#21 of forty-four · mid class
ต
to tao
ต เต่า · turtle
Mid class อักษรกลาง
Mid class is tonally neutral — every tone mark maps to exactly one tone.
A consonant’s class exists for one reason: it decides the tone. Mid class is tonally neutral — every tone mark maps to exactly one tone. Here’s every outcome for ต as the initial:
| Syllable | – No mark | ◌่ mái èek | ◌้ mái thoo | ◌๊ mái trii | ◌๋ chattawa |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Liveopen or sonorant end | mid | low | falling | high | rising |
| Deadstop end or short vowel | low | low | falling | — | — |
Live syllable — open or sonorant end
Dead syllable — stop end or short vowel
Change the initial to another class and the same marks produce different tones — that shift is what makes tone a small system, not 44 separate facts. Derive tones on the Tones surface →
Looks like — watch the shape
The tell: ต has a small notch — a tooth — at the top where ด is smoothly rounded. The saying: ต has a tooth, ด is smooth.ต is /t/ mid · ด is /d/ mid.
Sounds like — watch the spelling
Same initial /t/:
Same final /t/ — identical at a word’s end:
Start at the head — the little loop — then one continuous stroke. Written between the guide lines, the body sits in the middle band.
Indic — Sanskrit dental t.
Practice