--- In qalam@yahoogroups.com, "Peter T. Daniels" <grammatim@...> wrote:

> That's just a software shortcut -- there's no actual virama when you
> write a conjunct. But using the conjoined forms is the equivalent of a
> virama; remember, Tamil is the odd-script-out in South Asia, the only
> one that's abandoned conjunct forms completely. (Tibetan and Javanese
> both still use a few of them, and Burmese uses them only in
> Sanskrit-origin words.)

Tamil has still got the k.sa conjunct. Thai has abandoned conjuncts
completely. Conjuncts don't straddle syllable borders in Lao or New
Tai Lue, and it's arguable that the Lao ones are new letters.

Richard.