Bengali

Bengali (Bangla) belongs to the eastern group of the Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European language family. Along with Assamese, it is the easternmost of all Indo-European languages. Bengali is spoken by 100 million people in Bangladesh, and by 171 million worldwide. The total number of 1st- and 2nd-language speakers of Bengali is estimated at 211 million (Ethnologue), making it one of the 10 most spoken languages in the world.

In English, Bengali refers to both the language and the people who speak it. In Bengali, the language is called Bangla (bangla means 'low'). The direct ancestors of Bengali are Prakrit, and Sanskrit. The history of the Bengali language and its literature is usually divided into three periods:

•   Old Bengali (1000-1350 AD), attested by a single manuscript of songs
•   Middle Bengali (1350-1800)
•   Modern Bengali (1800- present)

Bengali has a rich literature dating back to 1000 AD. All pre-19th literature was in rhymed verse. Based on exposure to Sanskrit literature, European colonial contact, and folk theatre, Bengali also has a rich tradition of modern drama.

Bengali is the official language of Bangladesh. It is the official language of the state of West Bengal and the co-official language of the state of Tripura and union territory of Andaman and Nicobar Islands. In India, it is the second most-spoken language after Hindi-Urdu. There are also large Bengali-speaking communities in Assam (an Indian state neighbouring West Bengal and Bangladesh), and in the Middle East, Europe, the U.S. and Canada.

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