I had intended to draw up a list of the agglutinate verbs found in this little collection of stories to supplement that given at page 26 of Mr. Endle’s Grammar. But anyone interested in the subject will find them for himself in the stories, and will learn more easily from the context than from any vocabulary what the precise shades of meaning of the interpolated particles are. They are a very curious and interesting feature of the language, and are probably found in richer abundance where the well of Bodo undefiled has not been contaminated by a mixture with other tongues.
I must not conclude without offering my hearty thanks to the Reverend Mr. Endle for his advice and help in collecting these stories, and to Samson, my tutor, who was in truth “the only begetter of these ensuing” fictions. He told me most of them and corrected all. I have no doubt he has many other primitive legends, if any one will take the trouble to write them down.
J. D. ANDERSON.
The 21st September 1894.
P.S.—There can be no doubt that the Kachári of Darrang is greatly influenced by the surrounding Assamese, though, even now, many Kacháris, and especially women, do not speak Assamese at all. There is an anecdote among the Kacháris showing the inconveniences of the bilingual state. A Kachári lad married an Assamese girl, and going to his mother-in-law’s house was given food. His hospitable mother-in-law cried to him “Khâ! Khâ!” so he bound her hand and foot. Then she laughed, seeing that he supposed her to be talking Kachári. So she said to him (in Kachári) “Zâ! Zâ!” on which he went away. I am afraid the Kachári syntax is borrowed from Assamese.