Page "Khmer language" Paragraph 16

Phnom Penh Khmer is spoken in the capital and surrounding areas.

This dialect is characterized by merging or complete elision of syllables, considered by speakers from other regions to be a " relaxed " pronunciation.

For instance, " Phnom Penh " will sometimes be shortened to " m ' Penh ".

Another characteristic of Phnom Penh speech is observed in words with an " r " either as an initial consonant or as the second member of a consonant cluster ( as in the English word " bread ").

The " r ", trilled or flapped in other dialects, is either pronounced as an uvular trill or not pronounced at all.

This alters the quality of any preceding consonant causing a harder, more emphasized pronunciation.

Another unique result is that the syllable is spoken with a low-rising or " dipping " tone much like the " hỏi " tone in Vietnamese.

For example, some people pronounce ( meaning " fish ") as, the " r " is dropped and the vowel begins by dipping much lower in tone than standard speech and then rises, effectively doubling its length.

Another example is the word (" study, learn ").

It is pronounced, with the " uvular r " and the same intonation described above.