Content deleted Content added
edited typo |
|||
Line 22:
}}
'''Tai Tham script''' (''[[Dharma|Tham]]'' meaning "scripture") is an [[abugida]] [[writing system]] used mainly for a group of [[Southwestern Tai languages]] i.e., [[Northern Thai language|Northern Thai]], [[Tai Lue language|Tai Lü]], [[Khün language|Khün]] and [[Lao language|Lao]]; as well as the liturgical languages of Buddhism i.e., [[Pali]] and [[Sanskrit]]. It is historically known as '''Tua Tham''' ({{Script|Lana|ᨲ᩠ᩅᩫᨵᨾ᩠ᨾ᩼}} or {{Script|Lana|ᨲ᩠ᩅᩫᨵᩢᨾ᩠ᨾ᩼}}). In [[Thailand]] and [[Myanmar]], the script is often referred to as '''Lanna script''' ({{
The [[Northern Thai language]] is a close relative of [[Thai language|(standard) Thai]]. It is spoken by nearly 6 million people in [[Northern Thailand]] and several thousand in [[Laos]] of whom few are literate in Lanna script. The script is still read by older monks. Northern Thai has six [[tone (linguistics)|linguistic tone]]s and Thai only five, making transcription into the [[Thai alphabet]] problematic. There is some resurgent interest in the script among younger people, but an added complication is that the modern spoken form, called Kam Muang, differs in pronunciation from the older form.<ref name="Natnapang">{{cite book
Line 53:
==Characteristics==
Although both the ancient forms of the Mon and Khmer script are different, they are both [[abugida]]s that descend from the [[Brahmic scripts]] introduced via contacts with South Indian traders, soldiers, merchants and Brahmans. As a Mon-derived script, ''Tai Tham'' has many similarities with the writing systems for [[Burmese language|Burmese]], [[Shan language|Shan]], [[Rakhine language|Rakhine]] and modern [[Mon language|Mon]] and rounder letter forms compared to the angled letters of Khmer.<ref name="McDaniel"/> Letters can be stacked, sometimes with special subscript forms, similar to 'ຼ' which was used in Tai Noi and also in modern Lao as the subscript version of 'ຣ' /r/ or 'ລ' /l/ as in {{
== Consonants ==
| |||