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Bengali dialects


The dialects of the Bengali language are part of the Eastern Indo-Aryan language group of the Indo-European language family. Barisali or Borishali (Barisal Division), Noakhali (Noakhali District), Rangpuri (Rangpur Region), Khulna (Khulna region), Mymonshingh (Mymensingh region), Sylheti (Sylhet region) and Chittagonian (Chittagong region) are major spoken dialects in Bangladesh. Although these languages are mutually intelligible with neighbouring dialects of Bengali, they lack mutual intelligibility with the Bengali language and sometimes would not be understood by a native speaker of Standard Bengali. Hence, some of these dialects are sometimes considered languages in their own right.

Bengali dialects can be thus classified along at least two dimensions: spoken vs. literary variations, and prestige vs. regional variations.

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 :

Spoken Bengali exhibits far more variation than written Bengali. Formal spoken Bengali, including what is heard in news reports, speeches, announcements, and lectures, is modelled 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 Gramyo Bangla (গ্রাম্য বাংলা) (i.e. 'rural Bengali'), dialects specific to a village or town.


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