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| Tai Tham script | |
|---|---|
| Name | Tai Tham script |
| Altname | Lanna script |
| Type | Abugida |
| Languages | Northern Thai; Tai Lü; Khün; Lao; Pali; Sanskrit |
| Time | c. 13th century – present |
| Family | Brahmic |
| Creators | adaptation from Old Mon and Old Khmer |
Tai Tham script is an Indic-derived writing system used historically across northern Southeast Asia for languages of the Tai family and for liturgical Pali and Sanskrit. It is associated with the cultural regions of Lan Na Kingdom, Lanna, Chiang Mai, and the kingdoms and states of Sukhothai, Chiang Rai, Phrae, and Nan. The script appears in religious, administrative, and literary contexts linked to institutions such as Wat Phra Singh, Wat Chedi Luang, Wat Phra That Doi Suthep, Wat Phra That Hariphunchai, and in archives tied to rulers like Mangrai and King Tilokaraj.
Tai Tham is part of the Brahmic family alongside Devanagari, Khmer script, Mon script, Burmese script, Tai Viet script, and Lao script. It shares typological features with Grantha and Tamil script through historical South and Southeast Asian contacts mediated by polities such as Pagan Kingdom and Srivijaya. The script served multiple Tai lects including Northern Thai language, Tai Lü, Khün language, and regional varieties used in the courts of Chiang Saen and Kengtung. Key repositories include monastic libraries at Wat Phra That Lampang Luang and collections connected to collectors like James Low and institutions such as the British Museum and the National Library of Thailand.
The script evolved during interactions between the Pala Empire-era manuscript traditions of Nalanda and local adaptations influenced by Dhammayuttika Nikaya monastic reforms and the dissemination of Theravada Buddhism from Sri Lanka and Ceylon. It codified liturgical orthographies for Pali and Sanskrit used by elites such as King Ramkhamhaeng and administrators of the Ayutthaya Kingdom as well as regional dynasts of Lan Na. Important moments include inscriptional uses in the era of Mangrai and the administrative reforms under rulers like King Kawila and patrons associated with Chiang Mai courts. Cross-border exchange with kingdoms such as Laos, Burma, and principalities of Yunnan shaped its trajectory.
The script is an abugida: consonant symbols carry an inherent vowel, modified by dependent vowel signs and diacritics similar to systems used in Devanagari and Bengali script. Its inventory encodes phonemes relevant to Tai languages and liturgical phonology for Pali and Sanskrit, paralleling orthographic conventions in Mon script and Khmer script. Consonant clusters and tonal notation reflect interactions with tonal languages such as Northern Thai language and Tai Lü, similar in function to tone-marking strategies in New Tai Lue script and contrastive devices found in Burmese script. Orthographic standards were transmitted through monastic curricula connected to abbots and scholars like Somdej Phra Mahawongsathat and scribal schools attached to Wat Phra That Doi Suthep.
Distinct regional styles developed: a Chiang Mai tradition, a Chiang Saen style, and a Tai Lü variant used in Xishuangbanna and Kengtung. The Khün communities in Kengtung and Mandalay produced local forms used in chronicles and legal documents akin to manuscripts from Phayao and Phrae. Cross-border continuities appear in collections from Luang Prabang, Vientiane, and Hưng Yên repositories. Administrative and ritual uses associated with dynastic houses like House of Oun Kham and institutions such as the Sangha demonstrate the script’s role across royal, monastic, and ethnic networks.
Extant palm-leaf manuscripts, folding-paper manuscripts, and stone inscriptions appear in temple libraries including Wat Phra That Lampang Luang, Wat Suan Dok, and state collections at the National Library of Laos and the National Archives of Myanmar. Genres include chronicles comparable to Phongsawadan texts, medical treatises, Pali commentaries similar to works preserved in Burmese Pitakataik repositories, and astrological manuals found alongside collections of Jataka tales. Significant inscriptional evidence occurs on steles and chedis commissioned by rulers like King Tilokaraj and patrons linked to Queen Chama Devi.
In the 20th and 21st centuries, scholars and institutions such as the Lao Academy of Social Sciences, Chiang Mai University, Southeast Asian Studies programs at Cornell University, SOAS University of London, and digital projects at the British Library have worked on cataloging, teaching, and encoding Tai Tham. Unicode support was developed through proposals by researchers affiliated with University of California, Berkeley, Yale University, and technical groups including Unicode Consortium working groups. National language policies in Thailand and preservation initiatives funded by organizations like UNESCO and donors such as The Asia Foundation have supported digital fonts and educational materials.
Revival efforts involve typographers, calligraphers, and cultural organizations associated with Chiang Mai University, Khon Kaen University, and community groups in Chiang Rai and Mae Hong Son. Festivals and workshops tied to Lanna Folklore Museum, Chiang Mai City Arts & Cultural Centre, and civic initiatives inspired by figures such as Phraya Damrong Rajanubhab promote literacy and manuscript conservation. Type design projects have produced fonts drawing on historical models from collections in the British Museum, Bibliothèque nationale de France, and regional archives like the Mae Fah Luang Foundation to support signage, liturgical printing, and digital publishing.