Thai and Lao Braille
| Thai Braille Lao Braille |
|
|---|---|
| Type |
alphabet
|
| Languages | Thai, Lao |
|
Parent systems
|
Braille
|
|
Print basis
|
Thai alphabet Lao alphabet |
|
Child systems
|
Cambodian Braille |
Thai Braille (อักษรเบรลล์) is the braille alphabet of the Thai language. It was adapted by Genevieve Caulfield, who knew both English and Japanese Braille. Unlike the print Thai alphabet, which is an abugida, Thai Braille has full letters rather than diacritics for vowels. However, traces of the Thai abugida remain: Only the consonants are based on the international English/French standard, while the vowels are reassigned and the five vowels transcribed a e i o u are taken from Japanese Braille.
With a few minor modifications, it is also used for Lao.
Thai and Lao Braille run as follows:
Consonants follow English and international conventions except where, as in b and f, there is interference from the Japanese-derived vowels. Low-tone-class kh, ng, ch, s, th, f are derived from English Braille k, g, st, s, th, f by adding dot 6. B and low ph are derived from high ph through reflection; p is a superposition of b and ph; the three consonants had been transcribed b, bp, p in Caulfield's day.
Letters with asterisks are obsolete. Light cells are high tone-class letters in Thai, medium cells mid tone class, and dark cells low tone class. Consonants of different tone classes have distinct braille letters; complete homonyms (found in Thai only) are distinguished by prefixes. The one prefix in Lao is found with what was historically y, but is written as in the Thai y that was historically ny.
In Lao, ⠓ h is prefixed to ⠻⠽⠝⠍⠇⠺ ng ny n m l w to make move them to the high-tone class.
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Wikipedia