# A Phonemically Comprehensive, ASCII-Only Romanization Scheme for Thai and Lao: Systematic Cross-Lingual Correspondence and Chinese-User-Friendly Design

arXiv: https://arxiv.org/abs/2609.19736 · HTML: https://mlsanity.com/paper/2609.19736/

## Key facts

- No citing papers in the map yet (data through 14 Oct 2026).
- Builds on 1 of its 64 references that are in the map.
- First posted on arXiv 17 Sep 2026.

## Builds on (most cited first, 1 of 1)

- [Toward a Cross-Lingual Romanization Ecosystem for Sinitic Languages: A Paired Mandarin-Cantonese Case Study](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2608.29170/) (2026)

## Abstract (arXiv)

This paper proposes a phonemically comprehensive, ASCII-only romanization scheme for Thai and Lao, treating the two closely related languages as a unified cross-lingual design problem. The scheme represents segmental contrasts, vowel length, and lexical tone while maintaining one-symbol-one-phoneme transparency and systematic correspondence between Thai and Lao. The scheme prioritizes synchronic phonetic correspondence, including correspondence with Pinyin and Jyutping where applicable, while preserving historical-phonological correspondence where it does not conflict with phonetic transparency. Tone uses a compact single-digit default notation, supplemented by optional tone-value and historical tone-category representations. The resulting scheme provides a readable, keyboard-friendly, and machine-processable phonemic representation for language learning and cross-lingual speech processing.