JTC1/SC2/WG2 N2660
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Comments on N2634, Proposal to encode the Tai Lue script in the BMPof the UCS
Expert contributionPeter Constable, MicrosoftOctober 16, 2003
For consideration by JTC1/SC2/WG2, UTC
WG2/N2634 (=L2/03-321), N2371 (=L2/01-348), N2242, L2/99-243
WG2 members, UTC members

Document N2634 provides a complete proposal for encoding the Tai Lue(Xishuangbanna Dai) script. This document provides comments on that proposal.

Character inventory and encoding model
The character repertoire and encoding model proposed in N2634 is appropriate andcomplete for this script.

Ordering of characters
The proposal does not discuss collation issues explicitly. While the encoding order ofcharacters should not be strictly tied to collation order (due to collation, in general,
involving greater complexity than can be reflected in code point order of characters alone,
as well as variation between cultures), the code point order will influence implementers,
and so is an important consideration.
There is some variation in Tai Lue documents and descriptions of Tai Lue with respect toordering, though one ordering of consonant and vowels seems to prevail. The ordering ofconsonants in this proposal is corroborated in various sources.
The ordering of vowel symbols can be seen in the following sample:11

Note that the columns in this chart come in sets of three: the left column has a phonetic transcription, themiddle column has the Tai Lue vowel sign, and the right-hand column contains the older writing
convention for the Tai Lue language, using a variation of the Lanna script.

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Figure 1. Tai Lue vowel chart and comparison with Lanna script (SCEM, p. 73)2

The following sample shows a vowel chart that is organized differently. The bottom row
contains the diphthongs, however, and if these are placed in order following all the basic
vowel symbols, then going through the remainder of the chart by columns from left toright yields exactly the same order as seen in Figure 1.

Figure 2. Tai Lue vowel chart (PSCC, p. 165)3

2The chart in Figure 1 gives a different order for final consonants than is indicated in the proposal. This
source is an exception in this regard, however; the ordering of final consonants in the proposal iscorroborated in PSCC and LA1.

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JTC1/SC2/WG2 N2660
The ordering of basic vowel signs in N2634 follows the order shown in Figure 1 andFigure 2. The ordering of diphthong vowel signs differs, however: in N2634, TAI LUE
VOWEL SIGN IY  is placed third among the diphthongs, whereas it should occur last.
The position of this character after all other vowels is seen in Figure 1 and Figure 2 above,
as well as in the following sample:

Figure 3. Tai Lue vowel chart: TAI LUE VOWEL SIGN IY as last diphthong (LA1, p. 36)

Thus, I recommend re-assignment of diphthong vowel characters as follows:
Proposed character

Revised code point

19C8 TAI LUE VOWEL SIGN IY 
19C9 TAI LUE VOWEL SIGN UY 
19CA TAI LUE VOWEL SIGN OOY 
19CB TAI LUE VOWEL SIGN OY 
19CC TAI LUE VOWEL SIGN UEY 

19CC
19C819C919CA
19CB

Table 1. Recommended reassignment of code points for diphthongs

Names of characters
There are four characters for which the names proposed in N2634 should be revised:
19BC TAI LUE VOWEL SIGN VOWEL SHORTENER ◌. This character, like thecognate character in Thai and Lao scripts, has two functions: it can be used to represent
the short vowel /a/ in open syllables, and it can be used in combination with other vowel
signs to denote shortened vowels. Use in an open syllable to represent the short vowel /a/is seen in the following examples:

3The chart in Figure 2 has a minor typographic error in that, for the diphthong ɯi, they have used thecharacter , whereas it should be .

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JTC1/SC2/WG2 N2660

Figure 4. Short /a/ in open syllable: ◌ (Jinxhiang 1994, p.50)

Figure 5. Short /a/ in open syllable: ◌ (LA1, p. 35)

The primary identity of this Tai Lue character (as for the corresponding Thai and Laocharacters) is in its function of representing short /a/. For instance, note that, in the vowel
charts in Figure 1, Figure 2 and Figure 3, it is presented as short /a/, and is paired with thesign for long /aː/, ◌. Thus, I recommend that this character be renamed as TAI LUE
VOWEL SIGN A.
19C2 TAI LUE VOWEL SIGN E ◌. This character represents a distinct vowel
quality then 19C1 TAI LUE VOWEL SIGN EE ◌, not a shortened counterpart to it as
the name suggests. I recommend that this character be renamed as TAI LUE VOWEL
SIGN AE.
19DE TAI LUE SIGN AND  and 19DF TAI LUE SIGN RESULTATIVE . Thesecharacters are abbreviations for the frequently-used morphemes /lɛ/ ‘and’, and /lɛːw/. The
latter is a particle that indicates perfective aspect (completion), not a resulting state.4
Thus, if the name of the character were to be based on its meaning, it should be called“perfective” rather than “resultative”.
Rather than basing names of these characters on English glosses of the morphemes they
denote, however, I recommend that they have names indicative of their pronunciation.
This would be consistent with the names used in earlier proposals submitted by the China
national body (N2242, N2371), and in earlier contributions from Michael Eversion(N2044) and the current author (L2/99-243). Thus, 19DE TAI LUE SIGN LAE, and19DF TAI LUE SIGN LAEW.

Conclusion
With the exception of a few details that have been noted, this proposal is sound. I
recommend that it be approved by WG2 and UTC with the recommended revisions
discussed herein.

4The term resultative is used in linguistics to refer to an expression that describes an action along with aresulting state caused by that action; e.g., “He boiled the kettle dry.”

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References[SCEM]

中国社会科学院民族硏究所, 国家民族事务委员会文化宣传司(Zhongguoshehui kexueyuan minzu yianjiusuo, guojia minzu shiwu weiyuanhui wenhua
xuanchuansi = Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, Institute for Nationality
Studies; Department of Cultural Propagation, State Ethnic Affairs
Commission). 1991. 中国少数民族文字 (Zhongguo shaoshu minzu wenzi =Scripts of Chinese Ethnic Minorities). 北京 (Beijing): 中国藏学出版社(Zhongguo zangxue chubanshe = China Tibetan Studies Publishing House).

[PSCC]

戴庆厦 许寿椿 高喜奎 主编 (Dai Qingsha, Xu Shouchuan, Gao Xikui,editors-in-chief). 1991. 中国各民族文字与电脑信息处理 (Zhongguo geminzu wenzi yu diannao xinxi chuli = Processing the scripts of China on thecomputer). 北京 (Beijing): 中央民族学院出版社 (Zhongyang minzu
xueyuan chubanshe = Central Nationalities Institute Publishing House).

 (搜集整理者 = Dao Jinxiang). 1994.  (古傣语词语译翻 = Dictionary of ancient Dai words and expressions). 昆明 (Kunming): (云南民族出版社出版 = Yunnan
Nationalities Press).
[LA1]

西双版纳州教育局编 (Xishuangbanna Prefectural Education Bureau). 1980.
,    (语 文, 第一册 = Language arts, book 1). (西双版
纳傣文小学课本 = Xishuangbanna Dai primary school textbook.) 昆明(Kunming):云南民族出版社出版 (Yunnan Nationalities Press).

L2/99-243 Constable, Peter. 1999. “Proposal for encoding New Tai Lue script inUnicode/ISO-IEC 10646.”
N2242

China. 2000. “Proposal for encoding Xishuang Banna Dai script on BMP of
ISO/IEC 10646.”

N2371

China. 2001. “Proposal summary form for Dai scripts.”

N2634

Eversion, Michael. 2003. “Proposal to encode the Tai Lue script in the BMPof the UCS.”

Comments on N2634 Page 5 of 5Peter Constable October 16, 2003