Considering Toda’s large number of vowels and consonants, linguists have realized that there are several phonemic patterns, allophonic distributions, and general rules that the sounds of this language follow. Below are a few interesting distinctions in the phonological characteristics of Toda and its distribution of vowels and consonants.
CONTRASTING VOWELS
According to Emeneau and Sakthivel, the Toda language contains contrastive vowel length, which essentially means that the use of a short vowel compared to a long vowel in a word could change the semantic meaning of that word. Here are some examples of contrastive vowel length:
|
Toda Word in IPA |
Gloss |
| in |
Father |
|
i:n |
To bear (calf) |
| ed̠ |
On what day |
|
eːd̠ |
Why |
| ürp |
To play (flute) |
|
uːruf |
Liver |
| nöl.g |
Crookedness |
|
nöːl |
To make rope of bark |
| put. |
A stirring stick |
|
puːt. |
Eighteen |
| om |
We (inclusive) |
|
oːm |
Tuesday |
| pīt |
Sow |
|
pīːt |
Meat |
| pat̠ |
To catch |
|
paːt̠ |
cockroach |
CLUSTERS
Vowel Clusters
Toda allows the presence of vowel clusters (VV) in the middle of words.
|
VV |
Toda Word in IPA | Gloss |
| -ia- | piaf |
grandmother |
|
-oe- |
koes̠ymon.y
|
Bell in the dairy |
| -uːï- | kuːïn |
(woman) shouts to a distance |
Consonant Clusters
Toda allows initial (#CC-), medial two (-CC-), medial three (-CCC-), medial four (-CCCC-), final two (-CC#), final three (-CCC#), and final four (-CCCC#) consonant clusters.
|
Consonant Cluster |
Toda Word in IPA | Gloss |
| #CC- | twïθk |
to start, begin |
|
-CC- |
mojxen | thick buttermilk |
| -CCC- | koːsfït.kfok |
early morning |
|
-CCCC- |
as̠pšpini | cleaned – I |
| -CC# | koyupm |
signature |
|
-CCC# |
kwïːtby | wheat |
| -CCCC# | arkym |
vow |
SYLLABLE TYPES
According to Sakthivel, Toda syllables are “analysed in terms of onset, peak, and coda” (Sakthivel 1976: 260). He states that Toda syllables are of the following types: “peak (P), onset peak (CP), peak coda (PC), and onset peak coda (CPC)” (Sakthivel 1976: 260). The language contains both initial, medial, and final syllables along with the distinction of open vs. closed syllables. Toda allows for a large number of syllables compared to other languages. It includes: septi-syllablic, hexa-syllablic, penta-syllabic, tetra-syllabic, tri-syllabic, disyllabic, and monosyllabic words (Sakthivel 1976: 260-266). All of the words contain both open and closed syllables, except for septi-syllabic words which only contain open syllables.
REFERENCES:
Emeneau, Murray B. 1984. Toda grammar and texts. Philadelphia: American Philosophical Society. xiii+426pp.
Sakthivel, S. 1976. Phonology of Toda with vocabulary. Annamalainagar: Annamalai University. 382pp.
Toda Language 