Appendia EK. 251 
APPENDIX E. 
Language of Dravidian Aborigines. Notes on the Oraon Language.— 
By the Rev. F. Barscu, 
Nouns. 
The language is very defective in nouns. It is evident that the 
Oraons have lost much of their own language, and that they have 
made up their losses from the languages of the people amongst 
whom they have dwelt, chiefly Sanskrit and Hindustani. They have 
no original religious terms, no abstract ideas, no words for actions of 
the mind or thoughts. 
GENDER. 
Tn Oraon there are two genders, the masculine and the feminine, but 
there are very few nouns of the latter. 
Whether the noun is a masculine or feminine is only to be found 
in the termination of the verb. Inthe declension, the gender is not 
or only very seldom expressed. 
DECLENSION. 
There are all the usages of the Hindi language to be found in the 
Oraon. The oblique cases are also formed by postpositions. 
Note. Pronunciation of the Roman characters as used in writing the Oraon 
words. 
& like a in father e like e in pee 
th gy tele aps = rellke) OF 5 oN Oy aan SO 
I 5 5 ean) police BH gy EM oy STIS 
les 0 am TOMA au , Ow , owl 
Th ey eg al ch ,, ch ,, church 
Tepieeys eee wre SOL ch as in German doch, loch 
