Khmer parrot

There are parrots on record with over 1000-word vocabularies.  My new Khmer teacher (more on him shortly) tells me that we're aiming for 3000 words.

At the moment, I can rattle off about 350 words and phrases, in addition to numbers. I'm still struggling with the numbers but picking up speed every day. I know my word count because I've been using on-line flash cards to study.  The StudyStack web site has pre-made stacks of flash cards on a variety of topics, but unsurprisingly, they had none to practice Romanised Khmer vocabulary. So I've been making up my own cards as I go; the software allows me to display either side of the cards, to shuffle, and to re-try those that I missed the first time through.  I find it a really helpful little tool.

Umm, yes, that would be a good one to have. [note for next lesson]

A friend asked me in an email this morning if I'm able to practice much, and the answer is, not really. I practice of course with my teacher, and the two cats are getting tired of being addressed in Khmer. I can ask Seiha the tuktuk driver to pick me up here or there at a certain time, and I do use Khmer whenever I can, but honestly -- a 350-word vocabulary is very limiting.

I could pick up more vocabulary on my own time, but I'm hindered by the incredibly bad quality of the English-[Romanised] Khmer dictionaries I've come across. All of my Khmer teachers have told me to toss out the dictionary and phrase-book I'd picked up. Some of their translations are obscure -- seldom used or understood -- and others are patently wrong.  

Again, I bump into the limitations that come with being unable to read the Khmer script. I can't pick up vocabulary from reading signs, menus, or notices, and when I hear an unfamiliar Khmer word, I have no way to look it up. Reading Romanised Khmer is just vexing, because every individual transliterates differently, and I find the same word spelled variously even in my teacher's own materials.  

Besides asking Meng the word for Help!, I need to ask when he thinks I might reasonably begin to learn the script. In the meantime, I'll continue my learning parrot-style.