Bengali

Bengali (বাংলা, Bangla) is an Indo-Aryan language primarily spoken in the Bengal region of South Asia, which includes the nation of Bangladesh and the Indian state of West Bengal. It is the seventh most spoken language by total number of speakers in the world.

History

The Bengali language evolved from the Magadhi Prakrit and Pali languages around 1000-1200 CE. The language has a rich literary tradition, with its earliest literary texts dating back to the 10th century. The modern Bengali script developed from the Brahmi script.

Geographic Distribution

Bengali is the official language of Bangladesh and the second most spoken language in India. It is also spoken by significant populations in the Indian states of Tripura and Assam's Barak Valley.

Dialects

Bengali has several dialects, which can be broadly categorized into two groups: Western Bengali dialects and Eastern Bengali dialects. The standard form of Bengali is based on the dialect spoken in the Nadia district of West Bengal.

Phonology

Bengali phonology includes a set of 29 consonants and 14 vowels. The language is known for its distinctive nasalized vowels and aspirated consonants.

Grammar

Bengali grammar is characterized by its use of postpositions rather than prepositions, a subject-object-verb (SOV) word order, and a rich system of verb conjugation that includes tense, aspect, and mood.

Writing System

The Bengali script is an abugida and is written from left to right. It is closely related to the Devanagari script used for Hindi and Sanskrit.

Literature

Bengali literature has a long and rich history, with notable contributions from poets and writers such as Rabindranath Tagore, who won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1913, and Kazi Nazrul Islam, the national poet of Bangladesh.

Culture

Bengali culture is known for its rich traditions in music, dance, and the arts. The Bengali New Year (Pohela Boishakh) is a major cultural event celebrated with great enthusiasm.

Related Pages

• Bangladesh
• West Bengal
• Rabindranath Tagore
• Kazi Nazrul Islam
• Bengali literature
• Bengali script
• Indo-Aryan languages