Cambodian Children Sing on June 1 circa. 1995 for...

Thursday, November 17, 2011

Cambodian Children Sing on June 1 circa. 1995 for International Children’s Day

Host: My, you are extremely well-dressed today, Oun.* Won’t you tell us your name?

Child: My name’s Samnang!

Host: Your name is Samnang? And how old are you?

Samnang: I’m tee (sp) years old.

Host: “Tee years old”? [laughter] How many brothers and sisters do you have?

Samnang: Three.

Host: Three? But you’ve only raised two fingers! And so which child are you?

Samnang: I’m the — I’m the — the firs’ child!

Host: “The firs’ child,” eh? So this evening which song will you sing for us?

Samnang: I sing — I’m sing — I’m singing…

Host: Which song? Which song? Won’t you tell Bong? Which song are you singing?

Samnang: I’m singing the song…

Host [asks another boy]: Which song are you singing, Pa-oun?*

Boy: We’re singing The Vowels Song.

Host [returning]: Won’t you sing your vowels for Bong?* [silence] A…? Oh, you don’t know your vowels! No worries, there’s no need to recite them now since you are soon to perform for us. Go ahead, Oun.

Samnang is annoyed with the other boy for making him look bad! Later he snaps at the two boys on his left, something roughly equivalent to: You two think you’re such good singers, don’t you! Poor boy, he’s so frustrated, but he’s so irresistibly adorable!

*Oun is a polite and endearing way of addressing someone who is younger than you, yet still within your generation (not young enough to be your nephew or niece). It is short for pa-oun, which literally means younger brother or sister. The term is gender-neutral. Bong is a polite and customary way of addressing someone who is older than you, yet not old enough to be your uncle or aunt. It is endearing to the person the speaker is addressing if the speaker uses this term to refer to themselves.