Khmer

Khmer is the official language of Cambodia and a significant minority language in Vietnam and Thailand. Khmer is a member of the Austroasiatic language family, the autochthonous family in an area that stretches from the Malay Peninsula through Southeast Asia to East India. Austroasiatic, which also includes Mon, Vietnamese and Munda, has been studied since 1856 and was first proposed as a language family in 1907.

History

The history of Khmer is usually divided into a pre-Angkorian and Angkorian period. The pre-Angkorian period refers to the use of Old Khmer as a scriptural language of the pre-Angkorian Khmer kingdoms of Funan and Chenla. The Angkorian period began with the Khmer Empire's foundation in 802 CE and ended with its fall to the Thai in 1431.

Phonology

Khmer differs from neighboring languages such as Thai, Burmese, Lao, and Vietnamese, in that it is not a tonal language. Words are stressed on the final syllable, hence many words conform to the typical Mon–Khmer pattern of a stressed syllable preceded by a minor syllable.

Grammar

Khmer is primarily an analytic language with no inflection. Most grammatical functions are done with the use of particles and auxiliary words. The word order is generally subject–verb–object (SVO), although the subject is often dropped.

Writing System

The Khmer script is an abugida derived from the Pallava script of India. The oldest dated inscription in Khmer, found at Angkor Borei in Takeo Province south of Phnom Penh, dates from 611 CE.

See Also

• Khmer Empire
• Khmer Rouge
• Khmer Krom
• Khmer Loeu
• Khmer people

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