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Context

• A language spoken by barely 1,600 people living in parts of West Bengal bordering Bhutan is to get a dictionary, thanks to the efforts of a professor at the University of Calcutta.

Details

Toto Language

• Toto is a Sino-Tibetan language spoken by the Toto tribal people, primarily in parts of West Bengal bordering Bhutan.
• It is a minority language spoken by approximately 1,600 individuals.
• Toto is traditionally a spoken language, and although a script was developed in 2015 by Dhaniram Toto, many Toto people still write in the Bengali script or use the Bengali language for written communication.
• They inhabit Totopara, West Bengal, near the border with Bhutan. The language is also spoken in other areas along the India-Bhutan border in Jalpaiguri district, West Bengal.
• Endangered Status: Toto is considered a critically endangered language by UNESCO, with an estimated 1,000 speakers or fewer. Despite this endangered status, many families within the Toto community still use the language at home. It is often the primary language children learn at home, although they use Bengali when attending school.
• Language Preservation Efforts: Researchers and members of the Toto community are aware of the endangered status of the language. The influence of other languages, particularly Nepali and Bengali, is increasing, posing a threat to Toto. Efforts are being made to document and preserve the language, including the Himalayan Languages Project's work on creating the first grammatical sketch of Toto.
• Anthropological Study: The Anthropological Survey of India (AnSI) has conducted a study on the language of the Toto tribe. Despite the tribe's small population, the language is even more endangered. This underscores the urgency of preserving and revitalizing the Toto language.

Dictionary Project

• The University of Calcutta, in collaboration with Bhakta Toto, a bank employee and poet, has undertaken the initiative to create a trilingual dictionary called "Toto Shabda Sangraha."
• This dictionary aims to document the vocabulary of the Toto language and translate it into both Bengali and English.

Preservation Efforts

• This dictionary is a significant step in preserving the Toto language, which has been primarily an oral language.
• By putting its vocabulary into print and making it available in multiple languages, the aim is to ensure its survival and accessibility to a wider audience.

Bengali Script

• Since the Toto script is still in a nascent stage and the Toto community is more familiar with the Bengali script, the dictionary will present Toto words in the Bengali script, making it more accessible to the community.

Calcutta Comparatists 1919

• Mrinmoy Pramanick, an assistant professor at the University of Calcutta and the chairman of Calcutta Comparatists 1919, played a significant role in organizing this initiative.
• The trust aims to save marginal languages from extinction and promote them within academic circles.
• The trust plans to publish other works, such as "Uttal Torsa," a Bengali novel written by Dhaniram Toto, to further promote Toto culture and language.

Conclusion

Overall, this project is a commendable effort to preserve and promote linguistic diversity by creating a comprehensive dictionary for the Toto language, ensuring its continued existence and accessibility to future generations.

PRACTICE QUESTION Q. Which languages are increasingly influencing the Toto language and posing a threat to its preservation? A) Hindi and Kannada B) Nepali and Bengali C) Tamil and Telugu D) Marathi and Malayalam Answer: B)