Akha people, language and Thai-based orthography: Ban Mae-sa-laep, Mae-fa-luang district, Chiang Rai province

Abstract

This article describes the background and history of the Akha people, and examines the significant distinctive features between Akha and Thai phonology. It also looks at the implications of linguistic knowledge in creating a Thai-based orthography by Akha native speakers. It further suggests ways of how the Akha can write and record their own wisdom and culture while cooperating with an academic institution. Akha are a highland ethnic group consisting of approximately 2.5 million people scattered throughout the southern part of Xishuangbanna, Yunnan province, China, northeastern Myanmar, the north of Thailand and Laos. Akha language is a language of theSouthern Lolo branch of Tibeto-Burman language family. There are 22initials without final consonant phonemes; . There are 13 vowels; 9 primary vowels; , 2 secondary vowels; /y,O/, 1 nasalized vowel; /a)/and 1 syllabic; /i,y,e,O,E,a,,o,u,ö,«,a),m`/.There are 6 tonemesof mid, highand low levels which divide into 2 types; oral and creaky tones . The Akha native speakers of Ban Mae-Sa-Laep, Mae-Fa-Luang district, Chiang Rai province have cooperated with an academic institute to study the Akha phonology. They selected the Thai alphabet to develop a writing system for all the Akha consonants, vowels and tones. This Thai-based writing system was tested by writing Akha words, sentences, folk tales, proverbs etc. and then edited and revised by Akha native speakers.