Literature

Shan have their own literature . King AbiYaZa of DaKong (later renamed YanGon) (wMu.if@) created Shan script from Sanskrit in AD 483. In the beginning there were 54 letters. Tai Ahom in India are still using this script today. It’s called “Leik To Ngok.”

In AD 723-748 the King of Nan Chao said that the character was not beautiful and he changed it into more square character and also abandoned some letter that were not commonly used. Dai in China are still using this script today.

In AD 1283 the king of Sukotai (Thai), King Rama Kamhaeng, created new script by mixing up the round script which was created by King AbiYaZa and the square script which was created by King Nan Chao. It is still used in Thailand and Laos today.

In AD 1416, the King of HsenWi , Sao Kham Kai Hpa, changed the letter of Shan to another new rounded script. It is now called “Old Shan script” in Burma. Most of the Shan books were written with this script. The old writing system of the Shan has problem in reading, pronouncing and understanding. One of the Shan Christian missionaries wrote the story of the prodigal son in Shan; “Father, I have sinned against heaven and before thee, and am no more worthy to be called thy son, make me as one of thy hired servants.” But the Shan boy read the story as; “Father, I have sinned against heaven and before thee and am no more worthy to be called thy son, make me as one of thy baby elephants.” The words “hired servant” (vkufqif) and “baby elephant” (vkufqif) have the same writing in old Shan writing, but can be read in different tone and get different meaning. It should be correctly read as “zann” (qmifj) with normal and long tone instead of “zan” (qmifh) with short and high tone. Another writing (,ModefeHcHawn0foifr.if) “What to use to prick out the thorn?” the boy read; “Nun from NamKham will marry San Maung” (,M@odeferfhcrf;awn0fomifbr.ifb). Because of the tone of the word, “thorn” becomes “Nun” and “what to use to prick out” becomes “will marry San Maung.” What a difference! The two words “wife” and “mother” are also written in the same word (ar) in old writing. One has high tone and other has normal tone. If one read with the wrong tone, “wife” will become “mother” or “mother” will become “wife.” Another example; the word (cM) (Ka) can give seven meanings such as; leg (cM), or frame suspended over fire place (cMb), or slave (cMj), or thatch (cM;), or gossip (cMU), or branch of a tree (cM@), depends on the tone. More interestingly the word “kein” (cdif) can give ten different meaning, depend on the tone make on reading the word, such as; Ginger plant (cdif), Time (cdifb), Mr (cdif;), Chopping block (cAif), Shelf (cAifb), Stretch out (cAifj), Tough (cFif), Tax (cFifb), Small dried pieces of bamboo (cFifj), Woven map for drying (cFif;). Since there are no tone marks and special characters in old Shan script the reader can misread, mispronounce and get wrong meaning. Shan Bible was translated and written by Rev. J.N. Cushing in 1892 with this old writing system.

In 1940, Sao Hsai Muong and Shan literary committee created new Shan script and writing system by adding some tone marks and new characters to make the letter more accurate in writing and reading. It is now called “New Shan Script.” The old writing system was used in Shan literature for more than four hundred years until new writing system was fully developed in 1958. Shan-English and English-Shan dictionary were produced by Rev. J. N. Cushing in 1881 and revised by H.W. Mix, in January 1914. Revised version of Cushing’s Shan-English dictionary in new Shan script was done by Sao Tern Moeng and published in 1995. Shan dictionary was written by Gant Kham Sung Sum and published in December 2001.

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eifb[kd0fc0fqld0f;nef,krfbrmwfjYzM;yAefq0fjwif;oAifjwif;vlifeefhwuf;nrfbvBj+wfjxkdifwmif;vlUwmif;vF0ftvjwuf;vBjnomufjxMb07MUqkdifYzM;yAefq0fj[ufhulef;avM;uDbwif;vBmawMbxkdif+wfjxefjayM;qkefhyFwfj vkufjq0fjnefrD;yM;vA0fulpf;wDjref;q0fjeefhanMj/

There are 18 alphabets in old writing system and 20 in new Shan writing system. Some use two more alphabets in new system. There are 20 initial consonants, 10 plain vowels, 12 diphthongs and 6 tone marks in new Shan writing system.

Regretfully Shan literatures are not allowed to be taught in public schools in Shan States. All public schools are government schools. Nowadays younger generation prefer reading Burmese instead of Shan because of the following reasons.

Very few educational books or interesting books written in Shan. No educational books such as science, medicine, engineering, arts, agriculture, and mining are written or translated in Shan.

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