Editing Khmer language (section)

====Noun phrase====
The noun phrase in Khmer typically has the following structure:<ref name=ModSpok />{{rp|50–51}}<ref name=Jacob68 />{{rp|83}}
:{{smallcaps|Noun Phrase}} = ({{smallcaps|Honorific}}) {{smallcaps|Noun}} ({{smallcaps|Adjectival modifiers}}) ({{smallcaps|Numeral}}) ({{smallcaps|Classifier}}) ({{smallcaps|[[Demonstrative]]}})
The elements in parentheses are optional. [[Honorific]]s are a class of words that serve to index the social status of the referent. Honorifics can be kinship terms or personal names, both of which are often used as first and second person pronouns, or specialized words such as {{IPA|/preah/}} ('god') before royal and religious objects.<ref name=Haiman />{{rp|155}} The most common demonstratives are {{IPA|/nih/}} ('this, these') and {{IPA|/nuh/}} ('that, those'). The word {{IPA|/ae nuh/}} ('those over there') has a more distal or vague connotation.<ref name=KhDict />

If the noun phrase contains a possessive adjective, it follows the noun and precedes the numeral. If a descriptive attribute co-occurs with a possessive, the possessive construction ({{IPA|/rɔbɑh/}}) is expected.<ref name=ModSpok />{{rp|73}}

Some examples of typical Khmer noun phrases are:

{{fs interlinear|lang=km|indent=2|glossing4=yes
| ផ្ទះ ស្កឹមស្កៃ បី បួន ខ្នង នេះ
| /ptĕəh skəm.skaj bəj buən kʰnɑːŋ nih/
| house high three four spine[CLF] these
| NOUN ADJ NUM NUM CLF DEM
| 'these three or four high houses'<ref name=Haiman />{{rp|142}}
}}

{{fs interlinear|lang=km|indent=2|glossing4=yes
| ចេក ទុំ ពីរ ស្និត នេះ
| /ceːk tum piː snət nih/
| banana ripe two bunches[CLF] these
| NOUN ADJ NUM CLF DEM
| these two bunches of ripe bananas
}}

{{fs interlinear|lang=km|indent=2|glossing4=yes
| ពួកម៉ាក ខ្ញុំ ពីរ នាក់ នេះ
| /puəʔmaʔ kʰɲom piː nĕə nih/
| friend I two person[CLF] these
| NOUN POSS NUM CLF DEM
| these two friends of mine
}}

{{fs interlinear|lang=km|indent=2|glossing4=yes
| ពួកម៉ាក តូច របស់ ខ្ញុំ ពីរ នាក់ នេះ
| /puəʔmaʔ touc rɔbɑh kʰɲom piː nĕə nih/
| friend small of I two person[CLF] these
| NOUN ADJ POSS POSS NUM CLF DEM
| these two small friends of mine<ref name=ModSpok />{{rp|73}}
}}

The Khmer particle {{IPA|/dɑː/}} marked attributes in Old Khmer noun phrases and is used in formal and literary language to signify that what precedes is the noun and what follows is the attribute. Modern usage may carry the connotation of mild intensity.<ref name=Haiman />{{rp|163}}

{{interlinear|lang=km|indent=2
| /ʋiəl srae dɑː {lʋɨŋ lʋəːj}/
| field paddy ADJ.MARKER vast
| '(very) expansive fields and paddies'
}}