Languages Data
Name/Link of Resource
M. Phil./ Ph.D.
- A Descriptive Grammar of Toto
- Dynamics of persistence and change of a small community the Toto
- Phonological Morphological and Syntactic Study of the Toto Language in the Light of Bengali and English Linguistic Analysis
- Study on Health Status of Selected Tribal Communities in West Bengal
- Cultural and Economic Transformation of a Small Tribe in the sub Himalayas: A Study of the Totos
- Ethno zoological studies of the Sub Himalayan tribal area of North Bengal with emphasis on ecology and bio energetics of the Totos
- टोटो भाषा का वर्णात्मक विश्लेषण
- জলপাইগুড়ি জেলায় বসবাসকারী টোটো সম্প্রদায়ের মৌখিক সাহিত্য ও সংস্কৃতি
- টোটো উপজাতির ইতিকথা
Research Paper
- Some Aspects of Toto Ethnography
- BRIEF COMMUNICATION: HLA-A and HLA-B distribution in Toto - a vanishing sub-Himalayan tribe of India
- Courtship and Ceremonial Aspects of Marriage among the Totos : A Tribal Isolate of Indo-Bhutan Border
- Study on the Effect of Socio-economic Parameters on Health Status of the Toto, Santal, Sabar and Lodha Tribes of West Bengal, India
- A Note on the Socio Medical Survey among the Totos
- The Totos : A Sub Himalayan Tribe
- The language of Totos
- A report on body composition and fitness profile of young men of Toto community: An endangered tribe of India
- Population dynamics among the Totos of West Bengal: a positive response to culture contact
- A Study of Eco Sociological Change among an under Developed Tribes : The Totos of North Bengal
Project
Book
- Toto The Bustling Beaver His Many Adventures
- Toto at Cross Roads
- A Descriptive Study of Toto Language
- Socio-Economic Profile of Toto Tribe
- The Totos
- People’s Linguistic Survey of India: The Languages of West Bengal
- Concept of Health Disease and Treatment among The Totos of Totopara in Jalpaiguri District West Bengal
- The Totos : A Sub Himalayan Mangloid Tribe
- Linguistic Survey of India
- Ethnologue: Languages of the World
- 'The Totos' (Cultural and Economic Transformation of a small tribe in Sub-Himalayan Bengal
- A Sociological Study of the Toto Folk Tales
- Treatment of Geo-Cosmology in Select Toto Myths
- Ethnobotany of Totopara
- Totos Talking Body
- Bibliography of Marginal Indian Languages
- Tribal Linguistics in India: A Bibliographical Survey of International Resources
- The Meches And the Totos: Two Sub-Himalayan Tribes of North Bengal
- Toto: Society and Change- A Sub-Himalayan Tribe of West Bengal
- Indias Communities
- উত্তর বাংলার টোটো উপজাতি ও অন্যান্য প্রবন্ধ
- টোটো জনজাতির সামগ্রিক পরিচয়
- টোটো শব্দ সংগ্রহ
- টোটো
- আদিবাসী সংস্কৃতির রূপরেখা
- টোটো ভাষার রূপরেখা
- উত্তরবঙ্গের জাতি ও উপজাতি
- উত্তরবঙ্গের ভাষা
- টোটো কাহিনী
Book Chapter
- The Totos
- The Economy of Tribes of Jalpaiguri: A Case Study of Totos
- Phonemic Inventory of Toto: A Brief Overview
- Indigenous Rights and Folk Medicine: the Toto Context
Dictionary
Occasional Paper/Brochure
- Atlas of the Worlds Languages Danger
Journal/Seminar Proceedings/Souvenir
Web Resource
- Toto Language Spoken in West Bengal State
- India
Toto is a tribe in India, who reside near India and Bhutan border area in North Bengal. Their language is named as Toto after the community people. They call their language ‘Dengaka’. The six hamlets in a village in Jalpaiguri (near Madarihat), where they reside is named after the community as Totopara. They stay beside the river Torsa and the village is surrounded by forest and hill. The earlier scholars assume their geographical location might be a reason of their isolation. There is a confusion regarding the origin of Totos. It has been claimed by earlier scholars that Toto people have originally migrated from Bhutan and they have migrated into different places of Dooars in North Bengal and presently residing in Totopara village for last couple of decades.
Population:
Toto is a small community, considered as vulnerable according to the number of population. According to 2011 CENSUS, Toto population in Totopara village is 1386, which has increased from 926, which was the number of population in 1991 and 1184, which was the number of population in 2001 CENSUS.
Survey Area:
The CFEL survey team visited Totopara for the study on Toto language and Culture.
Literacy:
Literacy rate is poor among the Toto people. However, there is a high-school in this village. But Bangla is the medium of instruction in school. Thus, the Toto young generation study through this language.
Occupation:
Toto people earn their livelihood by farming or poultry. As millet is their main food grain, they engage themselves as millet cultivator also. Almost every Toto houses, they have their own kitchen garden, from where they collect the basic ingredients of their daily consumable necessity.
In present days, researchers are working on Toto tribe, their socio-economy and anthropo-linguistic status. Due to the increasing research projects on Toto, they have arranged home-stay in their locality and started providing home-stay accommodation for researchers, which also help the community for economical empowerment.
Concluding Remark:
The overall assumption of the surveyor team is that as their mother-language is not being taught at school level the younger generation of Toto people more tend to learn Bangla and Nepali than Toto language. However, they retain their language fully at home and village domain. Also their awareness, their struggle is helping them to save their language and culture. However, as Toto is not spoken anywhere else except this village and population is very less, this language is considered as critically endangered language and needs to be preserved.
Appendix-I: Sample word-list of Toto language
|
Serial No. |
English |
Bangla |
Toto |
IPA |
|
1 |
Father |
বাবা |
আপা |
ɑpɑ |
|
2 |
Mother |
মা |
আয়ু |
ɑyu |
|
3 |
Brother |
ভাই |
ল্যাওয়া |
læwə |
|
4 |
Daughter |
মেয়ে |
ল্যামে |
læme |
|
5 |
Daughter’s husband |
জামাই |
মাওয়া |
mɑwɑ |
|
6 |
Father-in-law |
শ্বশুর |
তুয়াঃ |
tuɑ: |
|
7 |
Father’s sister |
পিসি |
পিকি |
piki |
|
8 |
Grand son |
নাতি |
লুয়া |
luɑ |
|
9 |
Grand daughter |
নাতনি |
লুমি |
lumi |
|
10 |
Husband |
বর |
ওয়া |
wɑ |
|
11 |
Man |
লোক |
দেঙা |
deŋɑ |
|
12 |
Woman |
মহিলা |
মেমে |
meme |
|
13 |
Cow |
গোরু |
পিকা |
pikɑ |
|
14 |
Cat |
বিড়াল |
মিংকি |
minki |
|
15 |
monkey |
হনুমান |
মোকা |
mokɑ |
|
16 |
Pig |
শূয়র |
পাকা |
pɑkɑ |
|
17 |
Sky |
আকাশ |
দিঙবা |
diŋbɑ |
|
18 |
Rain |
বৃষ্টি |
ওয়াটি |
wɑTi |
|
19 |
Water |
জল |
টি |
Ti |
|
20 |
Air |
হাওয়া |
বিঙা |
biŋɑ |
|
21 |
River |
নদী |
জোরা |
jorɑ |
|
22 |
Cloud |
মেঘ |
মুডুদুওয়া |
muɖuduwɑ |
|
23 |
Rainbow |
রামধনু |
দিঙশ্যায় |
diŋʃæɑy |
|
24 |
Planet |
গ্রহ |
পুইমা |
puimɑ |
|
25 |
Sun |
সূর্য |
শানি |
ʃɑni |
|
26 |
Alcohol |
মদ |
ইয়ু |
ieu |
|
27 |
Beef |
গোমাংস |
বিয়া |
biɑ |
|
28 |
Butter |
মাখন |
মাই |
mɑi |
|
29 |
Cooked rice |
ভাত |
আমা |
ɑmɑ |
|
30 |
Curry |
তরকারি |
ইয়াব্রি |
iɑbri |
|
31 |
Egg |
ডিম |
কেটু |
keTu |
|
32 |
Milk |
দুধ |
লুটি |
luTi |
|
33 |
Actor |
অভিনেতা |
তিংপাওয়া |
tiŋpɑwɑ |
|
34 |
Player |
খেলোয়াড় |
ক্যালাইওয়াদিঙা |
kælɑiwɑdiŋɑ |
|
35 |
Priest |
পুরোহিত |
তেশাঙহিওয়াদিঙা |
teʃɑŋhiwɑdiŋɑ |
|
36 |
Bell |
ঘন্টা |
বেওয়া |
bewɑ |
|
37 |
Deity |
ভগবান |
তেশাঙ |
teʃɑŋ |
|
38 |
Demon |
রাক্ষস |
শিঙপা |
ʃiŋpɑ |
|
39 |
Heaven |
স্বর্গ |
দিঙবা |
diŋbɑ |
|
40 |
Hell |
নরক |
মঙতো |
moŋto |
|
41 |
Temple |
মন্দির |
দিমশা |
dimʃɑ |
|
42 |
Religion |
ধর্ম |
ল্যাচ্যা |
læcæ |
|
43 |
Girl |
মেয়ে |
মিমচিঙ |
mimciŋ |
|
44 |
Male |
পুরুষ |
পোটা |
poTɑ |
|
45 |
Back |
পিঠ |
কিঙনু |
kiŋnu |
|
46 |
Abdomen |
পেট |
পেমা |
pemɑ |
|
47 |
Brain |
মাথা/বুদ্ধি |
লেপা |
lepɑ |
|
48 |
Arm |
বাহু |
কুই |
kui |
|
49 |
Eye |
চোখ |
মিচো |
mico |
|
50 |
Face |
মুখমন্ডল |
নামু |
nɑmu |
|
51 |
Leg |
পা |
কোকোই |
kokoi |
|
52 |
Lip |
ঠোঁট |
মোগোই |
mogoi |
Society, Religion, Rituals and Festivals:
Toto family is patrilocal in nature. Totos are divided into different clans, namely- Dantrobi, Nugbi etc. They use the word ‘bi’ to refer to plurality or clan. Although Totos follow monogamy, but polygamy is not prohibited in the society. They are endogamous and they marry within their own tribe. There are four kinds of marital system in the Toto society: thulbehoea or negotiation marriage, chor-beheoa or marriage by eloped, sambehoea or marriage by capture, lamalami or love-marriage.
The main food crop for them is Millet and rice and meat. Totos drink ieu, a fermented alcoholic beverage made from millet in every occasion.
Toto people live in huts made from bamboos. Their houses are built on a macha or an elevated platform. They use the log of a tree as the door or protection at night to close the entrance at home. They use beside the river.
Like the other tribal groups, Totos also are worshipper of nature. They have two main deities whom they worship: Ishpa and Cheima. Ishpa is the male god and Cheima is the female god. They sacrifices animals and offer animals and ieu to the deities. One of their main festivals is wangchu.
Though Toto people claim that they follow Hinduism, but Tamang lamas influence on them show some influence of Buddhism in their religious practices and rituals. As their neighbourhood areas are mostly surrounded by Bhutia people who follow Buddhism, Toto people also are influenced by Buddhist culture and festivals.
They believe Badoo hill is their source of birth and death.
Totos have a rich oral and cultural tradition. They have their own musical instruments. Their important festivals are ongchu, ngoyu and sordu.
Language:
Toto language belongs from Sino-Tibetian language family. Some recent scholars claim Toto belongs from Sinto-Tibetian Austronesian family. Their vocabulary shows the number of items which are similar with Munda languages. (eg-apa-father, ayu-mother) This study for now would stay away from determining the linguistic origin of Toto language and give an account on socio-linguistic profile of Totos. UNESCO has identified Toto as critically endangered language. According to Grierson (1909, LSI, VOL. III), Toto language has been classified as a non-pronominalized Himalayan language of Tibeto-Burman family. He identified three features to justify his claim that Toto is a non-pronominalized language. The features are as following:
- Numerals are pure tibetian.
- Personal pronouns are like Dhimals
- Higher numbers are counted in twenties.
The study shows there are seven vowel sounds and twenty-three consonant sounds including Glottal fricative sound used in the language. /e/ /huʃe/ ‘many’, /i/- /pika/ ‘cow’, /æ/ /næja/ ‘fish’ , /ɑ/ /diMbɑ/ ‘sky’, /ɔ/ /ɔkomi/ ‘wife’, /o/ /jora/ ‘river’, /u/ /uind̪æ/ ‘clay’.
The consonant sounds have voiced, voiceless, aspirated, unaspirated and nasal stop sounds and glottal fricative sound /H/.
Toto has the diphthongs such as |eu|, |ia|, /oi/ /ɑi/ and /ou/ and /ui/. Consider the following examples: /ieu/, /iabri/, /oiTa/, /hɑimi/, /mouTo/ and /uind̪æ/.
The vowels can be nasalized, such as /tũ/ ‘six’.
In Toto grammar, they use several word-particle to refer to different meaning, such as ‘ba’ is used for plurality, ‘ta’ is used for direction, ‘Ti’ for liquid state materials etc.
They use ‘co’ for numeral numbers, such as-teco- ‘ten’, kuco- ‘nine’ etc. The higher numbers are counted in addition and multiplication of lower numbers, e.g. maco kai- hundrer (maco ‘five’ and kai ‘twenty’).
The language exhibits SOV word-order.
ku ico ceMwɑ nyo
My one son have
‘I have one son.’
The negative morpheme in Toto is -mɑ, -mo. The neg particle is attached with the verb and lost its ‘ɑ’ or ‘o’ sound.
Ka nati lemkoro
I you leave.Neg.pres.cont
‘I am not leaving you.’
Toto people use their mother-tongue at the home domain and village domain. However, while communicating at the market domain or other places outside of their village or community they use Nepali and Bangla as these two are the dominant languages in the area.
In present days, Toto community members are working on the development of their script as has been told to the surveyor team by the community people. Some books on the history and lineage of the language, culture are available now by the initiation of the community people along with the interest of researchers working on Toto community.