Western Bengali dialects

Western Bengali
Mānbhūmī Bengali
Jharkhandi Bengali
মানভূমী বাংলা
রাঢ়ী বুলি
Native toIndia
RegionWest Bengal (Medinipur division, parts of Burdwan division and Presidency division);
Jharkhand (Kolhan division, Santhal Pargana division, parts of North Chotanagpur division and Ranchi district);
Odisha (parts of Mayurbhanj District and Balasore District)
Early forms
Bengali alphabet
Language codes
ISO 639-3–
GlottologNone

Western Bengali, also known as Mānbhūmī Bengali (Bengali: মানভূমী বাংলা, romanized: Mānbhūmī Bāṅlā pronounced [manbʱumi baŋla]) or Rāḍhi Bengali is a set of western vernacular Bengali dialects spoken in the Western Rarh region. These include Greater Manbhum, West Bardhaman, Bankura (excluding Bishnupur), Greater Medinipur, Birbhum, Singhbhum, Santal Parganas, Chotanagpur, Kakdwip in South 24 Parganas and other adjacent areas of West Bengal, Jharkhand and Odisha. It is one of the Bengali dialects, having some influences of neighbouring dialects of Hindi and Odia in the bordering areas.

Manbhumi Bengali has a rich tradition of folk songs sung in various occasions. Tusu songs are sung by village girls during a month-long observance of Tusu festival in villages of Purulia and some parts of Barddhaman, Bankura and Birbhum districts of West Bengal and parts of East Singhbhum, Saraikela Kharsawan, Bokaro, Dhanbad and Ranchi districts of Jharkhand. Bhadu songs, Karam songs, Baul songs and Jhumar songs are also composed in Manbhumi Bengali. Manbhumi Bengali songs are used by Chhau performers of Purulia School to depict various mythological events. Chhau is one of the distinguished dance forms of this geographical region which has been accorded the status of Intangible cultural heritage by UNESCO in 2009.

Phonology

Vowels

Front Central Back
Close i u
Open-mid ɛ ɔ
Open a

Consonants

Labial Dental Alveolar Palato-alveolar Retroflex Velar Glottal
Nasal m n ŋ
Plosive voiceless t̪ ʈ k
voiced d̪ ɖ ɡ
Affricate voiceless t͡ʃ
voiced d͡ʒ
Fricative voiceless ɸ s h
voiced β
Approximant l
Rhotic ɾ

Regional variation

Bengali speaking region.

This Bengali dialect is spoken in the Manbhum and Dhalbhum area and has its extended regional variants or subdialects throughout southern border area of Medinipur division of West Bengal, south eastern border of Kolhan division of Jharkhand.

Ranchi: æk loker du beţa rahe. (M)
Manbhum: æk loker duţa beţa chhilô. (M)
Pashchim Bardhaman district: kono loker duiţi chhele chhilo. (M)
Dhalbhum/East Singhbhum: ek loker duţa chha chhilo. (M)
Baharagora/Gopiballavpur: gotae noker duţa po thailaa. (M)
East Medinipur: gote loker duiţa toka thila. (M)


Ranchi: tumharman kahan jaatraho? (M)
Manbhum: tumhra kuthay jachho? (M)
Pashchim Bardhaman district: tumra kuthay jachchho? (M)
Dhalbhum/East Singhbhum: tumhra kaai jachho? (M)
Baharagora/Gopiballavpur: tumarkar kaai jaoţo ? (M)
East Medinipur: tumra kaai jaoţo? (M)


Ranchi: Chhaua ţa bes padhatrahe (M)
Manbhum: Chhana ţa bhalo padhchhe (M)
Pashchim Bardhaman district: Chhana ţa bhalo padhchhe (M)
Dhalbhum/East Singhbhum: Chha ţa bhalo padhchhe? (M)
Baharagora/Gopiballavpur: Chha ţa bhala padheţe? (M)
East Medinipur: Pila ţa bhala padhţe? (M)

There are two tribal languages, Kharia Thar and Mal Paharia, mainly spoken in Manbhum region of Bengal and Jharkhand by some small tribes, are closely related to Western Bengali dialects, but are typically classified as separate languages.

See also

References

  1. ↑ O'Malley, L.S.S. (1911). Bengal District Gazetteers: Bankura. Calcutta: The Bengal Secretariat Book Depot. p. 46.
  2. ↑ Coupland, H. (1911). Bengal District Gazetteers: Manbhum. Calcutta: The Bengal Secretariat Book Depot. p. 72.
  3. ↑ "UNESCO - Chhau dance".
  4. ↑ Pronoun in Bengali (PDF). aus.ac.in (Thesis). Assam University, Silchar: Department of Linguistics Rabindranath Tagore School of Indian Languages and Cultural Studies. p. 24.
  5. ↑ Krishan 1990.

Sources