ABSTRACT
The interpretation of much of the Old Khmer (O.K.) vocabulary has been due to the stability of the Khmer consonants and the conservative character of the orthography. However, there have been some changes, such as c > s in O.K. cdih > Mod.K. stuin 'river'. There are also some peculiarities of O.K. spelling with regard to Mod.K. register. It seemed useful, therefore, bearing in mind the need to identify more O.K. vocabulary, to attempt a diachronic study of the consonants. Initial consonants and some of the problems they present are the concern of this paper.
