The origins of words in the Bengali vocabulary are numerous and diverse, due to centuries of contact with various languages.

Linguistic classification

Bengali (বাংলা Bangla) is one of the Magadhan languages, which form the eastern group of the Indic branch of the Indo-European language family. The core of Bengali vocabulary is thus etymologically Indo-European. However, centuries of borrowing has led to the adoption of a wide range of words with foreign origins. Bengali or Bangla (বাংলা, IPA: ) is an Indo-Aryan language of the eastern Indian subcontinent, evolved from Prakrit, Pāli and Sanskrit. ... 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. ... Not to be confused with Entomology, the study of insects. ... A loanword (or loan word) is a word directly taken into one language from another with little or no translation. ...

Classifications of origin types

Sources of Bengali words     Tôdbhôb (Native)     Tôtshôm (Sanskrit Reborrowings)     Bideshi (Foreign Borrowings)

The typical Bengali dictionary lists 75,000 separate words, of which 50,000 (67%) are considered তৎসম tôtshôm (words directly reborrowed from Sanskrit), 21,100 (28%) are তদ্ভব tôdbhôb (native Bengali vocabulary), and the rest being বিদেশী bideshi (foreign) and deshi (indigenous Austroasiatic) borrowings. Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... The Sanskrit language ( , for short ) is a classical language of India, a liturgical language of Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism, and one of the 23 official languages of India. ... The Austroasiatic languages are a large language family of Southeast Asia and India. ...

However, these figures do not take into account the fact that a huge chunk of these words are archaic or highly technical, minimizing their actual usage. The productive vocabulary used in modern literary works, in fact, is made up mostly (67%) of tôdbhôb words, while tôtshôm reborrowings only make up 25% of the total. Deshi and bideshi borrowings together make up the remaining 8% of the vocabulary used in modern Bengali literature.

Examples of borrowed words

Due to centuries of contact with Europeans, Mughals, Arabs, Persians, and East Asians, Bengali has absorbed countless words from foreign languages, often totally integrating these borrowings into the core vocabulary. The most common borrowings from foreign languages come from three different kinds of contact. Close contact with neighboring peoples facilitated the borrowing of words from Hindi, Assamese, Chinese, Burmese, and several indigenous Austroasiatic languages of Bengal. After centuries of invasions from Persia and the Middle East, particularly under the Mughal Empire, numerous Turkish, Arabic, and Persian words were absorbed and fully integrated into the lexicon. Later, European colonialism brought words from Portuguese, French, Dutch, and most significantly English. Some very common borrowings are shown below. World map showing Europe Political map Europe is one of the seven traditional continents of Earth; the term continent here referring to a cultural and political distinction, rather than a physiographic one, thus leading to various perspectives about Europes precise borders. ... The Mughal Empire (alternative spelling Mogul, which is the origin of the word Mogul) of India was founded by Babur in 1526, when he defeated Ibrahim Lodi, the last of the Delhi Sultans at the First Battle of Panipat. ... The Arabs (Arabic: عرب ) are an ethnic group found throughout the Middle East and North Africa. ... The Persians of Iran (officially named Persia by West until 1935 while still referred to as Persia by some) are an Iranian people who speak Persian (locally named Fârsi by native speakers) and often refer to themselves as ethnic Iranians as well. ... East Asia is a subregion of Asia. ... A loanword (or loan word) is a word directly taken into one language from another with little or no translation. ... Hindi (हिन्दी) is a language spoken mainly in North and Central India. ... Assamese ( ) (IPA: ) is a language spoken in the state of Assam in northeast India. ... The Austroasiatic languages are a large language family of Southeast Asia and India. ... For other uses of this term see: Persia (disambiguation) The Persian Empire is the name used to refer to a number of historic dynasties that have ruled the country of Persia (Iran). ... A map showing countries commonly considered to be part of the Middle East The Middle East is a region comprising the lands around the southern and eastern parts of the Mediterranean Sea, a territory that extends from the eastern Mediterranean Sea to the Persian Gulf. ... It has been suggested that Mughal Era be merged into this article or section. ... Arabic ( or just ) is the largest living member of the Semitic language family in terms of speakers. ... Persian (Local names: فارسی Fârsi or پارسی Pârsi)* is an Indo-European language spoken in Iran, Afghanistan and Tajikistan as well as by minorities in Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, India, Pakistan, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Southern Russia, neighboring countries, and elsewhere. ... World map showing the location of Europe. ... It has been suggested that Benign colonialism be merged into this article or section. ... The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ...

Borrowings from neighboring languages

Austroasiatic (দেশী Deshi)

The dhol (Punjabi: ਢੋਲ, ڈھول; Hindustani: ढोल, ڈھول; Armenian: Դոլ) dohol (Persian: ), is a drum (a percussion musical instrument) widely used in India and Pakistan, usually the Punjab region, the Indian/Pakistani province of Punjab, Maharastra and Gujarat. ...

Hindi (হিন্দি)

Chinese (চীনা China)

Burmese (বর্মী Bormi)

লুঙ্গি lunggi "lungi" A boy in a village of Narail, Bangladesh wearing a lungi with single knot. ...

Borrowings from the Mughal era

Arabic (আরবি Arbi)

Persian (ফার্সি Farsi)

Turkish (তুর্কি Turki)

Korma, also spelt qorma or kurma, is a mild curry that originated in India and is often made with yoghurt sauce, cream, or nuts. ...

Borrowings from the Colonial Era

Dutch (ওলন্দাজ Olondaj)

The few borrowings from Dutch remaining in Bengali mostly involve card games.

Portuguese (পর্তুগিজ Portugij)

Portuguese borrowings mostly describe household items, fruits, and religious concepts dealing with Catholicism: Topics in Christianity Movements · Denominations Ecumenism · Preaching · Prayer Music · Liturgy · Calendar Symbols · Art · Criticism Important figures Apostle Paul · Church Fathers Constantine · Athanasius · Augustine Anselm · Aquinas · Palamas · Wycliffe Tyndale · Luther · Calvin · Wesley Arius · Marcion of Sinope Pope · Archbishop of Canterbury Patriarch of Constantinople Christianity Portal This box:      As a Christian ecclesiastical...

Household

Food

Religion

French (ফরাসি Fôrashi)

Only a handful of French borrowings are still used in Bengali today.

Fashionable young men in early 16th century Germany showed a lot of fine linen in a studied negligence. ...

English (ইংরেজি Ingreji)

Most borrowed words of European origin in Bengali were imported through English and involve civic and household concepts:

Civic Life

Household

See also