The Cambodian language has 33 consonants and an amazing 39 vowels. And that's not all - many of the vowels make two different sounds depending on the consonant they go with. The first few weeks of language lessons are spent learning the alphabet and getting to recognise the different sounds. It's all downhill from there!
This was our first language book. You can see the letters and some very basic words. You might be able to see from the script that Cambodian/Khmer is related to ancient Indian languages rather than Chinese. As well as studying that book, we did a university course and conversation classes. Now we can speak, read and write Cambodian but we're still learning all the time.
The most popular second language nowadays is English. French, the old colonial language, is in decline. Khmer is the national language but there are many others besides - and people are starting to work among these groups. Literacy levels across Cambodia are 35% (male 48% female 22%) but much lower among some of these other peoples. Over time, we are hoping to develop more resources for work among oral cultures.
This language glossary gives you a few more useful Cambodian phrases, or you could get your own name put into Cambodian writing and sent to you by visiting the Kidspot....
