Editing Thai language (section)

== Writing system ==
{{Main|Thai script|Thai braille}}
[[File:Kingdom of Thailand.svg|thumb|"Kingdom of Thailand" in Thai script.]]
Thai is written in the [[Thai script]], an [[abugida]] written from left to right. The language and its script are closely related to the [[Lao language]] and [[Lao script|script]]. Most literate Lao are able to read and understand Thai, as more than half of the Thai vocabulary, grammar, intonation, vowels and so forth are common with the Lao language.

The Thais adopted and modified the Khmer script to create their own writing system. While in Thai the pronunciation can largely be inferred from the script, the orthography is complex, with silent letters to preserve original spellings and many letters representing the same sound. While the oldest known inscription in the [[Khmer language]] dates from 611 CE, inscriptions in Thai writing began to appear around 1292 CE. Notable features include:

#It is an [[abugida]] script, in which the [[implicit vowel]] is a short {{IPA|/a/}} in a syllable without final [[consonant]] and a short {{IPA|/o/}} in a syllable with final consonant.
#Tone markers, if present, are placed above the final [[Syllable onset#Onset|onset]] consonant of the syllable.
#[[Vowel]]s sounding after an initial consonant can be located before, after, above or below the consonant, or in a combination of these positions.

=== Transcription ===
{{Main|Romanization of Thai}}
There is no universally applied method for transcribing Thai into the Latin alphabet. For example, the name of the main airport is transcribed variably as Suvarnabhumi, Suwannaphum, or Suwunnapoom. Guide books, textbooks and dictionaries follow different systems. For this reason, many language courses recommend that learners master the Thai script.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Pronk |first1=Marco |title=The Essential Thai Language Companion: Reference Book: Basics, Structures, Rules |date=2013 |publisher=Schwabe AG |isbn=978-3-9523664-9-3 |page=v |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ctZBDwAAQBAJ&pg=PR5 |language=en |quote=learn the Thai alphabet as early as possible, and get rid of romanized transcriptions as soon as you can}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Juyaso |first1=Arthit |title=Read Thai in 10 Days |date=2015 |publisher=Bingo-Lingo |page=xii |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=r6dcEAAAQBAJ&pg=PR12 |language=en |quote=There have been attempts by Thai language schools to create a perfect phonetic system for learners, but none have been successful so far. ... Only Thai script is prevalent and consistent in Thailand.}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Waites |first1=Dan |title=CultureShock! Bangkok |date=2014 |publisher=Marshall Cavendish |isbn=978-981-4516-93-8 |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=gh0dAwAAQBAJ&pg=PT186 |language=en |chapter=Learning the Language: To Write or Not to Write |quote=you're far better off learning the Thai alphabet}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Cooper |first1=Robert |title=CultureShock! Thailand: A Survival Guide to Customs and Etiquette |date=2019 |publisher=Marshall Cavendish |isbn=978-981-4841-39-9 |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=o7SaDwAAQBAJ&pg=PT209 |language=en |chapter=Learning Thai: Writing Thai in English |quote=take a bit of time to learn the letters. The time you spend is saved many times over when you begin to really learn Thai.}}</ref>

Official standards are the [[Royal Thai General System of Transcription]] (RTGS), published by the [[Royal Institute of Thailand]],<ref>[http://www.royin.go.th/ Royal Thai General System of Transcription], published by the Thai Royal Institute only in Thai</ref> and the almost identical {{nowrap|[[ISO 11940-2]]}} defined by the [[International Organization for Standardization]]. The RTGS system is increasingly used in Thailand by central and local governments, especially for road signs.<ref>{{citation|url=http://www.ooh5.go.th/book/CA/CA01.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171115222340/http://www.ooh5.go.th/book/CA/CA01.pdf |archive-date=2017-11-15 |url-status=live|at=Appendix ง|language=th|title=Handbook and standard for traffic signs}}</ref> Its main drawback is that it does not indicate tone or vowel length. As the system is based on pronunciation, not orthography, reconstruction of Thai spelling from RTGS romanisation is not possible.

=== Transliteration ===
{{Main|Thai transliteration}}

The [[International Organization for Standardization|ISO]] published an international standard for the [[Thai transliteration|transliteration of Thai]] into Roman script in September 2005 ([[ISO 11940]]).<ref>[http://www.iso.org/iso/home/store/catalogue_tc/catalogue_detail.htm?csnumber=29544 ISO 11940 Standard].</ref> By adding diacritics to the Latin letters it makes the transcription reversible, making it a true [[transliteration]]. Notably, this system is used by [[Google Translate]], although it does not seem to appear in many other contexts, such as textbooks and other instructional media.