A Unified Transliteration System for Mainland Southeast Asian Scripts Principles, Inventory, and Examples
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Abstract
This article proposes a unified Roman-script transliteration system for Indic and vernacular scripts used in the Theravada cultural sphere of mainland Southeast Asia, including Khmer, Khom, Thai, Lao, Tham, Lue, Shan, Mon, and Burmese. Designed for researchers working with inscriptions and manuscripts from the second millennium CE, the system provides a consistent, one-way reversible protocol applicable across multiple languages and scripts. The full scheme―comprising 25 transliteration tables with 401 consonants, vowels, diacritics, and other signs―is presented in an online appendix, along with a user guide. The article outlines the system’s principles, inventories its symbols, and illustrates its application through 17 examples drawn from inscriptions, manuscripts, and early printed books.
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