Tolong Siki

Tolong Siki is an alphabetic script made specifically for Kurux in 1999 by Narayan Oraon, a doctor. Many books and magazines have been published in Tolong Siki, and it was officially recognized by the state of Jharkhand in 2007. The Kurukh Literary Society of India has been instrumental in spreading the Tolong Siki script for Kurukh literature.

Tolong Siki
Tolong Siki script
Script type	Alphabet
Time period	1999–present
Languages	Kurukh
Related scripts
Parent systems	Influence from Dravidic scripts. Tolong Siki
ISO 15924
ISO 15924	Tols (299), ​Tolong Siki

Numeric System & Signs: (in correct pronouncation)

(0) Nidi (1)Ond ,(2)End ,(3)Mund ,(4)Nakh/Nax ,(5)panche/pance ,(6)soyye/soyi ,(7)sattu/saye , (8)atthe/ax ,(9)naiye/naye ,(10) Doyi.

For numeric system characters and signs refer to: Colorful Tolong Siki

TolongSikiNumerials&Signs

Tolong Siki Script in Color

Tolong Siki Script Classification : Grignard's and Rev. Ferdinand Hahn's (linguists)

To assess which writing system—Tolong Siki or Kurukh Bana (Devanagari)—fits better within the frameworks of Grignard’s classification or Rev. Ferdinand Hahn’s classification of vowels and consonants for the Kurukh language, let’s delve into the linguistic compatibility and features of each script in relation to these systems.

1. Grignard’s Classification (1906)

GrignardsClassificationVowels

GrignardsClassificationConsonants

Grignard’s work emphasized the phonetics and phonology of the Kurukh language, including its unique vowels, diphthongs, and consonants.

Vowels: Kurukh has long and short vowels with variations that distinguish meaning.

Consonants: It includes aspirated and unaspirated stops, retroflex sounds, nasals, and glides common in Dravidian languages.

Key Concern: A writing system must be able to accurately represent these phonetic nuances.

Comparison -

Tolong Siki:

Designed specifically for Kurukh phonetics.

It differentiates vowel length and has symbols for aspirated and retroflex sounds.

Grignard’s phonetic distinctions can be directly represented without adaptation.

Kurukh Bana (Devanagari):

Devanagari is flexible and can represent most Kurukh sounds but may require diacritical marks or additional letters for retroflex and vowel length distinctions.

Some Dravidian-specific sounds might not align perfectly with Devanagari without modification.

2. Rev. Ferdinand Hahn’s Classification (1900s)

Rev.FerdinandHahn'sClassificationVowels

Rev.FerdinandHahn'sClassificationConsonants

Hahn’s classification focused on grammatical structures and phonological rules, particularly emphasizing Kurukh's Dravidian roots:

Consonants: He noted the distinct retroflex and aspirated sounds.

Vowels: The importance of vowel harmony and phonetic precision was highlighted.

Key Concern: A script should maintain fidelity to these Dravidian features.

Comparison -

Tolong Siki:

Directly integrates Hahn’s findings, preserving the retroflex consonants, vowel harmony, and aspirated sounds.

It was explicitly designed with Kurukh’s phonological system in mind.

Kurukh Bana (Devanagari):

While Devanagari supports many of these features, it might struggle with vowel harmony and certain retroflex sounds unless carefully adapted.

Standard Devanagari wasn’t developed for Dravidian languages, so adjustments are necessary to fully align with Hahn’s observations.

Conclusion

For Grignard’s and Hahn’s classifications,"Tolong Siki is the better fit because it is inherently designed to represent the unique phonetics and phonology of the Kurukh language as identified by these linguists."

Kurukh Bana (Devanagari), though practical, requires significant modifications to achieve the same level of phonetic precision.

If linguistic fidelity is the priority, Tolong Siki aligns better with both Grignard’s and Hahn’s classifications. However, for widespread adoption, Devanagari can be adapted but will need careful phonetic mapping to respect these classifications.

Unicode

As of June 2023, the script has been proposed for inclusion in Unicode, most recently in January 2023.