View source for Toto language

{{short description|Sino-Tibetan language}}
{{Infobox language
| name             = Toto
| nativename       = {{lang|txo-toto|𞊒𞊪𞊒𞊪}},  {{lang|txo-beng|টোটো}}
| image            = {{Photomontage|position=center
|photo1a = Shukla Toto T.svg
|photo2a = বাংলা লিপিতে টোটো শব্দ.svg
| size = 200 
| spacing = 2
| color =0
| border = 0 
| foot_montage =}}
| region           = [[West Bengal]]
| ethnicity        = [[Toto people|Toto]]
| speakers         = 1,411
| imagecaption     = The word "Toto" in Toto and [[Bengali alphabet|Bengali]] script
| date             = 2014
| ref              = <ref name="Languages of India">{{cite web|url=http://languageinindia.com/june2014/chibiramtotophonology1.pdf|title= Languages of India|date= |accessdate=2015-02-08}}|</ref>
| familycolor      = Sino-Tibetan
| fam2             = [[Tibeto-Burman languages|Tibeto-Burman]]
| fam3             = [[Kiranti languages|Kiranti]] (?)
| fam4             = [[Dhimalish languages|Dhimalish]]
| script           = [[Bengali alphabet|Bengali script]] and [[Toto script]]
| iso3             = txo
| glotto           = toto1302
| glottorefname    = Toto
| map2             = Lang Status 20-CR.svg
| mapcaption2      = {{center|{{small|Toto is classified as Critically Endangered language by the [[UNESCO]] ''[[Atlas of the World's Languages in Danger]]''}}<ref>{{Cite UNESCO Atlas|pages=43–47}}</ref>}}
| map              = [[File:Toto.Map.png|200px]]
| mapcaption       = Map of the Toto language
}}
{{Contains special characters
| special    = Toto [[Unicode]] characters
| fix        = Help:Multilingual_support#Toto_script
| image      = Replacement character.svg
| link       = Specials (Unicode block)#Replacement character
| alt        = <?>
| compact    = yes
}}
'''Toto''' ([[Bengali script|Bengali]]: {{lang|txo-beng|টোটো}}, [[Toto (script)|Toto]]: {{lang|txo-toto|𞊒𞊪𞊒𞊪}}) is a [[Sino-Tibetan languages|Sino-Tibetan]] language spoken on the border of [[India]] and [[Bhutan]], by the tribal [[Toto people]] in [[Totopara, West Bengal]] along the border with [[Bhutan]]. It is also spoken in Subhapara, Dhunchipara, and Panchayatpara hillocks on India-Bhutan border in [[Jalpaiguri district]], [[West Bengal]] (''[[Ethnologue]]'').

==Status==
Toto is listed as a [[list of endangered languages in India|critically endangered language]] by [[UNESCO]], with perhaps 1,000 speakers.<ref name="doherty">{{cite web|title=India's tribal people fast becoming lost for words|date=April 29, 2012|work=The Age|author=Ben Doherty|url=http://www.theage.com.au/world/indias-tribal-people-fast-becoming-lost-for-words-20120429-1xted.html |accessdate=2015-02-08}}</ref> However, most families in the community speak Toto at home. Most children learn Toto at home, although they use [[Bengali language|Bengali]] in school.

[[Anthropological Survey of India]] (AnSI) set out to conduct a study on language of the Toto tribe, whose population has dwindled to 1,536, they did not realize that the language is more endangered than the tribe itself. Researchers as well the members of the Toto community admit that the language is under threat and the influence of other languages, particularly [[Nepali language|Nepali]] and Bengali, is increasing day by day.<ref name= Singh>{{cite web |last1=Singh |first1=Shiv Sahay |title=Toto language more endangered than tribe |url=https://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/kolkata/toto-language-more-endangered-than-tribe/article6270931.ece |website=The Hindu |accessdate=18 December 2019 |date=1 August 2014}}</ref>

The [[Himalayan Languages Project]] is working on the first grammatical sketch of Toto.

==Phonology==
Toto consists of 25 segmental phonemes, of which 19 are consonants and six are vowels. The phonemes of this language are as follows:

=== Vowels ===
There are six vowel phonemes in the Toto language: /i/, /e/, /ə/, /a/, /o/, /u/. They can be classified:
* horizontally into three groups as front unrounded, central unrounded and back rounded vowels;
* vertically into four groups as close, close-mid, open-mid and open.

There are eight diphthongs realized in Toto, these are:
* /eu/ — occurring in initial and medial positions,
* /au/, /ou/ — occurring only in the medial position,
* /ei/, /əi/, /ai/, /oi/ — occurring in medial and final positions, and
* /ui/ — occurring in all positions.<ref name="Languages of India"/>

The following minimal pairs establish the phonetics status of the vowel:
; /i/~/e/
: /iŋ/ 'brother in-law', vs. /eŋ/ 'ginger'
: /ciwa/ 'tear', vs. /cewa/ 'cut' (cloth)
; /i/~/a/
: /guJi/ 'owl', vs. /guJa/ 'pocket'
: /nico/ 'fire', vs. /naco/ 'two'
; /i/~/u/
: /Jiya/ 'rat', vs. /Juya/ 'bird'
; /ei/~/əi/
; /e/~/a/
: /lepa/ 'brain', vs. /lapa/ 'jungle betel leaf'
: /kewa/ 'birth', vs. /kawa/ 'sound'
; /e/~/o/
: /je/ 'grass', vs. /jo/ 'breast'

=== Consonants ===
With regards to consonants, Toto has an inventory of seven [[sonorant]]s (nasals and liquids) and twelve [[obstruent]]s (stops and fricative), eight of which are contrastive in voicing. It also distinguishes the voiceless obstruents /t/ and /p/ with their [[Aspirated consonant|aspirated]] equivalents /tʰ/ and /pʰ/, respectively.<ref name="Languages of India"/>

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="2" rowspan="2" |
! colspan="2" |[[Bilabial consonant|Bilabial]]
! colspan="2" |[[Alveolar consonant|Alveolar]]
! rowspan="2" |[[Palatal consonant|Palatal]]
! rowspan="2" |[[Velar consonant|Velar]]
! rowspan="2" |[[Glottal consonant|Glottal]]
|-
!<small>plain</small>
![[Aspirated consonant|<small>aspirated</small>]]
!<small>plain</small>
![[Aspirated consonant|<small>aspirated</small>]]
|-
! rowspan="2" |[[Stop consonant|Stop]]
!<small>voiceless</small>
|[[Voiceless bilabial stop|p]]
|pʰ
|[[Voiceless dental and alveolar stops|t]]
|tʰ
|[[Voiceless palatal stop|c]]
|[[Voiceless velar stop|k]]
|
|-
![[Voice (phonetics)|<small>voiced</small>]]
|[[Voiced bilabial stop|b]]
|
|[[Voiced dental and alveolar stops|d]]
|
|[[Voiced palatal stop|ɟ]]
|[[Voiced velar stop|ɡ]]
|
|-
! colspan="2" |[[Fricative consonant|Fricative]]
|
|
|[[Voiceless alveolar fricative|s]]
|
|
|
|[[Voiceless glottal fricative|h]]
|-
! colspan="2" |[[Nasal consonant|Nasal]]
|[[Bilabial nasal|m]]
|
|[[Dental, alveolar and postalveolar nasals|n]]
|
|
|[[Velar nasal|ŋ]]
|
|-
! colspan="2" |[[Approximant consonant|Approximant]]
|
|
|[[Dental, alveolar and postalveolar lateral approximants|l]]
|
|[[Palatal approximant|j]]
|[[Voiced labio-velar approximant|w]]
|
|-
! colspan="2" |[[Trill consonant|Trill]]
|
|
|[[Dental, alveolar and postalveolar trills|r]]
|
|
|
|
|}

==Vocabulary==
Below are some Toto words from van Driem (1995), who uses these words to suggest that Toto may be a [[Sal languages|Sal language]].<ref name="vanDriem1995">van Driem, George. 1995. ''The Ṭoṭo language of the Bhutanese duars''. Paper presented at ICSTLL 28.</ref>
{{refbegin|20em}}
*{{transliteration|txo|aŋ-}} 'to drink'
*{{transliteration|txo|bɔcɔŋ}} 'shoulder'
*{{transliteration|txo|yoti}} 'cooking pot' (second syllable), cf. [[Dzongkha]] {{transliteration|dz|dî}} 'jug'
*{{transliteration|txo|uŋtí}} 'seed'
*{{transliteration|txo|haní}} 'today'
*{{transliteration|txo|tarí}} 'moon'
*{{transliteration|txo|lip-}} 'fall' (cf. [[Paul K. Benedict|Benedict]]'s [[Proto-Tibeto-Burman language|PTB]] {{lang|mis|*lip}}<!-- Proto-Tibeto-Burman --> 'dive, sink, drown')
*{{transliteration|txo|tɛ́bo}} 'big' (first syllable)
*{{transliteration|txo|así}} 'shit'
*{{transliteration|txo|daŋkre}} 'right' (vs. 'left')
*{{transliteration|txo|buibé}} 'stomach' (first syllable); the second syllable {{transliteration|txo|-be}} is cognate with Toto {{transliteration|txo|biyá}} 'meat'
*{{transliteration|txo|biyá}} 'meat'
*{{transliteration|txo|wɔteŋ}} 'bamboo species' (first syllable), [[Nepali language|Nepali]] {{transliteration|ne|ḍhuṅgre ko ghās}}
*{{transliteration|txo|maʔoŋ}} 'paddy'
*{{transliteration|txo|bagreŋ}} 'wing'
*{{transliteration|txo|saní}} 'sun'
*{{transliteration|txo|jâr-}} 'stand'
*{{transliteration|txo|anji}} 'yesterday'
*{{transliteration|txo|böidi}} 'navel'
*{{transliteration|txo|lâru-}} 'bring'
*{{transliteration|txo|em-}} 'to shit'
*{{transliteration|txo|jiŋ-}} 'sleep'
*{{transliteration|txo|cici}} 'urine'
*{{transliteration|txo|kiya}} 'dog'
*{{transliteration|txo|miŋ}} 'name'
*{{transliteration|txo|daŋ}} 'horn'
*{{transliteration|txo|maibe}} 'flower'
*{{transliteration|txo|pǘyɔ}} 'snake'
*{{transliteration|txo|luŋtü}} 'stone'
*{{transliteration|txo|lɛbɛ́}} 'tongue'
*{{transliteration|txo|maŋbü-}} 'to dream'
*{{transliteration|txo|nanuŋ}} 'ear'
*{{transliteration|txo|mico}} 'eye'
*{{transliteration|txo|ŋaya}} 'fish'
*{{transliteration|txo|musa}} 'body hair'
*{{transliteration|txo|ka}} 'I'
*{{transliteration|txo|taŋpa}} 'sole of the foot'
*{{transliteration|txo|paká}} 'pig'
*{{transliteration|txo|nati}} 'thou'
*{{transliteration|txo|satáŋ}} 'tooth'
*{{transliteration|txo|si-}} 'die'
*{{transliteration|txo|ca-}} 'eat'
*{{transliteration|txo|the-}} 'be sweet, taste sweet'
*{{transliteration|txo|toise}} 'mango' (suffix: {{transliteration|txo|-se}})
*{{transliteration|txo|daŋse}} '[[jackfruit]]' (suffix: {{transliteration|txo|-se}})
*{{transliteration|txo|sâ-}} 'kill'
*{{transliteration|txo|dai-}} 'dig'
*{{transliteration|txo|köitü}} 'egg'
*{{transliteration|txo|yuŋ-}} 'sit, stay'
*{{transliteration|txo|ti}} 'water'
*{{transliteration|txo|mití}} 'tear'
*{{transliteration|txo|totí}} 'spit'
*{{transliteration|txo|wɛtí}} 'rain'
*{{transliteration|txo|yutí}} 'blood'
*{{transliteration|txo|yutí}} 'milk'
*{{transliteration|txo|dikɔ́}} 'buffalo'
*{{transliteration|txo|ü-}} 'come down, descend'
*{{transliteration|txo|ŋɛtɔ́ŋ}} 'neck'
*{{transliteration|txo|to pa-}} 'weave'
*{{transliteration|txo|kai-}} 'cry'
*{{transliteration|txo|ŋɔká}} 'monkey'
*{{transliteration|txo|jüwɔ́}} 'mouse, rat'
{{refend}}

===Pronouns===
The Toto personal pronouns are (van Driem 1995):<ref name="vanDriem1995"/>
{| class="wikitable"
!  !! singular !! plural
|-
! first person
| {{Transliteration|txo|ka}}|| {{Transliteration|txo|kibi}}
|-
! second person
| {{Transliteration|txo|nati}}|| {{Transliteration|txo|natibi}}
|-
! third person
| {{Transliteration|txo|aku}}|| {{Transliteration|txo|abi}}
|}

===Numerals===
The Toto numerals are (van Driem 1995):<ref name="vanDriem1995"/>
{| class="wikitable"
! English numeral !! bare stem for counting !! counting humans !! counting animals !! inanimate objects
|-
! one
| {{Transliteration|txo|i}}|| {{Transliteration|txo|iccɔ}}|| {{Transliteration|txo|ippu}}|| {{Transliteration|txo|icce}}
|-
! two
| {{Transliteration|txo|ni}}|| {{Transliteration|txo|niso}}|| {{Transliteration|txo|nipu}}|| {{Transliteration|txo|nise}}
|-
! three
| {{Transliteration|txo|suŋ}}|| {{Transliteration|txo|sumcɔ}}|| {{Transliteration|txo|suŋpu}}|| {{Transliteration|txo|suŋse}}
|-
! four
| {{transliteration|txo|di}} || {{transliteration|txo|dicɔ}} || {{transliteration|txo|dipu}} || {{transliteration|txo|dise}}
|-
! five
| {{transliteration|txo|ŋa}} || {{transliteration|txo|ŋacɔ}} || {{transliteration|txo|ŋapu}} || {{transliteration|txo|ŋase}}
|-
! six
| {{transliteration|txo|tu}} || {{transliteration|txo|tukcɔ}} || {{transliteration|txo|tukpu}} || {{transliteration|txo|tuse}}
|-
! seven
| {{transliteration|txo|ni}} || {{transliteration|txo|nícɔ}} || {{transliteration|txo|nípu}} || {{transliteration|txo|níse}}
|-
! eight
| {{transliteration|txo|yâ}} || {{transliteration|txo|yấcɔ}} || {{transliteration|txo|yấpu}} || {{transliteration|txo|yấse}}
|-
! nine
| {{transliteration|txo|ku}} || {{transliteration|txo|kucɔ}} || {{transliteration|txo|kupu}} || {{transliteration|txo|kuse}}
|-
! ten
| {{transliteration|txo|tâ}} || {{transliteration|txo|tâcɔ}} || {{transliteration|txo|tâpu}} || {{transliteration|txo|tâse}}
|-
! eleven
| {{transliteration|txo|eghâra}} || {{transliteration|txo|eghârcɔ}} || {{transliteration|txo|eghârpu}} || {{transliteration|txo|eghârse}}
|-
! twelve
| {{transliteration|txo|bâra}} || {{transliteration|txo|bârcɔ}} || {{transliteration|txo|bârpu}} || {{transliteration|txo|bârse}}
|-
! twenty
| {{transliteration|txo|ikai}} || {{transliteration|txo|ikai cɔ}} || {{transliteration|txo|ikai pu}} || {{transliteration|txo|ikai se}}
|-
! twenty-one
| {{transliteration|txo|ikai-so i}} || {{transliteration|txo|ikai-so iccɔ}} || {{transliteration|txo|ikai-so ippu}} || {{transliteration|txo|ikai-so icce}}
|-
! thirty
| {{transliteration|txo|ikai-so tâ}} || {{transliteration|txo|ikai-so tâcɔ}} || {{transliteration|txo|ikai-so tâpu}} || {{transliteration|txo|ikai-so tâse}}
|-
! forty
| {{transliteration|txo|nikai}} || {{transliteration|txo|nikai cɔ}} || {{transliteration|txo|nikai pu}} || {{transliteration|txo|nikai se}}
|-
! fifty
| {{transliteration|txo|nikai-so tâ}} || {{transliteration|txo|nikai-so tâcɔ}} || {{transliteration|txo|nikai-so tâpu}} || {{transliteration|txo|nikai-so tâse}}
|-
! sixty
| {{transliteration|txo|suŋkai}} || {{transliteration|txo|suŋkai cɔ}} || {{transliteration|txo|suŋkai pu}} || {{transliteration|txo|suŋkai se}}
|}

*

==Writing system==
{{Infobox writing system
| name        = Toto script
| altname     = {{script|Toto|𞊒𞊪𞊒𞊪}}
| type        = [[Alphabet]]
| typedesc    = 
| languages   = Toto
| region      = [[Bengal]]
| creator     = Dhaniram Toto
| date        = 
| published   = 2015
| time        = 
| fam1        = 
| fam2        = 
| fam3        = 
| footnotes   = 
| print       = 
| sample      = 
| imagesize   = 
| unicode     = [https://www.unicode.org/charts/PDF/U1E290.pdf U+1E290&ndash;U+1E2BF]
| iso15924    = Toto
| iso15924 note = 
| note        = none
}}

An [[alphabet]]ic script developed for the language by community elder and author, [[Dhaniram Toto]], was published in 2015, and has seen limited but increasing use in literature, education, and computing; most significantly, the Toto alphabet was added to the [[Unicode]] Standard in September, 2021. Prior to the publication of this script, Dhaniram Toto and other members of the community (whose literacy rate as per sample survey carried out in 2003 was just 33.64 per cent) penned books and poems in the [[Bengali alphabet|Bengali script]].<ref name= Singh />

===Unicode===
{{Main|Toto (Unicode block)}}
The Toto alphabet was added to the [[Unicode]] Standard in September, 2021 with the release of version 14.0.

The Unicode block for Toto is U+1E290–U+1E2BF:

{{Unicode chart Toto}}

==See also==
*[[Wiktionary:Appendix:Dhimalish comparative vocabulary list|Dhimalish comparative vocabulary list]] (Wiktionary)

==Notes==
{{reflist}}

==References==
{{refbegin}}
*Amitabha, S. (1993). Toto, Society and Change: A Sub-Himalayan Tribe of West Bengal. Firma KLM.
*Basumatary, C. (2014). The Phonological Study of Toto Language. Language in India, 14:6, 59–84. Retrieved February 9, 2015, from http://languageinindia.com/june2014/chibiramtotophonology1.pdf
*Chaudhuri, B. (1992). Tribal Transformation in India. New Delhi, India: Inter-India Publications.
*Doherty, B. (2012, April 29). India's Tribal People Fast Becoming Lost for Words. Retrieved February 8, 2015, from http://www.smh.com.au/world/indias-tribal-people-fast-becoming-lost-for-words-20120429-1xted.html
*{{Linguistic Survey of India|3|1}}
*Mehrotra, R. (1974). Endangered Languages in India. International Journal of the Sociology of Language, 105–114. Retrieved February 9, 2015, from https://web.archive.org/web/20111016074549/http://www.degruyter.de/journals/ijsl/detailEn.cfm
*Perumalsamy P (2016) "Toto Language" in Linguistic Survey of India West Bengal Volume I by Office of the Registrar General India: New Delhi pp 628–702 https://censusindia.gov.in/nada/index.php/catalog/34826
*Singh, S. (2014, August 1). Toto Language More Endangered Than Tribe. Retrieved February 8, 2015, from http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/kolkata/toto-language-more-endangered-than-tribe/article6270931.ece
*van Driem, G., & Bronkhorst, J. (2001). Languages of the Himalayas: An Ethnolinguistic Handbook of the  Greater Himalayan Region Containing an Introduction to the Symbiotic Theory of Language (pp.&nbsp;559–760). Leiden, Netherlands: Brill Academic Pub.
*van Driem, G. (2007). South Asia and Middle East. In C. Moseley (Ed.), Encyclopedia of the World's Endangered Languages (pp.&nbsp;289–348). London and New York: Routledge.
*van Driem, George. 1995. ''The Ṭoṭo language of the Bhutanese duars''. Paper presented at ICSTLL 28.
{{refend}}

==External links==
*[http://www.smh.com.au/world/indias-tribal-people-fast-becoming-lost-for-words-20120429-1xt06.html India's Tribal People Fast Becoming Lost for Words]
*[http://wbnorthbengaldev.gov.in/HtmlPage/toto.aspx About Toto People]
*[http://www.unesco.org/culture/en/endangeredlanguages/atlas Atlas of the World's Languages in Danger]
*[http://www.oralliterature.org/ World Oral Literature Project]
*[http://www.ethnologue.com/ Ethnologue: Languages of the World, 16th Edition (2009)]
*[http://www.censusindia.gov.in/2011-documents/lsi/lsi_wb/5TOTO.pdf]

{{Sino-Tibetan languages}}
{{Kiranti languages}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Toto Language}}
[[Category:Kiranti languages]]
[[Category:Languages of India]]
[[Category:Languages of Bhutan]]
[[Category:Endangered languages of India]]