Sukhothai script

Sukhothai script
Script type	Abugida
Creator	Pallava Khmer Sukhothai script
Child systems	Thai, Fakkham
Sister systems	Khom Thai, Lai Tay
This article contains phonetic transcriptions in the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA). For an introductory guide on IPA symbols, see Help:IPA. For the distinction between [ ], / / and ⟨ ⟩, see IPA § Brackets and transcription delimiters.

The Sukhothai script, also known as the proto-Thai script and Ram Khamhaeng alphabet, is a

After its creation, the Sukhothai script spread to the Tai kingdoms of Lan Chang (Laos), Lan Na and Ayutthaya. The oldest Sukhothai inscription found at Lampang (Lan Na) is almost identical to the earliest ones found at Sukhothai. The inscription originated in Lamphun, but was drawn by a Sukhothai monk, who probably introduced the Suhkhothai script to Lan Na. The script transformed somewhat over time as it spread throughout the region to the north and south. According to Finot (1959), the earliest example of the Sukhothai script found in Luang Prabang dates from 1548 A.D., 265 years after the Ram Khamhaeng inscription.^[4]

The Sukhothai script changed little as it spread southward, as today's modern Thai script has changed remarkably little from the Sukhothai script.^[4] The Sukhothai script developed into the Thai script in the lower basin of the Chao Phraya River, as this development can be traced over the course of the following centuries.^[1] During King Lithai's reign in the late 14th century, literate individuals were still familiar with the Khmer script and therefore refused to write in the Sukhothai script. To address this, the script was modified to more closely resemble the Khmer script in the way vowels are written.^[6] The changes that were introduced resulted in a new script in 1375, called the "King Li Thai script". This script wrote vowel signs above, below, before or after an initial consonant. In 1680 this script was succeeded by the "King Narai script", which has been developed and preserved as the modern Thai script of today.^[7]

In the north, the script changed more considerably as it evolved into the Fakkham script.^[4] The Fakkham script was used extensively in the Lan Na Kingdom between the beginning of the 15th century and the end of the 16th century.^[8] The letters of the Fakkham script became elongated and somewhat more angular rather than square and perpendicular as its ancestor the Sukhothai script. Several letters had noticeable "tails" extending above and below the main writing line.^[4]

• 
  Detail from Ramkhamhaeng inscription
• 
  The Ramkhamhaeng inscription
• 
  The Ramkhamhaeng inscription

The Sukhothai script was written from left to right. The script did not employ wordspacing, capitalization or full stops at the end of sentences. The script had 39 consonant symbols.^[7] The Sukhothai script introduced four innovations compared to the Khmer script. The first innovation is the introduction of several new letters to accommodate Tai phonemic contrasts not made by the Khmer script. These include /e/ and /ae/, /pʰ/ and /f/, and /kʰ/ and /x/. The new letters were created by modifying letters used for similar sounds, by adding for example tails or indentations to the letters.^[5] The Sukhothai script is considered to be the first script in the world that introduced tone markers to indicate distinctive tones, which are lacking in the Mon-Khmer (Austroasiatic languages) and Indo-Aryan languages that used scripts ancestral to Sukhothai.^[5] Another addition were consonant clusters that were written horizontally and contiguously on one line, rather than writing the second consonant below the first one.^[5]

Consonant Listing
	ก [k]	ข [kʰ]	ฃ [x]	ค [g]	ฅ [ɣ]	ฆ [g]	ง [ŋ]
	จ [tɕ]	ฉ [tɕʰ]		ช [dʑ]	ซ [z~ʑ]	ฌ does not exist	ญ [ɲ]
ฎ [ʔd]	ฏ [t]	ฐ [tʰ]		ฑ does not exist		ฒ does not exist	ณ [n]
ด [ʔd]	ต [t]	ถ [tʰ]		ท [d]		ธ [d]	น [n]
บ [ʔb]	ป [p]	ผ [pʰ]	ฝ [f]	พ [b]	ฟ [v]	ภ [b]	ม [m]
ย [j]	ร [r]	ล [l]	ว [w]	ศ [s]	ษ [s]	ส [s]	ห [h]
ฬ does not exist	อ [ʔ]	ฮ does not exist

Digraph Listing
หง [ŋ̊]	หญ [ɲ̊]	หน [n̥]	หม [m̥]
หย [j̊]	หร [r̥]	หล [l̥]	หว [w̥]
อย [ʔj]

Below are the numerals of the Sukhothai script, which were borrowed from the Khmer numerals.^[3]

Number Listing
๐ 0	๑ 1	๒ 2	๓ 3	๔ 4
๕ 5	๖ 6	๗ 7	๘ 8	๙ 9

The script wrote vowel marks on the main line, however this innovation fell out of use not long after.^[4] By the fifteenth century, several vowel diacritics were added to the earlier Sukhothai script as found in the Ram Khamhaeng inscription, in order to write all vowels, some of which were treated as inherent vowels in the earlier script, with distinct signs.^[5]

Independent Vowel
Independent Vowel	IPA	Modern Equivalent	Sample Syllable
sara i สระอิ	[i]	อิ	อิก
sara ee สระอี	[iː]	อี	อีก
sara eu สระอึ/สระอือ	[ɯ(ː)]	อึ, อือ	อืก

Dependent Vowel
Dependent Vowel	IPA	Modern Equivalent Example	Sample Open Syllable	Sample Closed Syllable
sara a สระอะ	[a]	กะ	กะ	กัน
sara ah สระอา	[aː]	กา	กา	กาน
sara i สระอิ	[i]	กิ	กิ	กิน
sara ee สระอี	[iː]	กี	กี	กีน
sara eu สระอึ/สระอือ	[ɯ(ː)]	กึ, กือ	กือ	กืน
sara u สระอุ	[u]	กุ	กุ	กุน
sara oo สระอู	[uː]	กู	กู	กูน
sara e สระเอะ/สระเอ	[e(ː)]	เกะ, เก	เก	เกน
sara aeh สระแอะ	[ɛ]	แกะ	แกะ
sara ae สระแอ	[ɛː]	แก	แก	แกน
sara o สระโอะ/สระโอ	[o(ː)]	โกะ, โก	โก	โกน
sara ai สระไอ	[aj]	ไก	ไก	ไกน
sara aeu สระใอ	[aɯ]	ใก	ใก	ใกน
sara aw สระออ	[ɔː]	กอ	กอ	กอน
sara oe สระเออ	[ɤː]	เกอ	เกอ	เกิน
sara ia สระเอีย	[ia]	เกีย	เกืย	เกืยน
sara eua สระเอือ	[ɯa]	เกือ	เกือ	เกือน
sara ua สระอัว	[ua]	กัว	กัว	กวน
sara am สระอำ	[am]	กำ	กำ

Diacritics	Function	Modern Equivalent	Example
	denotes the start of a text	๏	๏ กูกำ
	denotes the croaky tone	่
	denotes the breathy tone	้

Sukhothai Script	Modern Thai Transcribed	IPA Sukhothai	Meaning
	พ่กูชื่สรีอีนทราทีตยแม่กูชื่นางเสือง พี่กูชื่บานเมืองตูพี่น้องท้องดยว ห้าคนผู้ชายสามผู้ญิงโสงพี่เผือ ผู้อ้ายตายจากเผือตยมแฏ่ญงงเลก	bɔː˩ kuː dʑɯ˩ siː.ʔiːn.draː.diːt mɛː˩ kuː dʑɯ˩ naːŋ sɯaŋ biː˩ kuː dʑɯ˩ baːn.mɯaŋ tuː biː˩ nɔːŋ˥ dɔːŋ˥ ʔdiaw haː˥ gɔn pʰuː˥.dʑaːj saːm pʰuː˥.ɲiŋ soːŋ biː˩ bɯa pʰuː˥.ʔaːj˥ taːj tɕaːk pʰɯa tiam tɛː˩ ɲaŋ lek	My father's name is Sri Inthrathit, My mother's name is lady Seuang My older brother's name is Ban Meuang. My siblings of the same womb and I are five people, three boys and two girls. The eldest passed away. I was raised since I was a kid... [text continues]

*ma˩ : low tone

*ma  : mid tone

*ma˥ : high tone