Madhuvidya

Author(s): S D Laddu, T N Dharmadhikari, Madhvi Kolhatkar, Pratibha Pingle
Publisher: L D Indology Ahmedabad

Page 652

Annals of the Bhandarkın Oriental Research Institute
languages of antiquity". But he could have noted at this point the fact that the Indo-Iranian branch had, in fact, in antiquity palatalized IE velars and la bio-velars in similar environments.
On p. 118, Dr. Chatterji says: "In Primitive Indo-European a regular pantheon with gols of a nett and precise character appears not to have been fully establislied". One wouilers whether he has used here the word 'nett'under the intluence of the German language.
The book has a special interest for Indian readers because, as observed by the author, both the Balts and the Indo-Aryans bare to some extent preserved certain traits of IE religion and culture. Let us therefore join the author in hoping that his book will serve the purpose of bringing together the Baltic and the Indian peoples "through knowledge and understanding, and sympathy and brotherly feeling"." (p. xx).
M. A. Mehendale
THE PENGO LANGUAGE, GRAMMAR, TEXTS AND VOCABU.
LARY, by T. Burrow and S. Bhattacharya, pp. 1-233, Oxford
1970, Price £ 2.60 or 52 s.
The authors of this book are alrendy known to Dravidian scholars 48 joint authors of a similar book ou The Purji language of Bastar (1953) und A Comparative Vocabulary of the Ciondi Dialects published in JAS ( Calcutta ) 2.73-229, 1960.
The lengo language is spoken nainly in the eastern portion of the Nowrangpur sub-division of the Korapuit district of Orissa. Together witli kui, kuwi, Komdu and Condi, it belongs to the central group of the Druvidian fainily of languages. The language was practically unknown till recently. Although it was first noted in the Cer4u8 of 1891 (Vol. XIII, f. 186 ) no muterial froin it was ever made available for inspection. Iu their book on the l'arji lunguye, the authors refer to Peug loroja of Orissa us the name of a tribe, but there is yet no word from thein about the lengo language. Even iu thc Druvidian Etymologicul Dictionary of 1961, although its authors inake a reference ou p. vi to the discovery of the Penyo language, it was possible for them to use materials from it for their dictionary only in the Supplement published by them in 1968.
The present study is based on the materials collected by the authors while tuuring in this region at different periods between 1957 and 1966. It is a fairly complete account of the phonology and morphology of the language. The book iucludes also some texts with translation
1 Another accidental discovery, that of the Manda language, io 1964, bas also been referred to in the Supplement, aod in the book under review, on p. viii, the Authors have promised to publish a description of it in duo course,
Madhu Vidyā/627