Bangla (also known as Bengali) is a vibrant and culturally rich language spoken by over 250 million people, primarily in Bangladesh and India. It is one of the most widely spoken languages in the world and has a long history filled with poetry, literature, and art that dates back centuries.

Key Features of Bangla

• Phonetic Richness: Bangla has a distinctive set of sounds, including a range of vowels, consonants, and unique phonetic features like geminate consonants (long consonants), which give it a unique rhythm and flow.
• Alphabet: Bangla is written using Brahmi script where most characters represent a distinct sound.
• Grammar
  • Unlike many other languages, Bangla follows a Subject-Object-Verb (SOV) structure. For example, ami boi pori literally translates to “I books read” (SOV), whereas in English the same idea is expressed as “I read books” (SVO).
  • In Bangla, verbs conjugate not only based on tense and subject but also according to levels of politeness and familiarity.
  • The language uses gender-neutral pronouns, and verbs remain the same regardless of the subject’s gender.

Understanding these elements is key to speaking and writing Bangla correctly.

• Cultural Significance: Bangla is not just a language; it is an integral part of Bengali identity, nationality, and politics. It holds a deep cultural connection to festivals, music, films, and history, all of which continue to shape the modern landscape.

• Bangla is the official language of Bangladesh and is widely spoken in the Indian provinces of West Bengal, Tripura, and Assam. While spoken by over 250 million people, Bangla is also spoken as a heritage language by around 40 million people worldwide.
• Bangla has a rich literary tradition, with both classical and modern works, including poetry, novels, dramas, essays, and short stories.
• International Mother Language Day, observed on February 21 annually, commemorates the 1952 Bangla Language Movement in Bangladesh (then East Pakistan), during which students sacrificed their lives to protect Bangla as their mother tongue. In 1999, the United Nations declared February 21 as International Mother Language Day to promote linguistic and cultural diversity.

Watch the following short video to know more about International Mother Language Day:

Engaging IPA Chart for Bangla Pronunciation

The following chart is designed to help you learn the pronunciation of both the consonant and vowel sounds of Bangla (Bengali) using the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA). The IPA is a standard system for representing the sounds of all languages, and this chart focuses specifically on Bangla sounds.

To use this chart effectively

1. Click here for a guide on how to read the chart.
2. Click here to download the chart in PDF format.
3. Open the PDF file using Adobe Acrobat Reader (not a web browser) to ensure you can hear the sounds/pronunciations.
4. Click on each symbol or Bangla letter to hear the sounds/pronunciations of Bangla consonants and vowels.
5. Practice mimicking the correct pronunciation of each sound and learn how the sounds should be articulated, based on place and manner of articulation.

THE FOLLOWING PDF MUST BE DOWNLOADED IN ORDER TO LISTEN TO THE SOUNDS.