Cambodian English is a
World English variety spoken in Cambodia. It is used by the media, educated Cambodians, and English language learners.
History
English was introduced to Cambodia in the 1990s through the presence of the
United Nations Transitional Authority in Cambodia
The United Nations Transitional Authority in Cambodia (UNTAC) was a United Nations peacekeeping operation in Cambodia in 1992–93 formed following the 1991 Paris Peace Accords. This was the first occasion in which the UN directly assumed re ...
(UNTAC).
Its usage expanded significantly following Cambodia's 1999 accession to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).
In the mid-2000s, Cambodian scholars such as Keuk Chan Narith and Kao Sophal began to formally identify and analyze the distinct features of Cambodian English.
Initially considered "unintelligible," its intelligibility has improved due to the growth of international school education, particularly among younger generations.
Cambodian scholars Chan Hum and Kimkong Heng have observed an increase in children attending international schools in urban areas.
The rapid growth of globalization and technological advancements has further accelerated its adoption, particularly for hand-held devices and social networking.
While a
Khmer script
Khmer script (, )Huffman, Franklin. 1970. ''Cambodian System of Writing and Beginning Reader''. Yale University Press. . is an abugida (alphasyllabary) script used to write the Khmer language, the official language of Cambodia. It is also use ...
exists for digital devices, there is a tendency to use audio messages in Khmer rather than typed messages.
Characteristics
Cambodian English exhibits distinct
phonological
Phonology (formerly also phonemics or phonematics: "phonemics ''n.'' 'obsolescent''1. Any procedure for identifying the phonemes of a language from a corpus of data. 2. (formerly also phonematics) A former synonym for phonology, often prefer ...
and
morphosyntactic
In linguistics, morphology is the study of words, including the principles by which they are formed, and how they relate to one another within a language. Most approaches to morphology investigate the structure of words in terms of morphemes, wh ...
features, influenced by the
Khmer language
Khmer ( ; , Romanization of Khmer#UNGEGN, UNGEGN: ) is an Austroasiatic language spoken natively by the Khmer people. This language is an official language and national language of Cambodia. The language is also widely spoken by Khmer people i ...
.
;Phonology
* Deletion and insertion of the /s/ sound.
* Dropping of final consonants.
* Simplification of verb endings (-es, -ed).
* Distortion of non-native English sounds.
* Variations in word stress.
;Morphosyntax
* Omission of prepositions and articles.
* Influence of Khmer syntax and word order.
* Use of present tense for past tense.
* Use of singular forms for plurals.
These features were identified by Stephen Moore and Suksiri Bounchan.
Variations
Transitional Cambodian English (TCE) is a possible emerging standard variation, primarily observed among university students. It is characterized by a blend of American and British English with minimal Khmer linguistic influence, and it was first identified by American scholar Joshua Wilwohl.
A colloquial, non-standard variation, "KhmEnglish", has also been identified.
Current status and sociolinguistic considerations
English is increasingly used across various domains in Cambodia, including education, business, tourism, technology, and media, leading some scholars to describe it as a "language of transformation."
However, the growing prevalence of English raises concerns about potential impacts on Khmer language proficiency and cultural identity.
References
{{English dialects
Languages of Southeast Asia
Dialects of English
Southeast Asian English