Thai script is the abugida used to write Thai, Southern Thai and several other languages of Thailand. It descends from the Old Khmer script, itself rooted in the South Indian Pallava alphabet and a southern branch of the ancient Brahmi tradition. Consonants run left to right, and vowel signs are placed above, below, before or after the consonant they belong to, according to pronunciation rather than a single fixed order. The Ram Khamhaeng Inscription, dated 1292, is traditionally cited as the script's first appearance and is credited by legend to King Ramkhamhaeng of Sukhothai, though many scholars question the inscription's authenticity and reliability as historical evidence.
Facts
Disputed
In Use Since (Year)The Ram Khamhaeng Inscription of 1292 is the traditional first-appearance date, but many scholars question its authenticity; a rival find, the Wat Bang Sanuk Inscription, has been proposed for as early as 1219. DirectionalityConsonants written horizontally left to right; vowel signs placed above, below, to the left or to the right of the consonant they belong to. 1 Connections
Descends From
Indirect: by way of the Old Khmer script and the South Indian Pallava alphabet, both southern branches of the Brahmi tradition, not in a single direct step.
Source Wikipedia: Thai Script
Script Of
Source Wikipedia: Thai Language
Sources
1. Wikipedia: Thai Script
Lead section
Consonants are written horizontally from left to right, and vowels following a consonant in speech are written above, below, to the left or to the right of it.
History section
The Ram Khamhaeng Inscription dated to 1292 is often cited as the script's first appearance.
View the SourceWikipedia: Thai Language
Dissenting Readings (1 dissenting reading)
In Use Since (Year)
In a 1987 paper titled "The Ram Khamhaeng Inscription: A Piltdown Skull of Southeast Asian History?", Vickery presented the first formal case against the stele's authenticity, questioning its script, vocabulary and content; art historian Piriya Krairiksh went further, suggesting the stele may have been created by King Mongkut himself, the same king who reported discovering it in 1833, rather than being a genuine thirteenth-century artifact.
A dissenting reading, from Michael VickeryWikipedia: Ram Khamhaeng Inscription
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