03-01-277

277

DHML.

　The Dhml dialect is spoken by a small tribe in the Darjeeling Terai. No estimates of the number of speakers have been forwarded for the purposes of this Survey. At the last Census of 1901 the figures were as follows:-

　　　　BENGAL PRESIDENCY-

Darjeeling...	607
ASSAM...	4
TOTAL.	611

　A full vocabulary and a grammatical sketch of the dialect have been published by Hodgson. No new materials have been forthcoming for the purposes of this Survey, and the remarks on Dhml which follow are therefore entirely based on the materials collected by Hodgson. The same is the case with the list of Standard Words and Phrases on pp. 408 and ff.

　 AUTHORITIES-

HODGSON, B.H.,	-On the Kocch, Bd, and Dhiml tribes. Calcutta, 1847. Reprinted in Miscellaneous Essays relating to Indian Subjects, Vol. i, London, 1880, pp. 1 and ff. -On the Aborigines of North-Eastern India. Journal of the Asistic Society of Bengal, Vol. xviii, Part i, 1849, pp. 451 and ff. Reprinted in Miscellaneous Essays, Vol. ii, pp. 1 and ff.
HUNTER, W.W.,	-A Comparative Dictionary of the Languages of India and High Asia. London, 1868.
DALTON, E.T.,	-Descriptive Ethnology of Bengal. Calcutta, 1872. Dhimal vocabulary, after Hodgson, on pp. 93 and ff.
ELLIOTT, C.A.,	-Report on the Census of Assam for 1891. Calcutta, 1883, p. 80.
GAIT, E.A.,	-Report on the Census of Assam for 1891. Shillong 1892, paras. 161-184.

　Article.-There is no article. The numeral e, one, is used as an indefinite article, and definiteness is indicated by means of demonstrative pronouns.

　Nouns.-Gender.-Gender is indicated by using different words or by prefixing dnkh, dhngi, male; mahani, bhundi, female, etc. Thus, k, husband; b, wife: w-val, man; b-val, woman: w-jan, boy; b-jan, girl: dnkh kh, male dog; maha- ni kh, bitch: dhngi kia, cock; bhndi kia, hen.

　Number.-The plural is not marked when it appears from the context. The usual plural suffix is galai; thus, chan galai, children.

　Case.-The subject of intransitive verbs and the object are not distinguished by any suffix. The subject of trausitive verbs is usually put in the case of the agent, which is formed by adding the suffix dong. The dative, which is sometimes also used as an accusative, is formed by adding ng. The suffix of the ablative, which is also often used to denote the agent, is sho; that of the genitive ko, and that of the locative t. Thus, dong m-lk w-jan-galai-sho ghintng wng, dng lk b-jan-galai-ng p, these not good boys-from take it, those good girls-to give; khn-dong ch-nn-ch-h, tiger-by killed, a tiger killed him; dong king-ko da, this (is) our buffalo; bada s-t, in a big house.

　Adjectives.-Adjectives usually precede, but sometimes also follow the noun they qualify; thus, lk chan-galai, good children.

　The particle of comparison is nh-dong, which is usually preceded by the compared noun in the genitive. Thus, -k nh-dong dhng, him than tall, taller; sogiming-ko