03-03-191

191

BT.

　The Bt tribe is closely connected with Rngkhl, and on being, together with this latter tribe, driven out of the Lushai Hills by the Thdos, it also emigrated into North Cachar. Their number in this district is estimated at 630. There are also a few speakers in the Cachar Plains. Short vocabularies have been published by Messrs. Stewart and Soppitt. The Bt dialect is so closely related to Rngkhl and the connected languages that there is probably little reason to regret that it has been impossible to procure any specimens.

AUTHORITIES-

　STEWART, LIEUTENANT R.,-Notes on Northern Cachar. Journal of the Asiatic Society of Bengal, Vol. xxiv, 1855, pp. 582 and ff. Account of Old Kuki on pp. 617 and ff. Bt vocabulary on pp. 659 and ff.

　 DALTON, EDWARD TUITE,-Descriptive Ethnology of Bengal. Calcutta, 1872. R. Stewart's Old Kuki, i.e., Bt, vocabulary on pp. 75 and f.

　SOPPITT, C.A.,-A short Account of the Kuki-Lushai Tribes on the North-East Frontier (Districts Cachar, Sylhet, Nga Hills, etc., and the North Cachar Hills), with an Outline Grammar of the Rangkhol Lushai Language and A Comparison of Lushai with other Dialects. Shillong, 1877. Bt vocabulary on pp. 79 and ff.

　A few remarks on Bt grammar will show the close connection of this dialect with Rngkhl, Hallm, Langrong, etc. There are not sufficient materials for giving a full sketch of the dialect.

　The Personal pronouns form their plural by adding the suffix ni; thus, kei-m-ni, we; nang-m-ni, you. Mr. Soppitt has the form -m-hai, they, with the same suffix as is usual in Rngkhl.

　Verbs are conjugated in person by means of the pronominal prefixes k, I; n, thou; , he. The suffix of the past tenses is t or tk, and that of the future rng. Thus, kei k f, I go; -hng-t, he came; kei f-rng, I shall go. Mr. Stewart gives kei fnke, I shall go, as an instance of the future.

　The suffix of the Imperative is ro, and that of the negative imperative no-ro; thus, hng-j-ro, bring; f-no-ro, do not go. The first of two connected imperatives may be replaced by a participle ending in in-l, thus, choin-l f-ro, carrying go, take away.

　The Negative particles are mk and noni; thus, kei k-f-t-mk, I I-went-not, kei k-f-no-ning, I will not go.

　The vocabulary agrees with the other old Kuki languages.