ឹងចុងក្រោយហើយ!
យើងយល់ថា ស្ដេចបច្ចុប្បន្ន ពុំមានព្រះតម្រិះ អំពីអនាគត រាស្ដ្រខ្មែរទេ ព្រោះទ្រង់ផ្ទាល់ពុំមានបុត្រ បន្តរស្នងរាជឡើយ!

Anonymous said...

It's important because I can stop and go to pee pee while I'm writing or reading .
Seng La Bay ( សេង ល្បេ )

Anonymous said...

Theary,
Shove YOUR punctuation you know where !!!!

Anonymous said...

មនុស្សល្អមានច្រើនណាស់ ក្នុងអម្បូរខ្មែរ បើមាន​ឡប់១ឡប់២ វេជ្ជៈបណ្ឌិតខាងវិកលចរិត អាចរ៉ាប់រងបាន! បើតាមមើលទៅជម្ងឺនេះមិនឆ្លងទេ គ្រាន់តែត្រូវដាក់ដាច់ដោយឡែក ការពារពេល រោគវិកល ឡើងហួសអង្សារម្ដងម្កាល កុំឳ្យគ្រោះថ្នាក់ដល់អ្នកផង!

ហ៊ឺះ យួៗប៉ះមនុស្សលលាមួយ គ្រាន់លរលេងដែរណ៎!
ពួកយើងកុំតានតឹង តែរឿងនយោបាយពេក ត្រូវឳ្យមានពេលស្រូបខ្យល់ បរិសុទ្ធខ្លះ មែនទេ!
ម៉េចៗ​ កុំតែពេលគេចាក់ក្រឡេក គិតតែពីអុំ បង្គេចអង្ករ បញ្ចូលធុងបាយជ្រូក ដល់ថ្ងៃរះផុតចុងឈើ អ្នកចាក់គេចបាត់ ដឹងខ្លួនភ្ញាក់ព្រឺត មើលក្នុងចង្អេរសល់តែអង្កាម ប្រពន្ធកាន់ឆ្នាំងចេញមក ឈរស្រឡាំងកាំង ចប់ហើយគ្មានអង្ករ កូនហុចប្រនុង "ម៉ែហ្អឺយវាយទៅកុំអោយឪនូវតែភ្លើ"!