Saturday, August 18, 2012

A LANGUAGE IN CRISIS -- The Written Khmer: The Problem (by CIVICUS Cambodia Theary C. Seng)

The edited version of this Commentary is published in The Phnom Penh Post on Friday, 17 Aug. 2012, and it is to give a non-Khmer reader a VISCERAL FEEL for how Cambodians read and write.










https://www.box.com/s/72f27f5eebb5d3a5df70

26 comments:

Anonymous said...



HOW STUPID THEARY SENG IS!

IT IS NOT TIME TO TALK ABOUT KHMER

LANGUAGE IN CRISIS.SHE SHOULD TALK

ABOUT HOW TO TAKE HUN SEN OUT OF POWER.

Anonymous said...

Wake up Neang Theary!! It's Cambodia in crisis.

Anonymous said...

Are you serious? Apples vs. oranges???

Anonymous said...

Pardon my French, but this is fucked-up, totally!

Anonymous said...

it is profoundly ashamed of Cambodian Americanm Theary Seng, who has barely attended in the real traditional Khmer school, doesn't speak, write, or read Khmer language academically, and now not only can simply comprehend the ultimate problems of Khmer Language, but also she can explicitly and masterfully correct the old traditional Khmer Language. Honestly confessing, even though, I am unashamedly an uneducated man, I am kinda like her, and I am urgently wanting to go to her Khmer Temple School in America, therefore I can simply become a Mighty master of Khmer language as her.

Son Of a farmer

Anonymous said...

Theary, honey, if you wrote khmer phrases in the context and format of the English language, you would also have turned Samdech Sang Chuon Nath in his grave!


Anonymous said...

Theary seng chhkuot hoeuy toeu!!!

Anonymous said...

That's it, we can't solve Cambodia crisis because we ain't on the same volcabulary wave lengt. Some are on FM, AM and others are on short wave. Mine is satelite signal.

Anonymous said...

នាងធារីកំពុងតែប្របូកច្របល់ ។ នៅពេលដែលនាង​រៀន​​បាតិមោកខ្លាំងពេកទៅ ទៅជាបែកឆ្វេង ។ នាង​ខំ​ផ្សាយដំណឹងល្អរបស់យ៉ូហាន នៅក្នុងKI ដើម្បី​បង្អួត​ស្នាដៃរបស់នាងរាល់ថ្ងៃ តែហាក់ដូចជាគេ ស្លៀកឈុតហែលទឹក ទៅបុណ្យខ្មោចដូច្នោះឯង ។ ពាក្យខ្មែរថា "ឆ្លុះកញ្ចក់មិនមើលប្រាណ ដាំចង្រ្កាន មិនប្រមាណនឹងឆ្នាំង" ។
អាមេន

Anonymous said...

10:23 AM,
Can you hear me now? Hello! Hello!

Anonymous said...

Focus on how to please a Khmer man in bed would you, Ms. Seng! Leave the beautiful Khmer language alone. Focus on other areas that is in crisis!!!!!! Try blow job 101 as a start...

Anonymous said...

នាងស្រីធារី កំពុងខិតខំរកមធ្យោបាយបំបាត់វប្បធម៌
របស់ខ្មែរ ដែលអាចធ្វើឱ្យចំណេញយួនអង្គុយចាំ
ទទួលផល៕

Anonymous said...

Theary's nonsense does not get more true from re-posting it constantly, just turns readers off KI Media. Pitty

Apsaravideo said...

Each writing in every languages existed is different from one another. In Khmer writing I think Theary Seng wants to insert spaces separating between words just like in the English writing. It may look weird at first, but then she could be right that it could work better in the clarity of the writing.

Apsaravideo said...

Somebody correct me if I'm wrong. In Khmer writing we use spaces or "dawk klear" to give readers a pause to emphasize certain things or give readers a chance to catch up with their breaths. The sentence could go on and on. For short breath readers it would be a hard for them to go through a long sentence before stopping for air. Man, that's tough!

Anonymous said...

I agree one hundred and twenty percent with 4:05PM. Theary Seng seems to always come out swinging wildly, bringing attention to herself and distracting ours from the critical problems facing
us, Khmer, today. Her actions benefit none other than the CPP. It is a relief for the yuon puppets in Phnom Penh from bombardment of criticism on border issues. I am wondering what side Theary Seng is on, may be she is working for the CPP beneath the cloak
of CIVICUS ?

Anonymous said...

Friend 3:23 AM,

We can agree with you or we cannot.
Right away, the debate would take place, then Khmers will take sides.
This is NOT the time for dis-unity.
We, Khmers must unite to remove the Yuon's pupet regime as soon as possible.
It has been 33 years overdue.
The national election is less than 11 months away. And here we got distracted by Theary Seng's commas or punctuation !!!
Let's get our country back, then we can revisit these kinds of matters again.

Takeo said...

Please be nice to each other as Khmer is always Khmer no matter where you are. Khmer language in crisis is very true in different ways, example when you use MS Words, Google translation, Yahoo, etc. a lot of languages in there included Thai and Viet but no Khmer.

Even in Cambodia today young Khmer speak good English but poor in proper Khmer speaking and writing it is not the same as during 1960 era.

Anonymous said...

Thai, Lao, Burmese…are written the same way as Khmer, are they in crisis too?
Khmer written language has been fine for centuries. Theary is in crisis for not clearly understanding the language.
If your parents were to be alive, they would not agree with either, Theary.

Anonymous said...

ធារីសេងអើយ ធារីសេង!!!!!
មិនទាំងចេះនិយាយភាសាខ្មែរផង កុំថាឡើយដល់ទៅសរសេរ,...
បែរមកចេះរិះគន់ភាសាខ្មែរ ។
ហួសចិត្ត!!!

Anonymous said...

Theary has point if she referred to the way Koh Santepheap reporters write their birth languge! But again, what does anyone expect from the one-trick pony, support-our-government-at-all-costs, tabloid?

Anonymous said...

ធារីចង់ឱ្យខ្មែរក្លាយទៅដូចយួន ដែលគ្មានអក្សររបស់
ខ្លួន។វាមិនខុសពីចរិតរបស់មេដឹកនាំទេចិត្តឈ្លានពាន
ប្រទេសជិតខាង។

Anonymous said...

To donate by credit card / PayPal to the National Rescue Party, go to website www.nrp-dc.com

Thank you!

Go ! Just Do It! Your beloved motherland needs your help!

Anonymous said...

All Khmers who is a real loved Khmer[et-al]. To me this time is not the right time for all of us to wake up Samdech Chhoun Nath's spirit, A supe Khmer languishtic,had been done perfectly of Khmer language ever since. However, the problem of Khmer language today I think that might be using not appropriated for fact because of the cult and our enemy did it in purpose in order to swallow Khmer in short period of time. That is the main reason they loved to obfuscate Khmer in every level of Khmer Institution as they could. It is beginning from - the top government thru the local regularly office and agencies, our religious, educational of school system,Health,national resource,the quality of all Khmer lives,etc.; had been demoted it as far as we all have seen it so far. Isn't right? It's undoubtedly because of the Yiekcong alone was purportedly to damage Khmer nation for some 4o years or even more than that. Let's all think about it once again.

Talking about Mr. Thery Seng, Founding ressident,CIVICUS,was right since she had had some kind of those languages while serving in country. But right now my recommendation to you[Theary Seng] as early I have mentioned it as this time was not the right time for Khmer to innovation anything of Khmer language yet, since we are living with an uncertainty with the free of the modern democracy yet,but with Youn controlled was headed the government by Han Noi. That is the point. Now ,instead, of doing with what you did right that is your rights to do so. But My idea now I just want all of Khmer patriotic bind it one or stayed unity to remove the power from one a one man ruling our country first . After we get held the power then it will be the choice of the new leadership need to start it from scatch as to promote of everything to improve with a challenging to other nation. This comment is a bid rough but I hope you all will get into my point of view.

As a morality it's important to all nation on this earth but Khmer almost lost it that because of prolong war by our enemy caused Khmer to lose of everything.

Now would all bring our morality back using with all Khmers either inside or outside the country wherever we go and stopping demoted Khmer, but not with Khmer who is favored to Yiekcong or who have a brain completely washed by you.

Anonymous said...

Wrong typo : Appologize

Ms. Theary Seng
President.

Anonymous said...


Theary Seng is a quitter and a stupidest lady in the world.
She didn't read Chuon Nath Khmer
dictionary.

She lost her spirit as a Khmer
person.
You didn't get PhD in Khmer
language before you said,.

Many Asian countries have the same
Styles of writing;are their languages in crisis?