Lao classification (was: Re: Abugida and akshara?)

--- In qalam@yahoogroups.com, "Peter Constable" <petercon@...> wrote:

> > From: Richard Wordingham [mailto:richard.wordingham@...]

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> > In Thai words of two or more phonetic syllables, the inherent vowel
> > in phonetically open syllables is usually [a]. [O] as an inherent
> > vowel seems almost to be restricted to open monosyllables and cases
> > where the following consonant is <r>.
>
> What about the words ขนม(khanom) and ถนน (thanon)?

a) /khanom/ is probably Khmer in origin, and according to the Thai
Royal Institute Dictionary, /thanon/ comes from Khmer <thnal'> where
the apostrophe represents the bantak. (At least, I assume that ถฺนล่
<thnal1> represents ថáž"ល់.) Patrick's comments on nativeness therefore
apply.

b) The open inherent vowel is /a/.

c) The closed inherent vowel is [o], not [O].

Richard.