Burmese reading -- from Internet
At least Burmese is a Tibeto-Burman language. It has no relation to Chinese (Mandarin or other Chinese languages like Cantonese) though of course there may be some loan words. That's why it looks entirely different and is written left to right, not top down.
Burmese and Tibetan have the same sounds for the alphabets and the same number of alphabets.
Thai has 5 tones and Burmese has 3 tones.
As a Burmese, I cannot read Thai script or understand it it all, the Shan (or Tai) in Burma can.
I never heard or read anywhere that the Thai "came from China."
Also you can't compare the Indian/Hindu influence of centuries ago with the Chinese influence now.
I envy you your means to travel as a family for 8 months. That means you have an open mind and are open to other cultures.
However, your blog contains some inaccuracies and sweeping statements which are unsubstantiated.
I hope this comment inspires you to find out more.
I think the ancient Cambodia script as I see it on inscriptions in Angkor are more Sanskrit-related than Pali-related. Sanskrit is older than Pali.
The historic Buddha spoke a regional Indian language called Magadha. The same way that Jesus spoke Aramaic, not Latin.
Maghada may not have had a written form, I am not sure.
The Buddhist scriptures were written down only about 100 years after his death.
The scripts you were looking at were Pali and Thai written in modern Thai script.
In Burma we also have both Pali (like Latin) and Burmese written in Burmese script. That does not mean Thai and Burmese are the same as Pali. For instance I can write a Burmese sentence nay kaun lar? in English.
Pali, like Latin is for Christianity, is the language of the Buddhist scriptures.
Pali and Sanskrit are no longer in daily use as living languages.
Old Burmese and old Thai are different from modern forms of the languages.
This is about all I know, for more info. you need to consult a linguist or do more research.
Kyi May Kaung (Ph.D) -- my doctorate is in political economy.
