root letter; A term of grammar. Name-base. This is the letter which forms the basis of a name (Tibetan word = {ming}). It is one of the thirty syllables either alone or with modifications. It can be modified with one or more of the following additions to produce a name: a suffix, post-suffix, prefix, super-fix, sub-joined letter, or one of the four vowels. It is the letter upon which alphabetization is carried out. It is the only letter in a name (with a few exceptions) which can have a vowel sound joined to it. There can only be one name-base per name
name basis