Mozzeenet

While studies have shown that some local languages and dialects have been gradually falling out of use for a variety of reasons including the effects of globalisation and the increased use of languages such as English as a universal communication tool, some thought has also been given to the role the internet may play in preserving languages.

In Cambodia, I became aware of the importance of providing information in the local language (Khmer) but also understood the technical difficulty in doing this. Khmer script like Thai has its own alphabet. It’s a complex system and you’ll understand why I didn’t persevere trying to learn it (speaking was hard enough) if you check out the Khmer Alphabet information on Omniglot. There are no spaces between words, only at the end of sentences and there are many more characters and variations of characters than in English.
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Early this year, I started volunteering at a community computer centre in inner-city Sydney where local kids can drop in on Saturday mornings to surf the Internet, create videos and websites, take digital photos, listen to and make music and meet other kids and volunteers. The most popular activity by far, however, is playing computer games and as a result of volunteering there, I’ve become aware of an interesting debate about the positive and negative influence of gaming.

After reading the article Games ‘deserve a place in class’ on BBC World Edition: Technology recently as well as an article in the Sydney Morning Herald, I was motivated to write a few of my own observations on the topic from Saturday mornings.
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I was stunned to hear recently that a new king has been appointed in Cambodia. It wasn’t widely reported here and when I saw it on the news a few weeks ago, the coronation and celebrations had already occurred. In October, the former king, Norodom Sihanouk abdicated after over 50 years as monarch. The new king, Norodom Sihamoni, the eldest son of Sihanouk and Queen Monique has spent most of his life removed from Cambodia in Europe, studying professional dancing. Read more »