citing the 1989 census, estimated there to be about 1.1 million—a number Smalley
(1988) argued is growing, even if the territory in which it is spoken is shrinking. Growth
of Northern Khmer has been somewhat unexpected. Keyes (1967, p. 8), for example,
predicted the language would disappear:
The number of Khmer speaking people remaining in the Northeast has slowly diminished to
the present day (1960) size of not more than a half million out of a total population of nine
million. Even the remaining Khmer are bilingual and I would predict that their distinctiveness
will also disappear in time.
Smalley is correct when he cites the increase in Khmer speakers. However, I suspect
Keyes might also be right and that, despite the increased numbers of speakers over the
last 30 years, social conditions are such that Northern Khmer language may indeed
fade (Vail, 2006). The growth of Northern Khmer is a result of increased population
density in the area—a similar growth was seen in most parts of Thailand over the last 40
years. All in all, Northern Khmer is spoken in some 11 provinces.1 However the
heaviest concentrations of speakers are found in Buriram, Srisaket and especially Surin,
which is where I undertook most of my research.