Tailue

New Tai Lue script   Tai Lue

Origin

The New (Simplified) Tai Lue script was developed in China during
the 1950s. It is based on the Old (Traditional) Tai Lue script,
which had been in use since about 1200 AD. Between 1950 and the
early 1980s the Chinese government promoted the new script as a
replacement for the old script. However since the 1980s the Tai
Lue in China have been allowed to choose to teach either the new
or the old script. The new script is used exclusively in Jinghong,
so could be called the New Jinghong Tai Lue script, and is used
for shop and street signs. Few people can read it.

The traditional Tai Lue script, which is very similar to the
Lanna alphabet, is still used in Burma,
Laos, Thailand and Vietnam.

Notable features

  • Type of writing system: syllabic 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 Lue language
  • Some consonants have a final form which is used at the end of a syllable.
  • The letters lae and the laew are shorthand for writing the /l/
    plus the /ae/ and the /l/ plus the /aew/.

Used to write:

Lue (a.k.a. Tai Lu, Lü, Lu, Dai Le, Xishuangbanna Dai,
Pai-i) a language spoken mainly in the southern Chinese province of
Yunnan by about 260,000 people. There are also 265,000 speakers in Burma,
70,000 in Thailand, 20,000 in Laos and 3,000 in Vietnam.

Consonants

Tai Lue consonants

Vowels

Tai Lue vowels

Numerals

Tai Lue numerals

Sample

Tai Lue sample text

Links

Information about Tai Lue, and more sample texts
http://www.seasite.niu.edu/tai/TaiLue/

Free Tai Lue fonts
http://scripts.sil.org/DaiBannaSIL

Profile of the Tai Lue (Dai) people
http://www.infomekong.com/tai_lue_secondary.htm

  • Categoria dell'articolo:Lingue
  • Tempo di lettura:3 minuti di lettura