Wikijunior:Languages/Bengali

What writing system(s) does this language use?
The Bengali language, locally known as Bangla, has its own script which is known as Bengali script.

How many people speak this language
Bengali is the fourth most commonly spoken language in the world with over 200 million speakers. It is the primary language of Bangladesh. 149 million 500 thousand citizens in Bangladesh speak in Bengali. Bengali is also spoken in India, especially in the state of West Bengal, and in Nepal by minority groups. Besides, emigrant Bangladeshis also speak in this language.

Where is this language spoken?
Bengali is spoken in Bangladesh as well as in West Bengal, Tripura (states of India), Assam and also some portion of Jharkhand. West Bengal and Bangladesh together formed the ancient region of Bengal. There is also a growing Bengali speaking population in England.

What is the history of this language?
Bengali evolved from the merging of some derivatives of Sanskrit with local dialects. Prominent Bengali linguist Suniti Kumar Chatterji thoroughly studied all the available dictionaries of the 1960s and '70s and came to the conclusive statement that slightly more than half the native words of the Bengali language consisted of naturally modified Sanskrit words, corrupted forms of Sanskrit words, and loanwords from non-Indo-European languages, of which roughly 45% belong to unmodified Sanskrit words and the rest are foreign words. Persian has been the most dominant among foreign words. The oldest specimen of Bengali literature is Charyapada from the 7th century.

Bengali also holds the distinction of being a language for which the speakers had to struggle a lot. In 1952, Bangladesh was part of Pakistan. The Pakistani rulers, mostly from the erstwhile Western wing of Pakistan (which forms the current state), were Urdu and Punjabi speaking, and wanted to declare Urdu as the national language. This was against the wishes of the Bengali population, who were the majority in Pakistan. On 21 February, 1952, a bloody crackdown by Police on unarmed students and activists resulted in a massacre. The movement later resulted in Bangla being recognized as one of the national languages of Pakistan. The event is commemorated as Language Movement Day in Bangladesh, and in 1999, UNESCO recognized it as the International Mother Language Day.

Who are some famous authors or poets in this language?
Rabindranath Tagore is the most famous Bengali poet. He received the 1913 Nobel Prize in literature for his book of poems, Gitanjali. Two of his songs are the national anthems of Bangladesh and India.

Kazi Nazrul Islam, another famous poet was known as the rebel poet mainly because of his most famous poem called "Bidrohi" or "The Rebel", and also because of his strong sympathy and support for revolutionary activities leading to India's independence from British Rule.

Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay was a Bengali writer in the early twentieth century, and is one of the all-time most popular Indian authors. He wrote novels and short stories, mostly about the people and social practices of Bengal.

What are some basic words in this language that I can learn?

 * aami - I - আমি;
 * tumi - You - তুমি;
 * aapni - You (with respect) - আপনি;
 * aamra - We - আমরা;
 * bhalobasha - Love - ভালোবাসা;
 * khela - Game - খেলা;
 * din - Day - দিন;
 * raat - Night - রাত;
 * bari - house - বাড়ি;
 * kukur - Dog - কুকুর;
 * beeral - Cat - বেড়াল/ বিড়াল;
 * boi - Book - বই;
 * dhonnobad - Thank you - ধন্যবাদ;
 * naa - No - না;
 * heh - Yes - হ্যাঁ;
 * prithibi - Earth - পৃথিবী;
 * chaad - Moon - চাঁদ;
 * gorom - Hot - গরম;
 * thanda - Cold - ঠাণ্ডা;
 * hi/ai(ei) - hello - নমস্কার;
 * manush - human - মানুষ;
 * bhasha - language - ভাষা;
 * pani/jol - water - পানি/জল;
 * batash - air - বাতাস;
 * akash - sky - আকাশ;
 * maati - soil - মাটি;
 * ekh - one - এক;
 * dui - two - দুই;
 * teen - three - তিন;
 * chaar - four - চার;
 * paach - five - পাঁচ;
 * choy - six - ছয়;
 * shaat - seven - সাত;
 * aat - eight - আট;
 * noy - nine - নয়:
 * dosh - ten - দশ;


 * Aamar naam Rishi - My name is Rishi - আমার নাম ঋষি
 * Tomar Naam Ki? - What is your name? - তোমার নাম কি?
 * Shuprobhat - Good Morning - সুপ্রভাত;
 * Bidaa-ye - Good bye - বিদায়;
 * Pochondo kora- Like - পছন্দ করা।
 * " tumi kemon achho " - how are you - তুমি কেমন আছো ?
 * " ami bhalo achhi " - I'm fine - আমি ভালো আছি

What is a simple song/poem/story that I can learn in this language?
A nonsense children's rhyme in Bengali called 'Haattimatimtim'.


 * Haattimatimtim,
 * Tara maathe pare dim.
 * Tader khara duto shing,
 * Tara Haattimatimtim.


 * Translation
 * (Haattimatimtim,
 * They lay eggs in the field.
 * They have two straight horns,
 * They are the Haattimatimtim.)


 * In Bengali script
 * হাট্টিমাটিমটিম
 * তারা মাঠে পাড়ে ডিম
 * তাদের খাড়া দুটো শিং
 * তারা হাটিমাটিমটিম

Another nonsense children's rhyme in Bengali called 'Aaikom Baaikom'.


 * Aaikom baikom taratari,
 * Jodu master shoshur bari.
 * Rel gari jhomajhhom ,
 * Pa pichhle aalur dom.


 * Translation
 * (Aaikom baikom Quickly,
 * Jodu master in-law's house.
 * Rail car Choo-Choo,
 * Slip & fall down mashed potato.)


 * In Bengali Script
 * আইকম বাইকম তাড়াতাড়ি
 * যদু মাস্টার শ্বশুরবাড়ি
 * রেল গাড়ি ঝমাঝম
 * পা পিছলে আলুর দম