Languages of Bangladesh

This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Find sources: "Languages of Bangladesh" – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (July 2020) (Learn how and when to remove this template message)

Languages of Marma
Immigrant	Burmese, Urdu[1][2] • Rohingya
Foreign	English
Keyboard layout	Bengali keyboard

The national language and official language of Bangladesh is Bangla according to the third article of the Constitution of Bangladesh.^[4] Almost 99% of Bangladeshis speak Bengali (including dialects) as their first language.^[5][3] Bengali Language Implementation Act, 1987 made it mandatory to use Bengali in all government affairs except in the cases of foreign relations.^[6] According to a 2022 census, Bengali is predominantly spoken by 99% of the country's population and it also serves as the national language of the nation. The indigenous people of northern and southeastern Bangladesh speak a variety of native languages. According to the Ethnologue, there are 36 indigenous living languages, which include 17 Tibeto-Burman, 10 Indo-Aryan, 7 Austroasiatic and 2 Dravidian languages in Bangladesh.^[7] Bangladesh has 44 indigenous languages according to Professor Shameem Reza.^[8]

Indo-Aryan languages

The lowlands of Bangladesh form the larger, central, and eastern half of the

• Bengali branch:
  • Standard Bengali
    : spoken all over the country – originally the dialect of Nadia region (partly in Khulna Division), very close to dialect in the rest of Khulna Division
  • Barisal
    regions).
  • Chittagonian: spoken by the people of Chittagong in the southeastern districts of Chittagong, Cox's Bazar and also by migrants to the Chittagong Hill Tracts.
  • Sylheti: Spoken by Sylhetis in the northeastern region of Surma Valley (Sylhet Division)
  • Dhakaiya Kutti: The dialect is spoken by the people of Old Dhaka
    .
  • Greater Comilla
    and northern Chittagong district.
  • Varendri: Spoken by the people of the Western region (Rajshahi Division
    ); part of the North Bengali dialects.
  • Rangpuri: Spoken by people of the northern region (Rangpur Division); closely related to Varendri dialect.
• Tribal languages:
  • Chakma: Spoken in the Chittagong Hill Tract Region. Unrelated to the Tibeto-Burman languages that are commonly found in the region. Very similar to Chittagonian.
  • Indo-Aryan language by the Bishnupriya Manipuri people who live in Bangladesh. Bishnupriya Manipuri is distinct from the Bengali languages and contains many features and elements of the Tibeto-Burman languages
    .
  • Hajong: Originally a Tibeto-Burman language that has shifted over time to an Indic language.
  • Tangchangya: spoken by the Tanchangya people in the Chittagong Hill Tracts. It is closely related to Chakma
    .
• Sadri: Also a major language of Jharkhand
  , India. Spoken widely in tea estates throughout Bangladesh by indigenous people who have abandoned their old language.
• Bihari languages: Spoken primarily by the Bihari Muslims from Bihar, India who came during Partition.

Non-Indo-Aryan languages

The Non-Indo-Aryan indigenous languages of the region are members of the Austroasiatic, Dravidian and Tibeto-Burman families. Most of these languages are spoken in mountainous areas.

Austroasiatic languages

While the more widely spoken and better-known Austroasiatic languages are spoken in Southeast Asia (e.g. Khmer and Vietnamese), smaller languages of that family are spoken by indigenous communities of northern and eastern Bangladesh. There are two branches of Austro-Asiatic represented in Bangladesh.

• Khasi: Spoken in Sylhet division. Also a major language of Meghalaya, India
• Pnar: spoken in Sylhet division
• War: spoken in Sylhet Division
• Santali: spoken in Rajshahi and Rangpur divisions. Widely spoken in West Bengal and Jharkhand, India
• Mundari: spoken in Rajshahi and Rangpur divisions.
• Koda: spoken in Rajshahi and Rangpur divisions.

Dravidian languages

Two Dravidian languages are spoken in Rajshahi and Rangpur divisions in western Bangladesh.

• Kurukh - some Kurukh people live in Sylhet tea gardens but mainly speak Sadri
• Sauria Paharia

Tibeto-Burman languages

The mountainous areas along the northern and eastern edges of the Indian Subcontinent are inhabited primarily by speakers of Tibeto-Burman languages. Indigenous Tibeto-Burman-speaking communities are found through the northern, eastern, and especially the southeastern parts of Bangladesh, primarily the Chittagong Hill Tracts.

• Rakhine state
  , Myanmar.
• A'Tong: spoken in Mymensingh division.
• Chak: spoken in Chittagong Hill Tracts.
• Chin languages
  : spoken in Chittagong Hill Tracts
  • Asho
  • Bawm
  • Falam
  • Haka
  • Khumi
  • Mara
• Koch: spoken in Mymensingh Division
• Garo: mainly spoken in Mymensingh division. Also a major language of Meghalaya, India.
• Megam: closely related to Garo, spoken in Mymensingh division
• Meitei (Manipuri): spoken in Sylhet division. Also a major language of Manipur State, India
• Mizo: spoken in Chittagong Hill Tracts. Also a major language of Mizoram State, India
• Mru: spoken in Chittagong Hill Tracts.
• Pangkhua: spoken in Chittagong Hill Tracts
• Tripuri: Spoken in Chittagong Hill Tracts. A major language of Tripura State, India

Other languages

English

English is now second language of Bangladesh in 2023. Before the commencement of the Bengali Language Implementation Act, 1987, English had a considerable presence in official affairs, but since 1987 the usage of English has waned significantly in government. Due to the British colonization of the country, English is still a widely spoken and commonly understood language in Bangladesh.^[9] English is taught as a compulsory subject in all schools, colleges and universities. In addition, there is an English-medium education system in Bangladesh which is widely attended.^[10] The British Council Bangladesh offers English language courses.

Similar to the situation in other SAARC nations, there are significant disparities in English-language knowledge; a significant portion of the population speaks English fluently or even natively (especially among the educated class), while an even larger portion of the population has little to no knowledge of English. Among the middle and upper class, many can read and write fluently due to professional requirements, but may have difficulty speaking English.

During the colonial period, laws were written in English. Currently, most laws are written in Bengali, the exception being amendments to laws passed before 1987, which are generally written in English. Many legal, administrative, and financial forms used by the government and banks are in English only. English is also used in the judiciary.^[11]

Arabic

Since the conquest of Bengal by

Sultan Ahmad Nanupuri reciting a Persian poem by Hafez.

---

Problems playing this file? See media help.

From ancient times, Bengal and Persia had been in contact with each other and there were many trading posts around coastal Bengal. As people converted to Islam, they became acquainted with Persian, the language of the Sufi preachers.

Presently, Persian is taught in some madrasas, mostly those belonging to the Befaqul Madarisil Arabia Bangladesh board, as well as at the University of Dhaka.^[18]

Dobhashi refers to a historical register of Bengali with significant Persian influence, similar to the influence of Persian on Urdu.

Urdu

Urdu (اردو‬) was an official language in post-partition 1947 to 1971. It is still spoken by the settlers from Bihar and Uttar Pradesh. They are living in Saidpur, Dhaka particularly Old Dhaka, and other parts of Bangladesh.

References