1850.] 



Language of the Gonds. 



45 



dissemination of the numeral one, in many languages, there is Mr. 

 Schmid's remark, deserving attention, which is, that the pronoun I 

 Hi various similar sounds, was among men the first object, and was 

 then applied to signify one in number ; just as in a certain slang 

 w to take care of number one," means " to take care of one's self." In 

 Dr. Maxwell's vocabulary he evidently gives the Wodiah numerals, 

 as adopted by the Gonds ; but it is also evident that they have their 

 own, for from two phrases I make out anni and anu as used for one. 

 Mr. Stevenson gave rendu, which is clearly a mistake, as that word 

 must mean two ; the same as in Telugu, and Tamil. Dr. Maxwell 

 gave amu for we, which is nearer to the Todar dialect than Amat. I 

 am satisfied that, as regards 1 and one, the Todaver, the Tamil, the 

 Canarese and the Gondi, are one and the same word. The means, 

 in my possession of comparing the Gondi, with the Todaver tongue 

 are very small ; but I will glance at the subject before I close, with 

 a view to stimulate the attention of others, for it would seem that 

 ample means of comparison do exist. 



To continue — Ima thou, lmat you, both are nearly the Tamil 

 accusative plural ummai, and they resemble the old Canarese inflexion 

 of the first person I and we. Niwa thine, is almost equally Telugu, 

 and Tamil, Nik* to thee, in Telugu is Nikee ; the ablative Niwal, 

 from thee, as before, blends the Telugu and Tamil. In the plural 

 Mik is the Telugu Miku; the ablative, Miwal from you, is Telugu 

 with Tamil termination. 



Wor or Wur he is simply the Telugu vddu he, or vdru they ; but 

 Wonal singular, and Woral plural from him, from them, take the Ta- 

 mil termination of the instrumental ablative. 



jld, she or it, imitates the Telugu in wanting a proper feminine 

 pronoun. In Tamil adhu, with its cases, is only the neuter it. Av 

 plural, they, follows the Tamil Avvai ; only avenal torn them, would 

 in Tamil mean, by him. Id fem. and neut. this, is in Tamil neuter 

 only : the plural iv is like the Tamil ivvai. In both these pronouns the 

 resemblance to the Canarese is close : the Tamil, Canarese, and 

 Gondi appear as if one speech. 



8. Of verbs. In these I can perceive little grammatical affinity, 

 save that am, of the first person plural, nearly agrees with the Tamil 

 termination of that case ; and that the neuter plural 3rd person any is 



* See also Postscript. 



