3.8 — Thai Script and Other Non-Roman Scripts

Within the Roman script (Latin script), such as English, short phrases in non-Roman scripts, such as Thai, can sometimes be found in this monograph. Non-Roman scripts are mainly used for certain common or vernacular bamboo names, if known. Bamboo names in Thai script are the majority among the few non-Roman scripts given in this monograph. Other names, such as geographical location (e.g., of the specimens cited), institutional, and personal names, may also be given in Thai script, usually followed by a transcription (Romanization) enclosed in parentheses. 

The second most common non-Roman script is Chinese, almost exclusively applied to common or vernacular names of Chinese bamboo introduced into Thailand. Romanization is in pinyin, enclosed in parentheses.

Other non-Roman scripts used in this monograph, but rare, are Lao, Burmese, and Japanese, usually for bamboo names from these countries.

Romanization of Thai Script

Thai script will be transcribed following the → Royal Thai General System of Transcription (RTGS), which is the only generally accepted rule for transcription. Unfortunately, this system is not widely adopted, and even when it is, it is often not adopted consistently. Therefore, spelling or transcription variants are frequently published, which are not based on a rule other than individual, native-language adaptations of the pronunciation of Thai words, and can only lead to confusion. 

An example of a widely used transcription variant is the Thai word for bamboo (ไผ่), which is correctly transcribed "phai", and not "pai". The → digraph "ph" in words transcribed from Thai indicates an aspirated "p" (and represents the sound of "p" like the name Paul). In contrast, the digraph "ph" in English words usually derives from Greek φ (and represents the sound of "f" like the word photograph). 

For all Thai geographical names, Thai plant names, and other words in Thai script, the Royal Thai General System of Transcription (RTGS) will be strictly adopted. For Thai personal names, the same system applies, except that if it is known that a certain person uses his or her own constant way of Romanization, then this will be followed. 

A word in Thai script, such as a bamboo name, is usually followed by the RTGS transcription enclosed in parentheses, for example: ไผ่เลี้ยงหวาน (phai liang wan). A transcription is always lowercase. When the transcribed word stands alone as a (bamboo) name in another context, the initial letters are capitalized to conform to English spelling rules.

The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) offers transliteration rules for Thai script (ISO 11940), published in 1998, updated in 2003, and confirmed in 2008, which are virtually not in use except by linguists.

Thai is a tonal language with 5 tones: 3 level tones (high, mid, low) and 2 contour tones (falling, rising). In a Romanized Thai script, these tones could be represented by IPA diacritics as follows: High tone with the acute accent (ˊ); mid tone with the macron accent (ˉ); low tone with the grave accent (ˋ); falling tone with the caret accent (ˆ); rising tone with the haček accent (ˇ).

However, the Royal Thai General System of Transcription (RTGS) does not use tone diacritics. Therefore, I usually abstain from adding tone marks. Furthermore, RTGS also does not distinguish between short and long vowels. Consequently, due to the lack of tone marks and vowel length indications, spoken Romanized words inevitably lead to potential mispronunciations or inaccuracies in almost all cases.

In a few cases, International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) transcription is added to bamboo names or parts of them; for example:
×Thyrsocalamus liang 'Wan' (หวาน) /ˈwǎːn/ — ไผ่เลี้ยงหวาน (phai liang wan).
IPA transcriptions are enclosed in backslashes. Diacritic marks are added, but the macron accent (ˉ) for the mid tone is omitted. Stress marks for syllables are given: primary stress is indicated by a high vertical line (ˈ) before the stressed syllable, and secondary stress by a low vertical line (ˌ).

Romanization of Chinese Script

For the Romanization of Chinese script, Hanyu Pinyin, or simply pinyin, is applied in this monograph. Mandarin Chinese is a tonal language with 4 tones: 1st tone, high (ˉ); 2nd tone, rising (ˊ); 3rd tone, falling-rising (ˇ); 4th tone, falling (ˋ). Note that the pinyin diacritic marks are the same as those marks in IPA, but they indicate different tones compared with Thai and other tonal languages. In this monograph, Chinese diacritics in pinyin are not omitted but are missing in some cases.