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'''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''' ({{langx|th|อักษรธรรมล้านนา}} {{RTGS|Akson Tham Lan Na}}; {{lang-my-name-MLCTS|MY=လန်နာအက္ခရာ|MLCTS=Lanna Akhkara}}) in relation to the historical [[Lan Na|kingdom of Lan Na]] situating in the Northern region of modern day Thailand and a part of[[Kengtung|Kyaingtong]], [[Shan State|Shan state]] in Myanmar.<ref name=":03">{{Citation |last=Jenny |first=Mathias |title=Writing systems of MSEA |date=2021-08-23 |work=The Languages and Linguistics of Mainland Southeast Asia: A comprehensive guide |pages=879–906 |editor-last=Sidwell |editor-first=Paul |url=https://www.degruyter.com/document/doi/10.1515/9783110558142-036/html |access-date=2024-12-06 |publisher=De Gruyter Mouton |language=en |doi=10.1515/9783110558142-036 |isbn=978-3-11-055814-2 |editor2-last=Jenny |editor2-first=Mathias}}</ref><ref name=":2" /> Local people in [[Northern Thailand]] also call the script as '''Tua Mueang''' ({{Script|Lana|ᨲ᩠ᩅᩫᨾᩮᩥᩬᨦ}}, {{IPA-nod|tǔa̯.mɯ̄a̯ŋ}} {{Audio|nod-tuamueang.ogg|listen|help=no}}) in parallel to '''Kam Mueang''', a local name for [[Northern Thai language]].<ref name=":2" /> In [[Laos]] and [[Isan|Isan region]] of Thailand, a variation of Tai Tham script, often dubbed '''Lao Tham''', is also known by the locals as ''To Tham Lao'' ({{langx|tts|โตธรรมลาว}} {{IPA|/toː˩.tʰam˧˥.laːw˧/}}, cf. {{langx|lo|ໂຕທຳ/ໂຕທັມ}} BGN/PCGN ''to tham'') or Yuan script.<ref name="Everson2007">[[Michael Everson|Everson, Michael]], Hosken, Martin, & Constable, Peter. (2007). [http://www.unicode.org/L2/L2007/07007r-n3207r-lanna.pdf ''Revised proposal for encoding the Lanna script in the BMP of the UCS''].</ref> Tai Tham script is traditionally written on a dried palm leaf as a [[palm-leaf manuscript]].<ref name=":2" />
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
==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]]<nowiki/>writing systems 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 {{langx|lo|ຫຼວງພຼະບາງ/ຫລວງພຣະບາງ}}.<ref name=":03" /> Letters also are more circular or rounded than the typically angled style of Khmer.<ref name="Dharma">ธวัช ปุณโณทก (Punnothek, T.) อักษรโบราณอีสาน: อักขรวิทยาอักษรตัวธรรมและไทยน้อย. กรุงเทพฯ: สยามเพรส แมเนจเม้นท์, ๒๕๔๐, ๕๔</ref> However, the Tai Tham script does not use the [[virama]] similar to other Eastern Indic scripts like Thai and Khmer, unlike Burmese and Mon.<ref name=":03" />
== Consonants ==
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