The Fakkham script (, "''Tamarind pod-script''") or Thai Lanna script is a

Brahmic script The Brahmic scripts, also known as Indic scripts, are a family of abugida writing systems. They are used throughout South Asia, Southeast Asia and parts of East Asia. They are descended from the Brahmi script of ancient India and are used b ...

, used historically in the

Lan Na Kingdom The Lan Na kingdom or the Kingdom of Lanna (, , "Kingdom of a Million Rice Fields"; , , ), also known as Lannathai, was an Indianized state centered in present-day Northern Thailand from the 13th to the 18th centuries. The cultural developme ...

. The script was frequently used in Lan Na stone inscriptions.

Origin

The Fakkham script, was derived from the old

Sukhothai script The Sukhothai script, also known as the ''proto-Thai script'' and ''Ram Khamhaeng alphabet'', is a Brahmic script which originated in the Sukhothai Kingdom. The script is found on the Ram Khamhaeng Inscription and the ''Lö Thai inscription''. ...

(also known as ''Proto-Thai script''), and used extensively in Lan Na between the beginning of the 15th century and the end of the 16th century. The Fakkham script was possibly introduced to Lan Na by a religious mission from Sukhothai. The script was named after its similarity to the shape of

tamarind Tamarind (''Tamarindus indica'') is a Legume, leguminous tree bearing edible fruit that is indigenous to tropical Africa and naturalized in Asia. The genus ''Tamarindus'' is monotypic taxon, monotypic, meaning that it contains only this spe ...

pods, 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.

History

The Fakkham script was used extensively in the territories controlled by the kings of

Chiang Mai Chiang Mai, sometimes written as Chiengmai or Chiangmai, is the largest city in northern Thailand, the capital of Chiang Mai province and the List of municipalities in Thailand#Largest cities by urban population, second largest city in Thailan ...

, the Lan Na kingdom, between the beginning of the fifteenth and the end of the sixteenth centuries. 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. The Lan Na kingdom used the Fakkham script as their secular script used for official inscriptions, important letters and other documents, while the

Tai Tham script Tai Tham script (''Dharma, Tham'' meaning "scripture") is an abugida writing system used mainly for a group of Southwestern Tai languages i.e., Northern Thai language, Northern Thai, Tai Lue language, Tai Lü, Khün language, Khün and Lao langu ...

was used for religious texts. A number of ancient inscriptions in the script have been discovered in the Bo Kaeo, Luang Nam Tha and Sayabouri provinces of

Laos Laos, officially the Lao People's Democratic Republic (LPDR), is the only landlocked country in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by Myanmar and China to the northwest, Vietnam to the east, Cambodia to the southeast, and Thailand to the west and ...

. The Fakkham script can be found on various royal steles around

Vientiane Vientiane (, ) is the capital city, capital and largest city of Laos. Situated on the banks of the Mekong, Mekong River at the Thailand, Thai border, it comprises the five urban districts of Vientiane Prefecture and had a population of 840,000 ...

, dating from the beginning of the second quarter of the 16th century. The Fakkham script can be considered the prototype for the

Lao script Lao script or Akson Lao ( ) is the primary script used to write the Lao language and other languages in Laos. Its earlier form, the Tai Noi script, was also used to write the Isan language, but was replaced by the Thai script. It has 27 co ...

. It has been suggested that the script is the source of the White, Black, and Red Tai writing systems found in eastern

Yunnan Yunnan; is an inland Provinces of China, province in Southwestern China. The province spans approximately and has a population of 47.2 million (as of 2020). The capital of the province is Kunming. The province borders the Chinese provinces ...

, northern Laos, and

Vietnam Vietnam, officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam (SRV), is a country at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of about and a population of over 100 million, making it the world's List of countries and depende ...

. File:Inscription in Fakkham.jpg, Stone inscription in Fakkham script from Thailand File:Fakkham inscription.jpg, The Wat Chiang Man inscription (CM1) in Fakkham script File:201704051121b HNM, Lamphun, Wat Lam Chang Inscription, Lanna A, Thai L, 1444, Wat Ton Phueng, Muang Nga, Muang District, Lamphun.jpg, The Wat Lam Chang Inscription in Thai Lanna alphabet, 1444.

Characteristics

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.

References

External links

{{List of writing systems Brahmic scripts Obsolete writing systems Lan Na Inscriptions of Thailand