OCT. — DEC. 1856.] Toda Vocabulary, 
VIII. A Vocabulary of the Dialect spoken by the Todas of the 
NiLAGiRi mountains. By the Rev, F. Metz of the German 
Evangelical Mission, 
[Previous notices have appeared in this Journal, descriptive of the man- 
ners and customs of this peculiar race, the Todas, Vide an article entitled, 
*' The antiquities of the Ncilgheny Hills, including an inquiry into the de- 
*' scent of the Thautawars or Todars. By Captain H. Co7igreve" Vol. XIV. 
No. 32, 1847. See also An*Essay on the Relationship of Languages and 
" Nations. By the Eev. Bernhard Schmid:' Vol. V. Ko. 14, 1837. But no- 
thing like an useful Vocabulary of the Toda language has yet been publish- 
ed. Ed. M. Jouk.] 
The pectoral pronunciation of the Todas in speaking their 
language is the reason why so many Europeans, who heard 
them speak, believed that it had no relationship at all with 
any of the S. Indian languages. If these Europeans had lived 
lousier am ono^ the Todas andif thev had understood the Bada- 
ga dialect, they could not have given such an opinion. In my 
opinion the Toda language is a rude dialect of old Canarese 
and I can find nearlv all its words in the Badao-a Ian- 
guage, only I must keep in mind, that according to the rules 
of Toda pronunciation a common Canarese word is so much 
changed that it is difficult to recognize it again as such and 
it requires a long time to get the ear accustomed to their 
jungle language. I find it nearly impossible to get their lan- 
guage reduced to writing with such perfection, that any one 
who reads my Toda words can be understood by the Todas. 
On this account I may say, that the Toda language can- 
not be properly learned except by living amongst the Todas 
and by hearing their conversations. 
As the whole life of a Toda is concentrated inhis Buffaloes 
and as no great variety of words is required for the purposes 
