The dialects of the Bengali language are part of the Eastern Indo-Aryan language group of the Indo-European language family. Sylheti, Chittagonian, and Chakma are some of the many languages that are often considered dialects of Bengali. Although these languages are mutually intelligible with neighboring dialects of Bengali, they would not be understood by a native speaker of Standard Bengali. Bangla (বাংলা, IPA: ) or Bengali is an Indo-Aryan language of East South Asia, evolved from Sanskrit and Prakrit. ... The Eastern Indo-Aryan languages include some 210 (SIL estimate) languages and dialects spoken by about many people in Asia; this language family is a part of the Indo-Aryan language family. ... The Indo-Aryan languages form a subgroup of the Indo-Iranian languages, thus belonging to the Indo-European family of languages. ... Proto-Indo-European Indo-European studies The Indo-European languages include some 443 (SIL estimate) languages and dialects spoken by about three billion people, including most of the major language families of Europe and western Asia, which belong to a single superfamily. ... Sylheti (native name Silôţi; Bengali name Sileţi) is the language of Sylhet, the North Eastern region of Bangladesh and southern districts of Assam around Silchar. ... Chittagonian is an Indo-European language spoken by the people of Chittagong in Bangladesh and the much of the southeast of the country. ... The Chakma, who are also known as the Changma, is a Mongoloid tribe inhabiting in the Chittagong Hill Tracts of Bangladesh. ...

Bengali dialects can be split in two ways: spoken vs. literary variations, and regional variations.

Spoken and literary variants

More than other languages of South Asia, Bengali exhibits strong diglossia between the formal, written language and the vernacular, spoken language. Two styles of writing, involving somewhat different vocabularies and syntax, have emerged :^[1][2] In linguistics, diglossia is a situation where, in a given society, there are two (often) closely-related languages, one of high prestige, which is generally used by the government and in formal texts, and one of low prestige, which is usually the spoken vernacular tongue. ...

1. Shadhubhasha (সাধুভাষা) is the written language with longer verb inflections and a more Sanskrit-derived (তৎসম tôtshôm) vocabulary (সাধু shadhu = 'chaste' or 'sage'; ভাষা bhasha = 'language'). Songs such as India's national anthem Jana Gana Mana (by Rabindranath Tagore) and national song Vande Mātaram (by Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay) were composed in Shadhubhasha, but its use is on the wane in modern writing.
2. Choltibhasha (চলতিভাষা ) or Cholitobhasha (চলিতভাষা), a written Bengali style that reflects a more colloquial idiom, is increasingly the standard for written Bengali (চলিত cholito = 'current' or 'running'). This form came into vogue towards the turn of the 19th century, in an orthography promoted in the writings of Peary Chand Mitra (Alaler ghare dulal, 1857),^[3] Pramatha Chowdhury (Sabujpatra, 1914) and in the later writings of Rabindranath Tagore. It is modeled on the dialect spoken in the districts bordering the lower reaches of the Hooghly River particularly the Shantipur region in Nadia district, West Bengal. This form of Bengali is sometimes called the "Nadia standard".^[4]

Spoken Bengali exhibits far more variation than written Bengali. Formal spoken Bengali, including what is heard in news reports, speeches, announcements, and lectures, is modeled on Choltibhasha. This form of spoken Bengali stands alongside other spoken dialects, or Ancholik Bangla (আঞ্চলিক বাংলা) (i.e. 'regional Bengali'). The majority of Bengalis are able to communicate in more than one dialect — often, speakers are fluent in Choltibhasha, one or more Ancholik dialect, and one or more forms of Grammo Bangla (গ্রাম্য বাংলা) (i.e. 'rural Bengali'), dialects specific to a village or town. Jana Gana Mana (Thou Art the Ruler of the Minds of All People) is the national anthem of India. ... Rabindranath Tagore in Kolkata, c. ... Vande Mataram (in Bangla: বন্দে মাতরম Bônde Matôrom) is the national song of India. ... Bankim Chandra Chatterjee Bankim Chandra Chatterjee (b. ... The orthography of a language is the set of symbols (glyphs and diacritics) used to write a language, as well as the set of rules describing how to write these glyphs correctly, including spelling, punctuation, and capitalization. ... Peary Chand Mitra (1814-1883), a member of Derozio’s renowned Young Bengal group, author and journalist, played a leading role in the Bengal renaissance with the introduction of simple Bengali prose which everybody could understand. ... Rabindranath Tagore in Kolkata, c. ... The Hooghly River (alternatively spelled Hoogli or Hugli) is a distributary of the Ganges River in India. ... Shantipur is a town in the district of Nadia in West Bengal,India. ... Nadia is a district of the state of West Bengal, in the north east of the Republic of India. ... West Bengal   (Bengali: পশ্চিমবঙ্গ, Poshchimbôŋgo) is a state in eastern India. ...

Regional dialect differences

Dialectical differences in Bengali manifest themselves in three forms: standardized dialect vs. regional dialect, literary language vs. colloquial language and lexical (vocabulary) variations. The name of the dialects generally originates from the district where the language is spoken. A standard language (also standard dialect or standardized dialect) is a particular variety of a language that has been given either legal or quasi-legal status. ...

While the standard form of the language does not show much variation across the Bengali-speaking areas of South Asia, regional variation in spoken Bengali constitutes a dialect continuum. Mostly speech varies across distances of just few miles and takes distinct forms among the religious communities. Apart from the present dialects, there are a few more which have disappeared. For example, ‘Bikramapuri’, Sātagāiyã’ (this is the name used in East Bengal for the dialect of South-western Rarh region). The present dialects of Bengali are listed below with an example sentence meaning: A dialect continuum is a range of dialects spoken across a large geographical area, differing only slightly between areas that are geographically close, and gradually decreasing in mutual intelligibility as the distances become greater. ... East Bengal was the name used during two periods in the 20th century for a territory that roughly included the modern state of Bangladesh. ...

English translation: "A man had two sons."

• West Central dialects: These dialect are mostly spoken in and around the Bhagirathi River basin, in West Central Bengal. The standard form of the colloquial language (Choltibhasha) has developed out of the Nadia dialect.
  

Nadia/Choltibhasha Standard: Êk jon loker duţi chhele chhilo.

• Bangal dialects, including Eastern and Southeastern Bengali dialects: The Eastern dialects serve as the primary colloquial language of the Dhaka district. They do not have contrastive nasalized vowels or a distinction in approximant র /ɹ/ and flap ড়/ঢ় /ɽ/, pronouncing them all as র /ɹ/. This is also true of the Sylheti dialect, which is often considered a separate language. The Eastern dialects extend into Southeastern dialects, which include parts of Chittagong. Chittagongian dialect and Chakma dialect are heavily influenced by the neighboring Tibeto-Burman languages, and are also typically considered separate languages from Bengali.
  

Manikganj: Êk zoner duiđi saoal asilo.

Mymensingh: Êk zôner dui put asil.

Munshiganj (Bikrampur): Êk jôner duiđa pola asilo.

Comilla: Êk bêđar dui put asil.

Noakhali (Sandwip): Êk shôksher dui beţa asilo.

Noakhali (Chhagolnaiya): Êk zôner dui hola asil.

Noakhali (Hatia): Êk zôn mainsher duga hola asil.

Noakhali (Ramganj): Ek zôner dui hut asil.

Barisal (Bakerganj): Êk zôn mansher dugga pola asil.

Faridput: Kero mansher duga pola asil.

Sylhet: Kon manushôr dui pua asil.

Chittagong: Egua mansher dua poa asil.

• South Bengal dialects:
  

Khulna: Êk zon manshir dui sôoal silo.

Jessore: Êk zoner duţ sôl sêl.

• North Bengal dialects: This dialect is mainly spoken in the districts of North Bengal. These are the only dialects in Bangladesh that pronounce the letters চ, ছ, জ, and ঝ as affricates [tʃ], [tʃʰ], [dʒ], and [dʒʰ], respectively, and preserve the breathy-voiced stops in all parts of the word, much like Western dialects (including Standard Bengali). The dialects of Rangpur and Pabna do not have contrastive nasalized vowels.
  

Dinajpur: Êk manusher dui chhaoa chhilô

Pabna: Kono mansher dui chhaoal chhilô.

Bogra: Êk jhôner dui bêţa chhoil achhilô.

East Malda: Êk jhôn manuser duţa bêţa achhlô.

Rangpur: Êk zon mansher duikna bêţa asil.

• Western Border dialects: This dialect is spoken in the area which is known as Manbhum.
  

Manbhum: Ek loker duţa beţa chhilô.

Kharia Thar and Mal Paharia are closely related to Western Bengali dialects, but are typically classified as separate languages. Similarly, Rajbangsi and Hajong are considered separate languages, although they are very similar to North Bengali dialects. There are many more minor dialects as well, including those spoken in the bordering districts of Purnea and Singhbhum and among the tribals of the eastern Bangladesh like the Hajong and the Chakma. The Bhagirathi is one of the two major tributaries of the Ganga. ... Nadia may refer to: Nadia Beltei, (born April 12, 1982) is a Canadian abstract artist and member of Federation of Canadian Artists and EBSQ Nadia Comaneci, famous Transylvanian-born gymnast Nadia: The Secret of Blue Water, an anime by Gainax Nadia District, in the West Bengal state of India A... Nadia is a district of the state of West Bengal, in the north east of the Republic of India. ... Dhaka (previously Dacca; Bangla: ঢাকা Ḍhākā), population 12,560,000[1] (2005 UN projection for statistical metropolitan area), is the capital and largest city of Bangladesh. ... Sylheti (native name Silôţi; Bengali name Sileţi) is the language of Sylhet, the North Eastern region of Bangladesh and southern districts of Assam around Silchar. ... Chittagonian is an Indo-European language spoken by the people of Chittagong in Bangladesh and the much of the southeast of the country. ... The Chakma, who are also known as the Changma, is a Mongoloid tribe inhabiting the Chittagong Hill Tracts of Bangladesh. ... The Tibeto-Burman linguistic subfamily of the proposed Sino-Tibetan language family is spoken in various central and south Asian countries: Myanmar (the Burmese language as well as the languages of minorities like the Karens and Kachins), Tibet (Tibetan language), northern Thailand (Lahu, Lisu, Akha languages), southern China, Nepal, Bhutan... Manikganj is a district in central Bangladesh. ... Mymensingh (Bengali: ) is one of the districts of Dhaka division, Bangladesh, and is bordered on the north by Meghalaya state of India and Garo Hills, on the south by Gazipur district, on the east by districts of Netrokona and Kishoreganj, and on the west by districts of Sherpur, Jamalpur and... Munshiganj is a district in central Bangladesh. ... Bikrampur is a historic region in Bengal, currently in Munshiganj District, Bangladesh. ... Comilla (3085. ... Noakhali is a district in South-eastern Bangladesh. ... This page is a candidate for speedy deletion. ... Barisal is a district in southern Bangladesh. ... Faridpur is a district in central Bangladesh. ... Sylhet (or Srihatta) is a district in eastern Bangladesh. ... Chittagong District is a district located in the south-eastern region of Bangladesh. ... Khulna is a very famous district of Bangladesh. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... North Bengal is a term, for the part of West Bengal, which often denotes Cooch Behar, Darjeeling, Jalpaiguri, North Dinajpur, South Dinajpur and Malda districts together. ... Dinajpur is a district in Northern Bangladesh. ... Pabna is a district in Northern Bangladesh. ... Bogra is a northern district of Bangladesh, in the Rajshahi Division. ... Malda (Bengali: মালদা) is a district of the Indian state of West Bengal. ... Rangpur is a district in Northern Bangladesh. ... Rajbangsiis an Indo-European; Indic langauge spoken in India by over 3,000,000 people according to the 1991 census, the actual number of speakers may vary due to acculturation into the more predominant Hindustani (Hindi/Urdu) languages or by how many people were reach for the survery and furthermore... Purnia is an administrative district in the state of Bihar in India. ... Singhbum, since bifurcated into East Singhbhum, West Singhbhum and Saraikela Kharsawan districts, was one of the districts of Bihar state, India. ... The Chakma, who are also known as the Changma, is a Mongoloid tribe inhabiting the Chittagong Hill Tracts of Bangladesh. ...

Hajong: Ek zôn manôlôg duida pôla thakibar.

Chakma: Ek jônôtun diba poa el.

To a non-Bengali, these dialects may sound or look vastly different, but the difference is mostly a phonological and phonetic one, and not so much a grammatical one. Many dialects share features with the so-called Shadhu Bhasha or "pure language", which was the written standard until the 19th century. Comparison of Bengali dialects give us an idea about archaic forms of the language as well.

During standardization of Bengali in the late 19th and early 20th century, the cultural elite were mostly from the regions of Kolkata and Nadia. What is accepted as the standard form today in both West Bengal and Bangladesh is based on the West-Central dialect of the 19th century Kolkata elite. While this language has been standardized today through two centuries of education and media, variation is widespread, with many speakers familiar with or fluent in both their socio-geographical variety as well as the standard dialect used in the media.   (IPA: [] Bengali: কলকাতা) (formerly  ) is the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal. ... Nadia is a district of the state of West Bengal, in the north east of the Republic of India. ...   (IPA: [] Bengali: কলকাতা) (formerly  ) is the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal. ...

Phonological variations

There are marked dialectal differences between the speech of Bengalis living on the পশ্চিম Poshchim (western) side and পূর্ব Purbo (eastern) side of the Padma River. The Padma River is a distributary of the Ganges River in Bangladesh. ...

Fricatives

In the dialects prevalent in much of eastern Bangladesh (Barisal, Chittagong, Dhaka and Sylhet divisions), many of the stops and affricates heard in Kolkata Bengali are pronounced as fricatives. Barisal is a district in southern Bangladesh. ... Chittagong (Bengali: চট্টগ্রাম, Chôţţogram) is the major seaport and second largest city of Bangladesh. ... Dhaka (previously Dacca; Bangla: ঢাকা Ḍhākā), population 12,560,000[1] (2005 UN projection for statistical metropolitan area), is the capital and largest city of Bangladesh. ... Shah Jalal Mazar (Tomb) Sylhet (Sylheti: Silôţ; Bengali: সিলেট, Sileţ, formerly Srihôţţo) is a major city in north-eastern Bangladesh. ... Fricatives (or spirants) are consonants produced by forcing air through a narrow channel made by placing two articulators close together. ...

Poshchim Bangla (Western Bengali) palato-alveolar affricates চ [ tʃ], ছ [ tʃʰ], জ [dʒ], and ঝ [dʒʱ] correspond to Purbo Bangla (Eastern Bengali) চʻ [ts], ছ় [s], জʻ [dz]~[z], and ঝ় [z]. A similar pronunciation is also found in Assamese, a related language across the border in India. Postalveolar (or palato-alveolar) consonants are consonants articulated with the tip of the tongue between the alveolar ridge (the place of articulation for alveolar consonants) and the palate (the place of articulation for palatal consonants). ... Assamese (অসমীয়া) or Asamiya is the language spoken by some of the natives of the state of Assam in northeast India. ...

The aspirated velar stop খ [kʰ] and the aspirated labial stop ফ [pʰ] of Poshchim Bangla correspond to খ় [x] and ফ় [f] in many dialects of Purbo Bangla. These pronunciations are most extreme in the Sylheti dialect of far northeastern Bangladesh -- the dialect of Bengali most common in the United Kingdom. Sylheti is also considered by some to be a separate language. Sylheti (native name Silôţi; Bengali name SileÅ£i) is the language of Sylhet, the North Eastern region of Bangladesh and southern districts of Assam around Silchar. ...

Many Purbo Bangla dialects share phonological features with Assamese, including the debuccalization of শ [ʃ] to হ [h] or খ় [x].

Tibeto-Burman influence

The influence of Tibeto-Burman languages on the phonology of Purbo Bangla is seen through the lack of nasalized vowels, a more fronted place of articulation for the apico-postalveolar stops ট [ʈ], ঠ [ʈʰ], ড [ɖ], and ঢ [ɖʱ], and the lack of distinction between র [ɹ] and ড়/ঢ় [ɽ].

Unlike most Indic languages, some Purbo Bangla dialects do not include the breathy voiced stops ঘ [gʱ], ঝ [dʒʱ], ঢ [ɖʱ], ধ [d̪ʱ], and ভ [bʱ].

Some variants of Bengali, particularly Chittagonian and Chakma Bengali (considered by some to be separate languages), have contrastive tone; differences in the pitch of the speaker's voice can distinguish words. It has been suggested that Tonal language be merged into this article or section. ...

See also

Bangla (বাংলা, IPA: ) or Bengali is an Indo-Aryan language of East South Asia, evolved from Sanskrit and Prakrit. ... Bengali grammar is the study of grammar in the Bengali language. ... Due to centuries of contact with various languages, the origins of words in the Bangla language are numerous and diverse. ... The Bengali script (Bengali: বাংলা লিপি Bangla lipi) is an Abugida system of writing belonging to the Brahmic family of scripts whose use is associated with the Bangla, Assamese, Manipuri and Sylheti languages. ... It has been suggested that History of Bengali literature be merged into this article or section. ... The music of Bengal, also referred to as Bangla music, comprises a long tradition of religious and secular song-writing over a period of almost a millennium. ... Shaheed Minar, or the Martyrs monument, located near Dhaka Medical College, commemorates the struggle for Bangla language The Language Movement was a cultural and political movement in the erstwhile East Pakistan (now Bangladesh) in 1952. ... There is a disputed proposal that this article should be merged with Language Martyrs Day 21st February has been proclaimed the International Mother Language Day by the UNESCO in 2000. ...

References