Cambodia’s Khmer Language Debate

Theary Seng and Supote Prasertsri

26 August 2011

On Air Highlights

ABC Radio Australia

A debate is stirring in Cambodia about the continued viability of the Khmer language. It started with a commentary that the Khmer language is in crisis and in fact, dying.

Theary Seng, founding president of the Center for Cambodian Civic Education, wrote in the Phnom Penh Post that spoken Khmer is often either crude or highly stylised, while written Khmer has not been updated for modern times.

The comments triggered controversy and heated discussion in the country and in Cambodian communities abroad, including from Professor Supote Prasertsri, formerly with UNICEF (Thailand) and UNESCO (Cambodia) as an education expert and now an advisor to a number of civil societies in Cambodia.

Presenter: Adelaine Ng

Speakers: Theary Seng, founding president of the Center for Cambodian Civic Education; Prof Supote Prasertsri, former education specialist at UNICEF (Thailand) and UNESCO (Cambodia)