03-01-490

490

DRMIY.

　The Patti of Darma forms part of the Pargana of Darma in Almora. It is bounded on the north by Tibet; on the west by the chain containing the Panchachuli group and the Chhipula peak; on the south by a line drawn from the latter peak due east to the Kali River, and on the east by the chain culminating in Yirgnajung separating it from the Byangs Valley and Patti Chaudangs. Darma is sub-divided into the Malla and Talla, i.e. upper and lower pattis.

　The inhabitants are Bhis, and their number was estimated for this Survey at 1,761.

　A version of the Parable of the Prodigal Son and a translation of well-known popular tale have been forwarded from the district, together with a list of Standard Words and Phrases. The materials are not satisfactory, but they form the only basis of the remarks on Drmiy which follow.

　Drmiy is closely related to the dialects spoken in the neighbouring districts of Byangs and Chaudangs. It has been much influenced by Aryan forms of speech in vocabulary and grammar, not however to the same extent as Chaudngs.

　Pronunciation.-The phonetic system is richly developed. The vowels a, i, and u are both short and long. E and o are always marked as long. The marking of the other long vowels is not, however, consistent.

　Final vowels are often interchanged or dropped. Thus the genitive suffix occurs in the forms g, g, gai, and g; the suffix of the case of the agent is s, sai, and s; the verbal noun ends in m, m and m, and so forth.

　Vowels are also often dropped in unaccented syllables. Compare luk-ch and ka-lk-cho, became; ka-p-tng-s, was found again (p); ka-p-d-s, gave back, returned; r-ln-ch and r-lan-ch, coming, and so forth.

　It has already been mentioned that and often interchange; thus, tad and tad, that; the locative suffix r or r, and so forth. Ai is interchangeable with and in the suffixes of the genitive and in the case of the agent. Ai also interchanges with in the base sai, s, strike.

　I am not sure how the sound which has been transliterated ng is pronounced. It seems probable that ng sometimes denotes the nasal pronunciation of the preceding vowel and sometimes the guttural nasal.

　With regard to consonants there are gutturals, palatals, cerebrals, dentals and labials, of aspirated soft consonants only dh, h and bh occur.

　There are two s-sounds, a dental s and a palatal sh, a dental r and a cerebral , but apparently no z or zh.

　Hard and soft consonants are often interchanged; thus, ka-k-s and g-s, made; khai-ch and khai-j, other; il and id, that; ph and b, father. It seems probable that we have here really aspirated soft consonants which are often also pronounced in such a way as to be hardly distinguishable from the corresponding hard sounds.

　Aspirated and unaspirated letters are sometimes interchanged; thus, ap and aph, own; luk-ch and lhik-ch, became.