Khmer language

Khmer is the national and official language of Cambodia and the native language of the Khmer people. Khmer is a member of the Mon-Khmer group of the Austro-Asiatic language family. Khmer has been influenced considerably by Sanskrit and Pali, especially in the royal and religious registers, through Hinduism and Buddhism. It is a non-tonal, analytical and isolated language. It has  typical Austroasiatic features like monosyllabic or disyllabic words, a complex vowel system and lack of tones. Standard Cambodian Khmer is mutually intelligible with other Khmer dialects of Cambodia.

Khmer is the official language of Cambodia, spoken by over 16 million people (2007), Standard Khmer is based on the register of the educated classes of Phnom Penh. In addition to Central Khmer, Cambodia is home to other related Mon-Khmer languages. Although linguists classify these idioms as related, but distinct languages, native speakers often identify them as regional variants of the "same" Khmer language, or as "different kinds of Khmer".