The name of this language arises from a rich and complex history of ethnic identity in colonial and post-colonial Indonesia. It is a generic name for the common language used by the people of the districts of Toba, Uluan, Humbang, Habinsaran, Samosir, and Silindung, centered upon the Island of Sumatra; more particularly, at Lake Toba. Linguistically and culturally these tribes of people are closely related. Other nearby communities such as Silalahi and Tongging may also be classified as speakers of Toba Batak. The term "Toba Batak" is, itself, a derivation of the Toba Batak language. As such, it is used both as a noun and an adjective; both to describe a language, and also to describe the people who speak the language. Among the aforementioned districts, Toba is the most densely populated and politically the most prominent district so that "Toba Batak" became a label for all communities speaking a dialect closely akin to the dialect spoken in Toba. In contemporary Indonesia the language is seldom referred to as "Toba Batak", but more commonly and simply as "Batak". The -Batak refer to it in their own language as "Hata Batak". This "Batak" language is different from the languages of other "Batak" people that can be divided in speaking a northern Batak dialect, a central Batak dialect and closely related other southern Batak dialects such as Angkola and Mandailing.
Background
There are several dictionaries and grammars for each of the five major dialects of Batak. Specifically for Toba Batak the most important dictionaries are that of Johannes Warneck and Herman Neubronner van der Tuuk. The latter was also involved in translating the Christian Bible into Toba Batak.
is phonemic, e.g. /'tibbo/ 'height' vs. /tib'bo/ 'high'; /'itɔm/ 'black dye' vs. /i'tɔm/ 'your sibling'.
Syntax
Toba Batak has verb-initial, VOS word order, as with many Austronesian languages. In, the verb mangallang 'eat' precedes the object kue 'cake', and the verb phrase precedes dakdanak i 'the child'. SVO word order, however, is also very common. In, the subjectdakdanakon 'this child' precedes the verb phrase mangatuk biangi 'hit the dog'. Cole & Hermon claim that VOS order is the result of VP-raising . Then, the subject may optionally raise over the verb phrase due because of information structure. This analysis provides a basis for understanding Austronesian languages that have more fully become SVO. Like many Austronesian languages, DP wh-movement is subject to an extraction restriction. The verb in must agree with aha 'what' for it to be extracted in front of the verb. If the verb agrees with the subject, si John 'John', aha 'what' may not extract.