culture · Totopara, Dooars
Learning about the Toto language and script
Toto is a Tibeto-Burman language spoken in Totopara. Children grow up also speaking Nepali and Bengali, and for decades there was concern that the language would weaken. Dhaniram Toto, a community elder and writer, developed a script for it in 2015. After years of work with linguists, it was approved by the Unicode Technical Committee in 2019 and included in Unicode 14.0 in 2021.
Your guide can show you what the script looks like, explain how it fits the sounds of the language, and talk about efforts to teach it in the village. Ask respectfully, and do not expect a formal class or a performance; this is part of people's daily work to keep their language alive.
If you want to support it, ask whether there is a community or school initiative you can contribute to, or buy any publications they sell. Do not record people speaking without permission.
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Questions people ask
Good to know
Does the Toto language have a script
Yes. Dhaniram Toto created a script for the Toto language in 2015. It was approved by the Unicode Technical Committee in October 2019 and added to the Unicode Standard, version 14.0, in September 2021, so it can be typed on modern devices.
Who is Dhaniram Toto
Dhaniram Toto is a Toto community elder and writer from Totopara who created a script for the Toto language and has worked to preserve Toto language and culture. He became the first person from the community to receive the Padma Shri.
Is the Toto language endangered
It is spoken by a very small community, so it is considered vulnerable, and younger people also use Nepali and Bengali daily. The new script and efforts to teach it are aimed at keeping it strong. Your guide can tell you how it is used today.
