Tonal Notation of Indic scripts in Mainland Southeast Asia

pÇáa¸ {plu@’} ‘do, make’ (Nabaydaw Temple Inscription (early
12c): 7–9. Shwekuncha Temple Inscription
(AD 1223), South face: 32.)
cf. pÇá {plu} (Anandathura A: 2, 7, 9–10, 12, 14–
15, 18–21, 23, 25–30.)
Kua¸ {khu@’} ‘CLASSIFIER’ (Nabaydaw: 9. Tuyinhpahto B: 10.)
cf. Ku {khu} (Anandathura A: 1, 13–14, 53–54; B:
1, 31; C: 1; D: 1, 17, 30. Ahtawlat
B:17.)
Provided that both ‘Creaky-sensitive’ inscriptions and ‘non Creakysensitive’
inscriptions are found in a fairly limited area and period, and
the evidence from the tonal correspondence with other Burmish languages,
it is unlikely that the two types of ‘sensitivity’ reflect the difference
of tonal system. They simply reflect the difference of attitude
toward transcribing sounds.
2.4.1 ß`’
{-@’} in phonologically open rhymes
Nishi (1999c) argues that {-@’} and ‘short’ vowels represented the
glottal stop in OB and it was later weakened to the creaky phonation of
the preceding vowel. (p.53) Nishi (1999b) mentions another interpretation
of {-@’}, i.e. it indicates laryngealization, as well as the former
interpretation. (p.24)
Since Mod.B a {@a} as an initial consonant letter represents /P-
/, it is highly probable that OB {@a} also represented /P-/, and OB ß`’
{-@’} again represented a final glottal stop or laryngealization of the
preceding vowel.
To support his argument, Nishi (1999c) quotes Pulleyblank(1963)’s
comment on Mon usage. (p.53)
‘One can possibly explain the spelling convention in terms of Mon usage,
in which the short vowels were always accompanied by a final
glottal stop when not followed by any other final consonant and the fi-
nal long vowel signs were used only for open syllables in foreign loan
words. In Old Burmese a small a was used as a marker for the final
glottal stop (=creaky tone).’ (Pulleyblank1963:215)
According to a footnote in Pulleyblank (1963), he obtained comments
and advice about problems of the Burmese and Mon writing
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