Ancient tongue sits on the brink of extinction (fwd link)

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Ancient tongue sits on the brink of extinction

FRIDAY, 13 NOVEMBER 2009 15:02
SEBASTIAN STRANGIO AND SAM RITH
Cambodia

Linguists say the language of the S’aoch ethnic group, now spoken by just a
handful of villagers, is unlikely to survive into the next generation.

ONE of Cambodia’s oldest known languages is teetering on the brink of
extinction, according to language experts who say its loss will erase the last
vestiges of a culture stretching back far into Southeast Asia’s prehistory.

The S’aoch tongue, a distant relation to modern Khmer, is now spoken by just a
handful of villagers in Kampot province, and linguists say it is unlikely to
survive for another generation.

Access full article below:
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/index.php/2009111329523/National-news/ancient-tongue-sits-on-the-brink-of-extinction.html