Keng Vannsak facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Keng Vannsak
កេង វ៉ាន់សាក់
Vannsak in Paris, France in 2005
Born	(1925-09-19)19 September 1925 Kampong Cham Province, Cambodia, French Indochina
Died	18 December 2008(2008-12-18) (aged 83) Montmorency, France
Citizenship	Cambodia France
Education	University of Caen Normandy
Occupation	Philosopher linguist
Political party	Democratic
Spouse(s)	Suzanne Colleville

Keng Vannsak (Khmer: កេង វ៉ាន់សាក់; born September 19, 1925 – died December 18, 2008) was an important Cambodian thinker and language expert. He was a philosopher (someone who studies big ideas about life) and a linguist (someone who studies languages). He is famous for creating the keyboard for the Khmer language typewriter in 1952.

Keng Vannsak lived in Paris, France, from 1970 until he passed away in 2008. He was 83 years old when he died in a hospital near Paris after a long illness. Many people in Cambodia today see him as a very important person who influenced new generations of Cambodian thinkers. He left behind many writings, including plays, short stories, and poems.

He was also a friend and teacher to Pol Pot, who later became a leader in Cambodia. Keng Vannsak, along with Iv Koeus and Khuon Sokhamphu, was one of the first people to study and develop Khmer language rules.

About Keng Vannsak

Keng Vannsak was born in a small village in Kampong Cham Province, Cambodia, on September 19, 1925. This was the same year Pol Pot was born. While they were both studying in France, Vannsak was a mentor to Pol Pot. They both believed that some parts of Cambodian culture had been changed by outside influences like Buddhism and Hinduism. They thought it was important to find the "original Khmer" culture.

After finishing high school in Phnom Penh in 1946, Vannsak received a scholarship to continue his studies in Paris. A scholarship is money given to a student to help them pay for their education. In Paris, he also worked as an assistant, helping teach the Khmer language at a special school for modern Eastern languages. He also spent two years teaching Khmer at the University of London.

Later, he married Suzanne Colleville, a French woman. She also loved Eastern languages. She had learned Cambodian, Lao, and Thai. She also studied science at the University of Caen.

His Career and Work

In 1952, Keng Vannsak returned to Cambodia with his wife. He had earned a bachelor's degree from the University of Paris in 1951. He became a teacher at the well-known Lycée Sisowath high school in Phnom Penh. He taught there from 1952 to 1958.

Keng Vannsak was known for being a thoughtful person. He once explained that he was "too sensitive" to be a politician. He believed that politicians needed to be very tough, and he was not like that.

His Beliefs and Influence

Keng Vannsak was against the idea of a monarchy (a country ruled by a king or queen) in Cambodia. He was also known for guiding Pol Pot, who later became a leader of Cambodia from 1975 to 1979. During Pol Pot's rule, many people in Cambodia died.

A Teacher for Cambodian Students in Paris

Keng Vannsak became a very important person for Cambodian students in Paris. In the winter of 1950, he held meetings at his apartment. Students would gather to talk about important political issues. They discussed the future of Cambodia, especially since the war in Vietnam was affecting their home country. These meetings helped shape the political ideas of many young Cambodian students, including Pol Pot.

At that time, the students were not mainly focused on communism. Vannsak was more aware of political realities than many of his friends. He and his study group preferred to be seen as part of a "progressist" movement, meaning they wanted to see positive changes.

Ideas on the Khmer Language

Keng Vannsak and other scholars who liked French ideas did not agree with the "Khmerization" program. This program, started by Chuon Nath, aimed to make the Khmer language more "pure" by removing foreign words. Instead, Vannsak and his group wanted to change French words into Khmer words. They tried to keep the same sound as much as possible, but wrote them using the Khmer alphabet.

His Legacy

In 1952, Keng Vannsak created the Khmer typewriter keyboard. This was a very important invention for the Khmer language. After he passed away, the Prime Minister of Cambodia, Hun Sen, said that Cambodia had lost a great intellectual.

Before his death, Keng Vannsak wrote a letter to Prime Minister Hun Sen. He wanted to visit Cambodia after living abroad since the 1970s. His close friends said that his last wish was to have his ashes buried in his mother's stupa (a special monument) in Cambodia.

See also

In Spanish: Keng Vannsak para niños