Central Khmer OCR

Central Khmer Language

The Central Khmer language, also called Khmer, is the official language of Cambodia. The language is spoken by 14 million people in Cambodia as well as by many Cambodian refugee communities who have fled to other countries. Khmer is a member of the Mon-Khmer family, which is one of the largest language groups in Southeast Asia. The Central Khmer dialects consist of four different subgroups: Northern, Northeastern, Southern and Central. The northern and northeastern dialects are spoken by the indigenous tribes in Ratanakiri Province and Mondulkiri Province respectively. The southern dialects are spoken in most parts of Cambodia with the exception of the autonomous province of Stung Treng and the western provinces of Preah Vihear, Koh Kong and Kampong Thom where it is spoken alongside Khmer Krom or English. The central dialect is spoken in most parts of the country including Phnom Penh where it is considered as standard Khmer language.