imported>Ser Amantio di Nicolao: Removing from Category:Languages of India in subcat using Cat-a-lot

2021-08-26T22:49:03Z

Removing from Category:Languages of India in subcat using Cat-a-lot

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{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2020}}
{{Use Indian English|date=July 2020}}
{{Infobox language
|name=Toda
|altname=Tōtā
|nativename=தோதா
| pronunciation = {{IPA-to|t̪oːd̪ɑː|}}
|states=[[India]]
|region=[[Nilgiris district|Nilgiri Hills]]
|speakers={{sigfig|1560|2}}
|date=2001 census
|ref=e18
|familycolor=Dravidian
|fam2=[[Southern Dravidian languages|Southern]]
|fam3=[[Tamil-Kannada languages|Tamil–Kannada]]
|fam4=[[Tamil-Kodagu languages|Tamil–Kodagu]]
|fam5=[[Toda-Kota languages|Toda–Kota]]
|script=[[Tamil alphabet]] ([[Brahmic scripts|Brahmic]])<ref>[https://www.omniglot.com/writing/toda.htm Toda language and script], Omniglot.</ref>
|iso3=tcx
|glotto=toda1252
|glottorefname=Toda
|notice=Indic
|notice2=IPA
}}

'''Toda''' is a [[Dravidian languages|Dravidian language]] noted for its many [[fricative consonant|fricatives]] and [[trill consonant|trills]]. It is spoken by the [[Toda people]], a population of about one thousand who live in the [[Nilgiris (mountains)|Nilgiri Hills]] of southern [[India]]. The Toda language originated from [[Toda-Kota]] subgroup of South Dravidian.

==Phonemic inventory==

===Vowels===

For a Dravidian language, Toda's sixteen vowels is an unusually large number. There are eight vowel qualities, each of which may occur long or short. There is little difference in quality between the long and short vowels, except for {{IPA|/e/}}, which occurs as {{IPA|[e]}} when short and as {{IPA|[æː]}} when long.<ref name="Spajić"/>

{|class="wikitable"style=text-align:center
|-
!rowspan=2|
!colspan=2|[[Front vowel|Front]]
!colspan=2|[[Central vowel|Central]]
!colspan=2|[[Back vowel|Back]]
|-
!{{small|Unrounded}}
!{{small|Rounded}}
!{{small|Unrounded}}
!{{small|Rounded}}
!{{small|Unrounded}}
!{{small|Rounded}}
|-
![[Close vowel|Close]]
|{{IPA|i}}
|{{IPA|y}}
|{{IPA|ɨ}}
|||
|{{IPA|u}}
|-
![[Mid vowel|Mid]]
|{{IPA|e}}
|||
|{{IPA|ɵ}}
|
|{{IPA|o}}
|-
![[Open vowel|Open]]
|||||||
|{{IPA|ɑ}}
|
|}

===Consonants===

Toda has an unusually large number of fricatives and trills. Its seven [[place of articulation|places of articulation]] are the most for any Dravidian language. The voiceless [[lateral consonant|laterals]] are true fricatives, not voiceless [[approximant consonant|approximants]]; the [[Voiceless retroflex lateral fricative|retroflex lateral]] is highly unusual among the world's languages.<ref name="Spajić">Spajić et al. (1994)</ref>

[[voiceless consonant|Voiceless]] fricatives are [[allophone|allophonically]] [[voiced consonant|voiced]] intervocalically in Toda. There are also the invariably voiced fricatives {{IPA|/ʒ, ʐ, ɣ/}}, though the latter is marginal. The [[nasal consonant|nasals]] and {{IPA|/r̠, ɽr, j/}} are allophonically devoiced or partially devoiced in final position or next to voiceless consonants.<ref name="Spajić"/>

{|class="wikitable" style=text-align:center
|-
! colspan=2 rowspan=2|
!rowspan=2| [[Labial consonant|Labial]]
!colspan=2| [[Denti-alveolar consonant|Denti- alveolar]]
!colspan=2| [[Apical consonant|Apical]] [[Alveolar consonant|alveolar]]
!colspan=2| Apical [[post-alveolar consonant|post-alveolar]]
!rowspan=2| [[Palato-alveolar consonant|Laminal post- alveolar]]
!colspan=2| [[Retroflex consonant|Retroflex]]
!rowspan=2| [[Palatal consonant|Palatal]]
!rowspan=2| [[Velar consonant|Velar]]
|-
! plain
! [[Sibilant|sib.]]
! plain
! [[Palatalization (phonetics)|pal.]]
! plain
! pal.
! plain
! pal.
|-
! colspan=2| [[Nasal consonant|Nasal]]
| '''{{IPAlink|m}}'''
|
|
|
|
| '''{{IPAlink|n̠}}'''
|
|
| {{IPAlink|ɳ}}
|
|
|
|-
! rowspan=2| [[Plosive]]/ [[Affricate consonant|Affricate]]
! {{small|[[voicelessness|voiceless]]}}
| '''{{IPAlink|p}}'''
| '''{{IPAlink|t̪}}'''
| {{IPAlink|t̪s̪}}
|
|
| {{IPA|t̠}}
|
| {{IPAlink|tʃ}}
| {{IPAlink|ʈ}}
|
|
| '''{{IPAlink|k}}'''
|-
! {{small|[[voice (phonetics)|voiced]]}}
| {{IPAlink|b}}
| {{IPAlink|d̪}}
| {{IPAlink|d̪z̪}}
|
|
| {{IPA|d̠}}
|
| {{IPAlink|dʒ}}
| {{IPAlink|ɖ}}
|
|
| {{IPAlink|ɡ}}
|-
!rowspan=3| [[Fricative consonant|Fricative]]
! {{small|[[voicelessness|voiceless]]}}
| '''{{IPAlink|f}}'''
| {{IPAlink|θ}}
| '''{{IPAlink|s̪}}'''
|
|
| {{IPAlink|s̠}}
|
| {{IPAlink|ʃ}}
| {{IPAlink|ʂ}}
|
|
| {{IPAlink|x}}
|-
! {{small|[[voice (phonetics)|voiced]]}}
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| {{IPAlink|ʒ}}
| {{IPAlink|ʐ}}
|
|
| ({{IPAlink|ɣ}})
|-
! {{small|[[Lateral consonant#Fricatives|Lateral]]}}
|
| {{IPAlink|ɬ̪}}
|
|
|
|
|
|
| {{IPAlink|ɭ̊˔}}
|
|
|
|-
! colspan=2| [[Approximant consonant|Approximant]]
|
| '''{{IPAlink|l̪}}'''
|
|
|
|
|
|
| {{IPAlink|ɭ}}
|
| '''{{IPAlink|j}}'''
| '''{{IPAlink|w}}'''
|-
! colspan=2| [[Trill consonant|Trill]]
|
|
|
| '''{{IPA|r̘}}'''
| {{IPA|r̘ʲ}}
| {{IPA|r̠}}
| {{IPA|r̠ʲ}}
|
| {{IPAlink|ɽr}}
| {{IPA|ɽrʲ}}
|
|
|}

All of these consonants may occur in word-medial and word-final positions. However, only a restricted set occur word-initially. These are {{IPA|/p, t̪, k, f, s̪, m, n̠, r̘, l̪, j, w/,}} in boldface above.

Unlike the other dental consonants, {{IPA|/θ/}} is [[Interdental consonant|interdental]]. Similarly, {{IPA|/f/}} is [[Labiodental consonant|labiodental]] whereas the other labials are [[Bilabial consonant|bilabial]].{{fact|date=July 2020}}

Apical consonants are either alveolar or postalveolar. The actual feature that distinguishes {{IPA|/r̘/}} and {{IPA|/r̠/}} is uncertain. They have the same primary place of articulation. Spajić and colleagues have found that the rhotic that may occur word initially (erroneously called "[[dental consonant|dental]]" in previous literature, perhaps because Dravidian coronals tend to be dental by default) has a [[secondary articulation]], which they have tentatively identified as [[advanced tongue root]] until further measurements can be made. This analysis is assumed in the transcription {{IPA|/r̘/}}.{{fact|date=July 2020}}

Another difference between them is that {{IPA|/r̘/}} is the least strongly trilled, most often occurring with a single contact. However, unlike a [[flap consonant|flap]], multiple contacts are normal, if less common, and {{IPA|/r̘/}} is easily distinguishable from the other trills when they are all produced with the same number of contacts.{{fact|date=July 2020}}

The retroflex consonants are [[subapical consonant|subapical]]. Retroflex {{IPA|/ɽr/}} is more strongly trilled than the other rhotics. However, it is not purely retroflex. Although the tongue starts out in a [[sub-apical consonant|sub-apical]] retroflex position, trilling involves the tip of the tongue, and this causes it to move forward toward the alveolar ridge. This means that the retroflex trill gives a preceding vowel retroflex coloration the way other retroflex consonants do, but that the vibration itself is not much different from the other trills.{{fact|date=July 2020}}

==See also==
* [[E. E. Speight]], who was compiling a Toda grammar in the period before his death<ref name="walsh">{{cite news|title=Ernest Speight - A Portrait|last=Walsh|first=R R|date=15 April 1953|work=The Sunday Statesman |quote=During his retirement he lived alone, devoting himself to the care of his fascinating library and extensive collection of Japanese art treasures and antiques. and the study of the language and customs and mythology of the Nilgiri hill tribes, the Badagas. He was compiling a Toda grammar when he died}}</ref>

==Notes==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
* [http://www.endangeredlanguages.com/lang/5103 The Toda Language], as part of the Endangered Languages project
* [http://archive.phonetics.ucla.edu/Language/TCX/tcx.html Toda] at the [[UCLA]] Phonetics Archive

==Bibliography==
* Emeneau, Murray B. 1984. ''Toda Grammar and Texts''. American Philosophical Society, Memoirs Series, 155. Philadelphia: American Philosophical Society.
* Siniša Spajić, Peter Ladefoged, P. Bhaskararao, 1994. "The rhotics of Toda". In ''UCLA Working Papers in Phonetics 87: Fieldwork Studies of Targeted Languages II''.

{{Dravidian languages}}
{{Languages of Tamil Nadu}}
{{Languages spoken in Kerala}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Toda Language}}
[[Category:Agglutinative languages]]
[[Category:Dravidian languages]]
[[Category:Languages of Tamil Nadu]]
[[Category:Languages of Kerala]]

Toda language - Revision history

imported>Ser Amantio di Nicolao: Removing from Category:Languages of India in subcat using Cat-a-lot