A state with a rich history and a huge number of ancient architectural sights and temple complexes, the Kingdom of Cambodia is gaining momentum as a beach resort. It is ready to compete with other countries of Southeast Asia, and its gradually but steadily developing infrastructure is proof of this. The constitution of the kingdom proclaims Khmer as the only official language of Cambodia.
Some statistics and facts
- Khmers or Cambodians make up the main population of Cambodia. Their number is 14, 2 million in the kingdom itself and about two million more in Vietnam and Thailand.
- The official language of Cambodia belongs to the Austro-Asian family. The Cambodians use the Khmer script for writing.
- In total, according to various sources, up to 20 million people speak Khmer in the world. The largest Cambodian diasporas outside Southeast Asia live in China, the United States, France and Australia.
- There are significant differences between the dialects of the Khmer language. For example, a resident of the capital will not immediately understand the rapid speech of a peasant from the countryside and vice versa.
On the land of ancient Angkor
In 1864, the Khmer Empire, formed in the 7th century, came under the protectorate of France, like the rest of Indochina. It was then that the French language came to the country, which is still well remembered by the older generation of Cambodians.
The country's independence was restored in 1955. This was followed by economic and political reforms, including the establishment of the National Bank of Cambodia and the Cambodian currency.
The inhabitants of the kingdom underwent terrible trials during the era of the Pol Pot regime. The Khmer Rouge established a political dictatorship in the country, which was reflected in the state language of Cambodia. Specific vocabulary was introduced, literary words were replaced by dialect ones, and forms of politeness, standard for all South Asian languages, were removed from circulation.
Modern Cambodia again sat down at the desks and the level of literacy of the population began to rise rapidly. The country has many Cambodian-language newspapers, books, television and radio programs.
Tourist notes
In the resort regions of Cambodia and in the area of the Angkor Wat temple complex, the vast majority of local residents speak English. The menu in cafes and restaurants, maps with the image of attractions and price tags in stores have been translated into English.
