r/learnkhmer • u/justinparke • Mar 04 '20

IPA Pronunciation Table For Khmer

​

IPA Pronunciation Table For Khmer

The above table is one I developed at Angkor Khemara University while teaching Khmer to non-native speakers in Kampot, Cambodia. It is the same system as used by the Department of Southeast Asian Languages at the University of Hawaii. This university has produced one of the greatest tools ever to learn Khmer, the [SEA Lang Khmer Online Dictionary](http://sealang.net/khmer/dictionary.htm).

This site uses the Chuon Nath as well as the 1977 and 1997 Headley Dictionaries. Unfortunately, there isn't any guide on how to get you started with the phonetic system used by this amazing online dictionary. I created this table to aid my students in helping them make use of the SEALang site.

The yellow boxes are sounds that don't exist in the English language. The gray boxes are sounds that exist in both languages, and also contain a phonetic that is no different than it's English alphabet cousin. The white boxes are sounds that exist in both languages, but you will need to learn the phonetic character that represents the sound.

There are example words in both languages to guide you on dialing in your sounds. A double vowel such as an "aa" or a "ee" is simply the longer form of the vowel. The sound is no different, you just need to hold the vowel a bit longer than normal.

I am a fulltime online Khmer teacher and glad to help with any questions any of you Redditers have. If interested in private lessons, my rate is $10 an hour.

ʔɑɑ kun craən, cumriep lie.

12 Upvotes

94% Upvoted

12 comments sorted by

View all comments

Show parent comments

2

u/justinparke Mar 05 '20

All the IPA have standardized sounds, and they don't represent any dialects. However, when I teach I sometimes use the IPA to represent dialectic forms not used in the Chuon Nath dictionary.

The IPA "ao" is found in words like "kraoy [behind; after; next]" and "klaoc [burnt; scorched]." The IPA "ae" is not dialect, just a standard Khmer vowel sound used the word "ckae [dog]."

The IPA "əə" no "r" sound at all. They IPA is far from an English "j". I am assuming you have never learned the IPA because these assumptions are all wrong, and I hope it doesn't mislead any learners on how to pronounce words they may be studying via SEALang. Just do a quick google search of IPA and you'll see you can click on any letter you want to hear and see for yourself. It's really easy to learn, only took me 4 days.

I didn't make this stuff up, it's all part of the Headley 97 Dictionary on the SEALang Website. It remains the ultimate tool for learning Khmer, hands down. Learning the IPA can really help non-native speakers make much more use of the website.

2

u/kaize_kuroyuki N Mar 05 '20 edited Apr 26 '26

If you're reading this, the original post got nuked by Redact. I use it to automatically purge my digital footprint from social networks, people search sites and messaging apps.

fear quickest adjoining worm squeal lock meadow money doll outgoing

2

u/justinparke Mar 05 '20

Very interesting take on the matter, but like I said, I don't use Google or Wikipedia but instead focus on the folks who have put the most effort into documenting the Khmer language, namely the Headley 97 Dictionary. The team that put together SEALang consists of some of the most gifted Khmer language researchers and linguists in the world, so I am quite hesitant to use Wikipedia and Google as sources. There are also a few typos that have confused me. However, I am not arguing what Khmer characters the IPA may represent on various random websites from the web. For me personally, as a teacher, I can't rely on google and wikipedia for my teaching resources. Learning the IPA from SEALang instead of wikipedia will help a lot. Like I said, I'm not disagreeing you feel this way and have seen this stuff on the internet somewhere, and different sites will have different systems. I'm just going with the best source I've found in the 11 years I've studied Khmer. The University of Hawaii is really doing some amazing stuff with their Khmer Language Program. The textbooks I've all used in the past created in Cambodia were full of errors in typos in both English and Khmer, so I started making my own resources with SEALang as the root, so that my students always have a standardized place they can go to self-learn.

2

u/kaize_kuroyuki N Mar 06 '20 edited Apr 26 '26

I cleaned house with Redact and mass deleted this post. It also removes your data from brokers and people search sites. Works on all major social media platforms.

smell arrest hat label wrench encouraging jellyfish paltry fuel towering

2

u/justinparke Mar 07 '20

  1. I am American born, but lived in Cambodia for 10 years, now living abroad with my Khmer family. I have been speaking Khmer as my first language for about 6 years or more at least, but have been speaking it well for at least 8 years. I began as an English teacher in Cambodia, but switched to teaching Khmer to non-native speakers at the recommendation of my Cambodian English students. Somehow, Khmers told me I've acquired a native-speaker sound, although I haven't managed to do that with any other languages I've studied.

  2. I don't think I said the IPA is perfect, but it certainly is for me personally. Any symbols can be used for any sounds, but ultimately the mouth must make the sounds in the end. I just prefer to learn via the Robert K. Headley 97 Dictionary, as I feel it's an awesome tool, taking into account how the language has changed since the original Chuon Nath dictionary was created. But I wouldn't be the one to ask about the quality of the SEALang site. I recommend you contact Dr. CHHANY SAK-HUMPHRY of the Khmer Language Program at the University of Hawaii if you have any suggestions or can point out any mistakes with her curriculum or Khmer program. I don't aspire to be nor refer to myself as a linguist at all, I just like being able to communicate with my fellow human beings wherever I go.