Barang (Khmer word)

Barang (Khmer: បារាំង [ɓaːraŋ] or [paːraŋ], lit. 'French') is a Khmer term referring to Westerners or more specifically Europeans. It is related to the Thai term farang which has a similar meaning.[1]

In the Khmer language, the term barang has also become a general non-pejorative word for a foreigner, particularly one of European ancestry, but some Khmer speakers might use it in a bad context. The term is becoming more popular now among travelers and is even used by some expatriates living in Cambodia themselves.

Etymology

The origin of this word is debatable as there are several possibilities. One is that it came from Arabic (faranj) via Malay traders. Another is that it came straight from French. Since Khmer phonology does not have the unvoiced fricative f, it is pronounced with the voiced plosive b. In many of Khmer's loanwords, an n often changes to an ng, as in the word Allœmáng (អាល្លឺម៉ង់, "Germany" or "German") which comes from the French word Allemand. The rarely used Khmer term Barăngsês (បារាំងសែស) also shows its relation to the word Français.

Usage

Barang is also used as a suffix in some Khmer words such as moan barang (មាន់បារាំង, "French chicken") which refers to a turkey as well as khtuem barang (ខ្ទឹមបារាំង, "French allium") which refers to an onion.

References
  1. "Who's a 'Barang'?". The Phnom Penh Post. 15 January 1993. Retrieved 4 November 2004.
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