Photo: มรดกล้านนา (วาดด้วยฟอนต์ LN TILOK)
Lanna Consonants: the Avagga and Extra Letters, All 13
Besides the first five rows, Tua Mueang has one more group of consonants that belongs to no row. It is called the avagga ("outside the rows") and holds ย ร ล ว ส ห ฬ อ. This lesson teaches every letter of that group, plus the extra Lanna letters ศ ษ ฮ ฤ ฦ (13 letters in all) and the 6 special forms that are written as one shape (อย, แล, นา, สส, ญญ and the rawong sign). For each you get the shape, the Kham Mueang reading, the class, the sound, the Thai letter it matches, the subscript form and an example word from the dictionary. It is lesson 4 of the course Learn the Lanna Script from Zero, after Lanna Consonants: the Ṭa, Ta and Pa Rows. You can also go back to Lanna Consonants: the Ka and Ja Rows and What Is Tua Mueang?.
The map of the avagga and the extras
The character chart by Pichai Saengboon (Center for the Promotion of Arts and Culture, Chiang Mai University) puts the avagga under the first five rows. The 8 core letters sit in two rows, and the extras sit in the "additional letters" cells. The top of each cell is the Lanna letter; below it is the Thai letter it matches.
| Avagga | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Top row | ย ย |
ร ร |
ล ล |
ว ว |
| Bottom row | ส ส |
ห ห |
ฬ ฬ |
อ อ |
The 5 extra Lanna letters that the CMU chart puts in its "additional" cells:
| Extra | ศ | ษ | ฮ | ฤ | ฦ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lanna shape | ศ ศ |
ษ ษ |
ฮ ฮ |
ฤ ฤ |
ฦ ฦ |
High, mid and low class in the avagga
According to the dictionary, ย ร ล ว ฬ ฮ are low-class letters, ส ห ศ ษ are high-class letters, and อ is mid class (a two-sound consonant). The dictionary has no entry for ฤ and ฦ, so we give them no class.
The six single low letters ง น ม ย ล ว take a leading ห (ha nam) as their high partner, as the dictionary explains under ห. So the avagga has หย, หล and หว (the CMU chart writes them in its "sound pair" cells). Leading ห has its own lesson.
The avagga: ย ร ล ว ส ห ฬ อ
ย · ya, the nasal letter
ย · Reading ยะ (ya)
Low classCore avagga letter
Class per the dictionary
Sound: Read ya with a nasal sound (like ny), low class (per the dictionary)
Thai equivalent: Thai ย (y), though Thai ย is not nasal
The dictionary says ย and ญ are nasal when they begin a syllable, as in นกยาง and แม่ญิง. A non-nasal y sound uses the separate letter อย (below).
Example word in the dictionary: ยุง (yung, Kham Mueang reading ยุง), meaning "mosquito".
ร · ra, "ra noi"
ร · Reading ระ (ra)
Low classCore avagga letter
Class per the dictionary
Sound: Written ra, but in ordinary Kham Mueang words it is sounded ha (รัก is read hak); in names and loanwords it is often la (per the dictionary)
Thai equivalent: Thai ร (r)
The dictionary calls this shape "ra noi". It is an initial, and a final of the "mae kon" group where it stands for น when it sits to the right of the initial; ขุน, for example, is written with ร.
Example word in the dictionary: รุม (hum, Kham Mueang reading ฮุม), meaning "to swarm over, to gang up on".
ล · la, "ra luang"
ล · Reading ละ (la)
Low classCore avagga letter
Class per the dictionary
Sound: Read la, a low-class letter
Thai equivalent: Thai ล (l)
The dictionary calls this shape "ra luang". It is an initial and a medial; the full-size ล is normally used, while the tail form serves as a final of the "mae kon" group.
Example word in the dictionary: ลา (la, Kham Mueang reading ลา), meaning "donkey; to leave; to take leave".
ว · wa
ว · Reading วะ (wa)
Low classCore avagga letter
Class per the dictionary
Sound: Read wa, a low-class letter
Thai equivalent: Thai ว (w)
Used as an initial, a following letter, a final and a cluster letter. In every position the full-size letter is used, with no subscript or tail form.
Example word in the dictionary: วี (wi, Kham Mueang reading วี), meaning "fan; the Pleiades".
ส · sa (high)
ส · Reading ส๋ะ (sa)
High classCore avagga letter
Class per the dictionary
Sound: Read sa, a high-class letter
Thai equivalent: Thai ส (s)
Used as an initial, a final and a following letter in Pali and Sanskrit words (per the dictionary).
Example word in the dictionary: สา (sa, Kham Mueang reading สา), meaning "mulberry paper; the mulberry tree".
ห · ha (high)
ห · Reading ห๋ะ (ha)
High classCore avagga letter
Class per the dictionary
Sound: Read ha, a high-class letter
Thai equivalent: Thai ห (h)
Used as an initial, and to lead the low letters ง น ม ย ล ว to give them a high tone (หง หน หม หย หล หว) without being pronounced. It has its own lesson.
Example word in the dictionary: หา (ha, Kham Mueang reading หา), meaning "to look for, to search".
ฬ · la, a Pali letter
ฬ · Reading ฬะ (la)
Low classCore avagga letter
Class per the dictionary
Sound: Read la, a low-class letter used in words from Pali
Thai equivalent: Thai ฬ (ḷ)
The dictionary says it is used in Pali-derived words such as กีฬา, many of which are now written with ล, and it is still used as a final in the "mae kon" group, as in ทมิฬ and ปลาวาฬ.
No dictionary word uses this letter yet, so we do not make one up. When the dictionary has one, it will be added to the lesson.
อ · a (mid)
อ · Reading อ๋ะ (a)
Mid classCore avagga letter
Class per the dictionary
Sound: Read a, a mid-class two-sound consonant: the context tells you which tone is meant
Thai equivalent: Thai อ (the glottal consonant)
Used as an initial and combined with other marks to make vowels. It takes only two tone marks yet covers all six tones (per the dictionary).
Example word in the dictionary: อี (i, Kham Mueang reading อี่), meaning "a title put before a woman or girl name".
The extra letters: ศ ษ ฮ ฤ ฦ
ศ · sa, an extra letter
ศ · Reading ศ๋ะ (sa)
High classExtra letter (additional cell of the CMU chart)
Class per the dictionary
Sound: Read sa, a high-class letter
Thai equivalent: Thai ศ (s)
Not used often. The oldest example found is the Wat Chang Kham inscription in Nan (BE 2091, 1548 CE), for Sanskrit words; it is mostly found as a final.
Example word in the dictionary: ศพ (sop, Kham Mueang reading ศ๋พ), meaning "a corpse, a dead body".
ษ · sa, an extra letter
ษ · Reading ษ๋ะ (sa)
High classExtra letter (additional cell of the CMU chart)
Class per the dictionary
Sound: Read sa, a high-class letter
Thai equivalent: Thai ษ (s)
First found as an initial in the Wat Chang Kham inscription (BE 2091), in Sanskrit words. The examples are mostly the second syllable of a word, and few.
Example word in the dictionary: ภาษา (pha-sa, Kham Mueang reading ภาษา), meaning "language, speech".
ฮ · ha, an extra letter
ฮ · Reading ฮะ (ha)
Low classExtra letter (additional cell of the CMU chart)
Class per the dictionary
Sound: Read ha, low class, a direct /h/ sound
Thai equivalent: Thai ฮ (h)
The dictionary cites its oldest appearance as BE 2135 and supposes it was made to give a direct /h/ sound. This dictionary writes ร, read ha, in Lanna words and uses ฮ for loanwords and imitative sounds.
Example word in the dictionary: ฮอด (hot, Kham Mueang reading ฮอด), meaning "Hot, a district of Chiang Mai".
ฤ · an extra letter
ฤ · No reading in the dictionary yet
Class not statedExtra letter (additional cell of the CMU chart)
The sources used give no class for this letter (Unicode name: RUE)
Sound: The dictionary has no entry for this letter, so no reading or class is given (Unicode name: RUE)
Thai equivalent: Thai ฤ
The dictionary notes that ฤ and ฦ appear with ศ and ษ in the Wat Chang Kham inscription (BE 2091), in Sanskrit words. The CMU chart puts them in the extras cells.
Example word in the dictionary: ฤกษ์ (luek, Kham Mueang reading ลืกษ์), meaning "an auspicious time for a ceremony".
ฦ · an extra letter
ฦ · No reading in the dictionary yet
Class not statedExtra letter (additional cell of the CMU chart)
The sources used give no class for this letter (Unicode name: LUE)
Sound: The dictionary has no entry for this letter, so no reading or class is given (Unicode name: LUE)
Thai equivalent: Thai ฦ
The dictionary notes that ฤ and ฦ appear with ศ and ษ in the Wat Chang Kham inscription (BE 2091), in Sanskrit words. No dictionary word uses this letter.
No dictionary word uses this letter yet, so we do not make one up. When the dictionary has one, it will be added to the lesson.
Ra noi and ra luang
The dictionary calls the letter ร ra noi ("little ra") and the letter ล ra luang ("big ra"). Of the two, ร is an initial, or a final of the "mae kon" group that stands for น when it sits to the right of the initial: the word ขุน is written with ร as its final. ล normally keeps its full shape as an initial or a medial, and uses the tail form as a final. Ra, ra noi and ra luang as medials in clusters belong to a later lesson of the course.
ขุน (Kham Mueang reading khun): an old official rank below luang.
Special forms written as one shape
The "special" row of the CMU chart gathers the forms that you make by pressing the ฯ key so that the font draws them as one shape. The table gives the form, how to type it and what the dictionary says. The forms that have a word in the dictionary use exactly the dictionary's character codes. สส, ญญ and the rawong sign were compared with the CMU chart.
| Form | How to type it | What the dictionary and the chart say |
|---|---|---|
| อยฯ | อ ย ฯ | อย (อฺยฺ): the dictionary says it is used in Lanna only. It is a mid-class letter with two sounds, ya and hya, both non-nasal. Example word: ยางหยืด |
| แลฯ | แ ล ฯ | แล: the CMU chart lists it as a special form. In the dictionary the word แล ("and, with") is written with this form |
| นาฯ | น า ฯ | นา: the CMU chart lists it as a special form. In the dictionary the word นา ("rice field") is written with this form |
| สสฯ | ส ส ฯ | สส: two ส joined into one form, found in Pali words in the dictionary, such as วิปัสสนา (วิบสสฯนาฯ) |
| ญญฯ | ญ ญ ฯ | ญญ: the CMU chart lists it as a special form. No dictionary word uses it |
| ระฯ | ร ะ ฯ | Rawong (-ร): a sign that goes before a consonant. According to the dictionary it makes บ read as the next letter in the Pa row (ป ผ พ ภ). More in the lesson on clusters |
An example word for อย in the dictionary: ยางหยืด (Kham Mueang reading yang yeut), a rubber band, a thin stretchy ring used to tie things. When typing in Thai letters the dictionary writes อฺยฺ for this letter.
Subscript forms
The subscript form is the reduced shape that hangs under the letter before it, used for a final or following consonant. With the LN TILOK font you press the ฯ key after the consonant (see how to type with LN TILOK, in Thai). The table shows the subscript of each letter as it occurs in dictionary words, with a word that uses it. For ส and ษ the dictionary words are spelled with ฯ twice, so those two show two.
| Letter | Subscript | A dictionary word that uses it |
|---|---|---|
| ย | ยฯ | คอฯยฯ คอย (read กอย) |
| ร | รฯ | คาฯรฯ คาร (read การ) |
| ล | ลฯ | ก่ลฯอฯง กล่อง (read ก่อง) |
| ส | สฯฯ | ห฿ง์สฯฯ หงส์ (read หงส์) |
| ห | หฯ | สิง์หฯ สิงห์ (read สิงห์) |
| อ | อฯ | กํอฯ ก่อ (read ก่อ) |
| ศ | ศฯ | มะเขิอฯอเทศฯ มะเขือเทศ (read มะเขือเทศ) |
| ษ | ษฯฯ | พิษฯฯ พิษ (read ปิ๊ด) |
ว has no subscript form: the dictionary says the full letter is always used. No dictionary word uses a subscript form of ฬ, ฮ, ฤ or ฦ, so we do not show one for these four.
Practise the 13 letters
Now practise with the widget below. The "Browse letters" tab reopens any card. The other two tabs are 10-question quizzes: name the Thai letter that matches a Lanna letter, or pick the Lanna letter from a Thai letter and its reading.
Summary
- This lesson completes the avagga ย ร ล ว ส ห ฬ อ (8 core letters) and the extras ศ ษ ฮ ฤ ฦ (5 letters): 13 letters in all, plus 6 special forms.
- ย ร ล ว ฬ ฮ are low class, ส ห ศ ษ are high class, อ is mid class, and ฤ ฦ are given no class.
- In Kham Mueang ร is sounded ha and ย is nasal. A non-nasal y sound uses อย, which exists only in Lanna.
- The dictionary calls ร ra noi and ล ra luang.
- ว has no subscript form. The other letters have subscripts typed with the ฯ key.
- ฤ and ฦ have no dictionary entry, so their shapes were checked against the CMU chart and Unicode.
The next lesson is High, Mid and Low Consonants in Tua Mueang in detail (coming soon). To go back, read Lanna Consonants: the Ṭa, Ta and Pa Rows. See the whole course at Learn the Lanna Script from Zero, and look up any word in the Moradok Lanna dictionary (in Thai).
Sources
- Moradok Lanna dictionary (in Thai): ยะ · ระหน้อย · ละ · วะ · ส๋ะ · ห๋ะ · ฬะ · อ๋ะ · ศ๋ะ · ษ๋ะ · ฮะ · อยะ
- Pichai Saengboon. (2009). วิธีการพิมพ์อักขระธัมม์ล้านนา (ตัวเมือง) ที่ง่าย สะดวก และสวยงาม ด้วยฟอนต์ LN TILOK version 6.00 [How to type the Lanna (Tua Mueang) script easily and beautifully with the LN TILOK font, version 6.00; page 4 on the Extra key and page 6 the Lanna character chart]. Center for the Promotion of Arts and Culture, Chiang Mai University. In Thai.
- The Unicode Consortium. Tai Tham, U+1A20 to U+1AAF (code chart and names list). Letter names LOW YA to LOW HA and their classes.
- Wikipedia. Tai Tham script (used as an initial overview of the 10 avagga letters).
Practise the words from this article
Flip through 29 flashcards of the Lanna words used in this article.
