Bengali script

Encyclopedia : B : BE : BEN : Bengali script

This page contains Indic text. Without rendering support, you may see irregular vowel positioning and a lack of conjuncts. [Enabling complex text support for Indic scriptsMore...]

The Bengali script (Bangla: বাংলা লিপি Bangla lipi) is an Abugida system of writing belonging to the Brahmic family of scripts whose use is associated with the Bangla, Assamese, Manipuri and Sylheti languages. While it is very similar to Devanagari, it is less blocky and presents a more sinuous shaping, and is derived from a precursor of that script called Nagari. The modern script was formalized in 1778 when it was first typeset by Charles Wilkins. There are some minor differences between the version of the script used for Assamese and that used for the other languages: rô (Bengali র; Assamese ৰ) and wô (Bengali not available; Assamese ৱ).

The script was originally not associated with any particular language, but was prevalent as the script of choice in east India. Among the various regional variations within this script, only the Assamese and Bengali variations exist today in the formalized system. The script was used to write Sanskrit for centuries, especially when dealing with Hindu scripture such as the Mahabharata or Ramayana. It is still occasionally used to write Sanskrit today. Srimanta Sankardeva used it in the 15th and 16th centuries to compose his oeuvre in Assamese and Brajavali the language of the Bhakti poets. It was also used by the later Ahom kings to write the Buranjis, the Ahom chronicles, in the Assamese language. There is a rich legacy of Indian literature written in this script.

Clusters of consonants are represented by different and sometimes quite irregular characters; thus, learning to read the script is complicated by the sheer size of the full set of characters and character combinations, numbering about 500. While efforts at standardizing the script for the Bengali language continue in such notable centers as the Bangla Academies (unaffiliated) at Dhaka (Bangladesh) and Kolkata (West Bengal, India), it is still not quite uniform as yet, as many people continue to use various archaic forms of letters, resulting in concurrent forms for the same sounds.

It seems likely that the standardization of the script will be greatly influenced by the need to typeset it on computers. The large alphabet can be represented, with a great deal of ingenuity, within the ASCII character set, omitting certain irregular conjuncts. Work has been underway since around 2001 to develop Unicode fonts, and it seems likely that it will split into two variants, traditional and modern.

Contents

1 Bengali symbols

1.1 Vowels
1.2 Modifiers
1.3 Consonants
1.4 Digits

2 Bengali in Unicode
3 Sample Text
4 External links

Bengali symbols

Vowels

The script presently has a total of 11 vowel letters, used to represent the seven main vowel sounds of Bengali, along with a number of vowel diphthongs. All of these are used in both Bangla and Assamese, the two main languages using the script. Some of the vowel letters have different sounds depending on the word, and a number of vowel distinctions preserved in the writing system are not pronounced as such in modern spoken Bengali or Assamese. For example, the Bengali script has two symbols for the vowel sound [i] and two symbols for the vowel sound [u]. This redundancy stems from the time when this script was used to write Sanskrit, a language that had a short [i] and a long [iː], and a short [u] and a long [uː]. These letters are preserved in the Bengali script with their traditional names of hrôshsho i (lit. 'short i') and dirgho i (lit. 'long i'), etc., despite the fact that they are no longer pronounced differently in ordinary speech.

Vowel signs can be used in conjunction with consonants to modify the pronunciation of the consonant (here exemplified by ক, kô). When no vowel is written, the vowel 'অ' (ô or o) is often assumed. To specifically denote the absence of a vowel, a hôshonto (্) may be written underneath the consonant.

Vowels
Letter Transliteration IPA
অ ক (none) kô and ko kɔ and ko
আ কা ka ka
ই কি ki ki
ঈ কী ki ki
উ কু ku ku
ঊ কূ ku ku
ঋ কৃ kri kri
এ কে kê and ke kæ and ke
ঐ কৈ koi koj
ও কো ko ko
ঔ কৌ kou kow

**Vowels**
Letter		Transliteration	IPA
অ	ক (none)	kô and ko	kɔ and ko
আ	কা	ka	ka
ই	কি	ki	ki
ঈ	কী	ki	ki
উ	কু	ku	ku
ঊ	কূ	ku	ku
ঋ	কৃ	kri	kri
এ	কে	kê and ke	kæ and ke
ঐ	কৈ	koi	koj
ও	কো	ko	ko
ঔ	কৌ	kou	kow

Modifiers

Other modifier symbols
Symbol with [kɔ] (ক) Name Function Transliteration IPA
ক্ hôshonto Suppresses the inherent vowel -
কত্‍ khônđo tô Final unaspirated dental [t] (ত) t
কং ônushshôr Final velar nasal ņ
কঃ bishôrgo Adds voiceless breath after vowel : [kɔ]
কঁ chôndrobindu Nasalises vowel ñ

**Other modifier symbols**
Symbol with [kɔ] (ক)	Name	Function	Transliteration	IPA
ক্	hôshonto	Suppresses the inherent vowel	-
কত্‍	khônđo tô	Final unaspirated dental [t] (ত)	t
কং	ônushshôr	Final velar nasal	ņ
কঃ	bishôrgo	Adds voiceless breath after vowel	:	[kɔ]
কঁ	chôndrobindu	Nasalises vowel	ñ

(Compare to “homologous” modifiers in other Indic scripts: halant, anusvara, visarga, candrabindu.)

Consonants

Consonants
Letter Name of Letter Transliteration IPA
ক kô k k
খ khô kh k^h
গ gô g g
ঘ ghô gh g^ɦ
ঙ ungô, umô ņ ŋ
চ chô ch tʃ
ছ chhô chh tʃ^h
জ borgio jô
(burgijjô) j dʒ
ঝ jhô jh dʒ^ɦ
ঞ ingô, niô n ɲ
ট ţô ţ ʈ
ঠ ţhô ţh ʈ^h
ড đô đ ɖ
ঢ đhô đh ɖ^ɦ
ণ murdhonno nô
(moddhennô) n n
ত tô t t̪
থ thô th t̪^h
দ dô d d̪
ধ dhô dh d̪^ɦ
ন donto nô
(dontennô) n n
প pô p p
ফ phô ph p^h
ব bô b b
ভ bhô bh b^ɦ
ম mô m m
য ôntostho jô
(ontostejô) j dʒ
র bôe shunno rô r ɾ
ল lô l l
শ talobbo shô
(taleboshshô) sh and s ʃ/s
ষ murdhonno shô sh ʃ
স donto shô
(donteshshô) sh and s ʃ/s
হ hô h h
য় ôntostho ô
(ontosteô) e and - e/-
ড় đôe shunno ŗô ŗ ɽ
ঢ় đhôe shunno ŗô ŗh ɽ

**Consonants**
Letter	Name of Letter	Transliteration	IPA
ক	kô	k	k
খ	khô	kh	k^h
গ	gô	g	g
ঘ	ghô	gh	g^ɦ
ঙ	ungô, umô	ņ	ŋ
চ	chô	ch	tʃ
ছ	chhô	chh	tʃ^h
জ	borgio jô (burgijjô)	j	dʒ
ঝ	jhô	jh	dʒ^ɦ
ঞ	ingô, niô	n	ɲ
ট	ţô	ţ	ʈ
ঠ	ţhô	ţh	ʈ^h
ড	đô	đ	ɖ
ঢ	đhô	đh	ɖ^ɦ
ণ	murdhonno nô (moddhennô)	n	n
ত	tô	t	t̪
থ	thô	th	t̪^h
দ	dô	d	d̪
ধ	dhô	dh	d̪^ɦ
ন	donto nô (dontennô)	n	n
প	pô	p	p
ফ	phô	ph	p^h
ব	bô	b	b
ভ	bhô	bh	b^ɦ
ম	mô	m	m
য	ôntostho jô (ontostejô)	j	dʒ
র	bôe shunno rô	r	ɾ
ল	lô	l	l
শ	talobbo shô (taleboshshô)	sh and s	ʃ/s
ষ	murdhonno shô	sh	ʃ
স	donto shô (donteshshô)	sh and s	ʃ/s
হ	hô	h	h
য়	ôntostho ô (ontosteô)	e and -	e/-
ড়	đôe shunno ŗô	ŗ	ɽ
ঢ়	đhôe shunno ŗô	ŗh	ɽ

Digits

Digits
Arabic numerals 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
Bangla numerals ০ ১ ২ ৩ ৪ ৫ ৬ ৭ ৮ ৯
Bangla names shunno êk dui tin char pañch chhôe shat aţ nôe
শুন্য এক দুই তিন চার পাঁচ ছয় সাত আট নয়
Assamese names xuinno ek dui tini sari pas sôy xat ath nô

**Digits**
Arabic numerals	0	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9
Bangla numerals	০	১	২	৩	৪	৫	৬	৭	৮	৯
Bangla names	shunno	êk	dui	tin	char	pañch	chhôe	shat	aţ	nôe
শুন্য	এক	দুই	তিন	চার	পাঁচ	ছয়	সাত	আট	নয়
Assamese names	xuinno	ek	dui	tini	sari	pas	sôy	xat	ath	nô

Bengali in Unicode

The Unicode range for Bengali is U+0980 ... U+09FF.

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 A B C D E F
980 ঀ ঁ ং ঃ ঄ অ আ ই ঈ উ ঊ ঋ ঌ ঍ ঎ এ
990 ঐ ঑ ঒ ও ঔ ক খ গ ঘ ঙ চ ছ জ ঝ ঞ ট
9A0 ঠ ড ঢ ণ ত থ দ ধ ন ঩ প ফ ব ভ ম য
9B0 র ঱ ল ঳ ঴ ঵ শ ষ স হ ঺ ঻ ় ঽ া ি
9C0 ী ু ূ ৃ ৄ ৅ ৆ ে ৈ ৉ ৊ ো ৌ ্ ৎ ৏
9D0 ৐ ৑ ৒ ৓ ৔ ৕ ৖ ৗ ৘ ৙ ৚ ৛ ড় ঢ় ৞ য়
9E0 ৠ ৡ ৢ ৣ ৤ ৥ ০ ১ ২ ৩ ৪ ৫ ৬ ৭ ৮ ৯
9F0 ৰ ৱ ৲ ৳ ৴ ৵ ৶ ৷ ৸ ৹ ৺ ৻ ৼ ৽ ৾ ৿

Sample Text

The following is a sample text of script. The selection is a Bengali song, highly Sanskritized in pronunciation and vocabulary. The song was later adopted as the national anthem of India. It was written by a man who is acknowledged as the single most important and defining figure of Bengali literature, the Nobel Laureate and philosopher-saint poet Rabindranath Tagore (Thakur in Bengali).

Bengali Text of Jôno Gôno Môno:

জনগণমন-অধিনায়ক জয় হে ভারতভাগ্যবিধাতা!
পঞ্জাব সিন্ধু গুজরাট মরাঠা দ্রাবিড় উৎ‍‌কল বঙ্গ
বিন্ধ্য হিমাচল যমুনা গঙ্গা উচ্ছলজলধিতরঙ্গ
তব শুভ নামে জাগে, তব শুভ আশিস মাগে,
গাহে তব জয়গাথা।
জনগণমঙ্গলদায়ক জয় হে ভারতভাগ্যবিধাতা!
জয় হে, জয় হে, জয় হে, জয় জয় জয়, জয় হে॥

জনগণমন-অধিনায়ক জয় হে ভারতভাগ্যবিধাতা!

In Romanization:

Jônogônomono-odhinaeoko jôeô he Bharotobhaggobidhata!
Pônjabo Shindhu Gujoraţo Môraţha Drabiŗo Utkôlo Bônggo,
Bindho Himachôlo Jomuna Gôngga Uchchhôlojôlodhitoronggo,
Tôbo shubho name jage, tôbo shubho ashish mage,
Gahe tôbo jôeogatha.
Jônogônomonggolodaeoko jôeô he Bharotobhaggobidhata!
Jôeo he, jôeo he, jôeo he, jôeo jôeo jôeo, jôeo he!
Jônogônomono-odhinaeoko jôeô he Bharotobhaggobidhata!

External links

From Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Original article here. Support Wikipedia by contributing or donating.
All text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License See Wikipedia Copyrights for details.