Language Culture and Curriculum
Editor and Book Reviews Editor: Eoghan Mac Aogain (St Patrick's College)
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Volume: 16 Number: 3 Page: 253–268
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The Teaching of Foreign Languages in Cambodia: A Historical Perspective
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Vira Neau
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The teaching of foreign languages in Cambodia is examined in the light of its recent history. The paper describes the French colonial period, beginning in 1863, the emergence of the independent state under King Sihanouk (1953–70), the Khmer Republic (1970–75) and Democratic
Kampuchea (1975–79), during which the infamous mass killings took place, the period of Vietnamese and Russian dominance (1979–89), the new transitional State of Cambodia (1989–93), and the contemporary period. The status of foreign language teaching in Cambodia is described
at each point in time. It has been useful to take a historical perspective in the first instance because Cambodians have great difficulty finding out about their past. In fact the compilation of a short written account of language teaching such as this, based on the remaining documents, can
be very informative, given the destruction of documents that occurred in the reign of the Communist Khmer Rouge under Pol Pot and the execution of the educated classes. Given our interest in the teaching of foreign languages, it is essential to take a historical perspective in any case, since
the causes of problems which are now faced by Cambodian teachers of English are so clearly rooted in the events of the recent past.
© 2003 Multilingual Matters
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