| Fakkham Thai Lanna script | |
|---|---|
 Detail from theWat Chiang Man inscription (CM1) in Fakkham script | |
| Script type | |
Period | c. 1400 - 1600 CE[1] |
| Direction | Left-to-right |
| Languages | Lao,Isan, and others |
| Related scripts | |
Parent systems | |
Child systems | Tai Noi,[1]Lai Tay,Thai Nithet |
Sister systems | Thai |
| This article containsphonetic transcriptions in theInternational Phonetic Alphabet (IPA). For an introductory guide on IPA symbols, seeHelp:IPA. For the distinction between[ ],/ / and ⟨ ⟩, seeIPA § Brackets and transcription delimiters. | |
| Brahmic scripts |
|---|
| TheBrahmi script and its descendants |
TheFakkham script (Thai:อักษรฝักขาม, "Tamarind pod-script") orThai Lanna script is aBrahmic script, used historically in theLan Na Kingdom. The script was frequently used in Lan Na stone inscriptions.
The Fakkham script, was derived from the oldSukhothai script (also known asProto-Thai script), and used extensively in Lan Na between the beginning of the 15th century and the end of the 16th century.[1] The Fakkham script was possibly introduced to Lan Na by a religious mission fromSukhothai.[2] The script was named after its similarity to the shape oftamarind pods,[3] because the letters became elongated and somewhat more angular rather than square and perpendicular like its ancestor the Sukhothai script. Several letters had noticeable "tails" extending above and below the main writing line.[4]
The Fakkham script was used extensively in the territories controlled by the kings ofChiang Mai, the Lan Na kingdom, between the beginning of the fifteenth and the end of the sixteenth centuries.[5] It has been speculated that the Fakkham script was the official script of Lan Na and other northern kingdoms, since the script was used in diplomatic notes of the Lan Na kingdom sent to China.[6] The Lan Na kingdom used the Fakkham script as their secular script used for official inscriptions, important letters and other documents, while theTai Tham script was used for religious texts.[3]
A number of ancient inscriptions in the script have been discovered in theBo Kaeo,Luang Nam Tha andSayabouri provinces ofLaos.[5] The Fakkham script can be found on various royal steles aroundVientiane, dating from the beginning of the second quarter of the 16th century.[1]
The Fakkham script can be considered the prototype for theLao script.[1] It has been suggested that the script is the source of theWhite, Black, and Red Tai writing systems found in easternYunnan, northern Laos, andVietnam.[4]
The Fakkham script has 41 consonants, 22 vowels, 10 numerals and 6 kinds of diacritics. Words are written by adding a final consonant, vowel, diacritic or all three, to an initial consonant.[7]
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Media related toFakkham script at Wikimedia Commons