2.5 Conversation: Addressing People in Cambodia
Title Nouns and Kinship Terms
Title nouns such as “look” (Sir, Mr., you for male speaker) and “look-srey” (Madam, Mrs., you for female) can be used as pronouns to denote formality and politeness.
Examples:
- Look chmuah ey? “What is your name, sir?”
- Look-srey mook bpii bprɔɔ-dteh naa? “Where are you from, madam?”
Similarly, when the term “look” is combined with kinship terms, such as Kruu “teacher”; Dtaa “Grandfather”; Bpuu “Uncle”; and Kmuay “Nephew/Niece”, it denotes respect, politeness, and even endearment.
Examples:
- Look-dtaa sok-sa-baay dtee? “How are you, grandfather?”
- Look-bpuu sok-sa-baay dtee? “How are you, uncle?”
Figure 1: Kinship Terms
- Oon “ប្អូន/អូន” = This term is used when speaking to someone younger than yourself, but not young enough to be your own children.
- Bpuu “ពូ” = This means “uncle” and is used to address males who are approximately as old as your father, or who have the same age as your uncle.
- Ming “មីង” = This means “aunt” and is used to address females who are approximately as old as your father, or who has the same age as your aunt.
- Kmuay “ក្មួយ” = This word means “niece” or “nephew” and used to address someone about the same age as your children.
- Yiay “យាយ” = This means “grandmother” and is used to address someone who is the same age as your grandmother.
- Dtaa “តា” = This means “grandfather” and is used to address someone who is the same age as your grandfather.
- Om “អ៊ំ” = This is used to address someone who is older than your parents, regardless of gender.
- Look-kruu “លោកគ្រូ” = This term is used when speaking to a male teacher.
- Neak-kruu “អ្នកគ្រូ” = This term is used when speaking to a female teacher.
1. Listening
Listen to a conversation between Sokha (A) and a senior teacher (B) at a school in Phnom Penh where Sokha (A) first started teaching.
After listening, answer the following questions.
