Tai Dam alphabet   

Origin

The origins of the Tai Dam alphabet are unknown, though the shapes of the letters suggest that they might have been modelled on the Lao and/or Thai alphabets. Alternative writing systems, including some based on the Latin alphabet, are also used to write Tai Dam.

Notable features

• Type of writing system: alphabet
• Direction of writing: left to write in horizontal lines
• Each consonant letter has a high and low form, which combined with the presence or absence of the two tones marks, is used to indicate the six tones of the Tai Dam language.
• The high consonants are also used for the syllable final letters: -w, -y, -m, -n and -ng. The syllable final -k is written with the low letter k.
• Vowels are indicated using diacritics which appear above, below or to the left and/or right of the consonant letters.
• There is no standard order for the consonants, instead each scribe uses his own order.

Used to write:

Tai Dam, or Black Tai/Tai Noir, a Tai-Kadai language closely related to Lao and Thai which is spoken by around half a million people in north-western Vietnam and northern Laos. There are also Tai Dam speakers in Yunnan province of China, and in parts of northeastern and central Thailand, where they are known as Lao Song or Lao Song Dam.

Tai Dam alphabet

Additional symbols

These ideographic symbols are customarily addded after consonants

Vowel diacritics

Tone indication

Tai Dam sample text

Much of the information on this page was provided by T. R. Carlton of the University of Alberta (sherwoodcopy@telusplanet.net).

Links

Information about Tai Dam language, literature and culture (and Tai Dam fonts)
http://www.seasite.niu.edu/tai/TaiDam

Free Tai Dam fonts
http://scripts.sil.org/TaiHeritage

Tai-Kaidai languages

Ahom, Aiton, Bouyei, Dehong Dai, Kam, Khamti, (Tai) Khün, Lanna, Lao, Lue, Shan, Sui, Tai Dam, Tai Phake, Tai Ya, Thai, Yang Zhuang, Zhuang

Alphabets

A-chik Tokbirim, Adinkra, Adlam, Armenian, Avestan, Avoiuli, Bassa (Vah), Beitha Kukju, Borama / Gadabuursi, Carian, Carpathian Basin Rovas, Chinuk pipa, Coorgi-Cox, Coptic, Cyrillic, Dalecarlian runes, Deseret, Elbasan, Etruscan, Faliscan, Galik, Georgian (Asomtavruli), Georgian (Nuskhuri), Georgian (Mkhedruli), Glagolitic, Gothic, Greek, Irish (Uncial), Kaddare, Khatt-i-Badí’, Khazarian Rovas, Korean, Latin, Lepontic, Luo Lakeside Script, Lycian, Lydian, Manchu, Mandaic, Mandombe, Marsiliana, Messapic, Mongolian, Mro, Mundari Bani, N'Ko, North Picene, Nyiakeng Puachue Hmong, Odùduwà, Ogham, Old Church Slavonic, Oirat Clear Script, Ol Chiki (Ol Cemet' / Santali), Old Italic, Old Nubian, Old Permic, Ol Onal, Orkhon, Oscan, Pau Cin Hau, Phrygian, Pollard script, Runic, Székely-Hungarian Rovás (Hungarian Runes), Somali (Osmanya), South Picene, Sutton SignWriting, Tai Lue, Tangsa, Todhri, Toto, Umbrian, Uyghur, Wancho, Zaghawa, Zoulai

Other writing systems

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