Bengali script notes [Draft]

This is the independent vowel. See also the above section on the inherent vowel.

Where the vowel harmony effect applies, if the vowel in the following syllable is one of i u this is pronounced o.

Use 0985: BENGALI LETTER A.

Use 0986: BENGALI LETTER AA for the independent vowel.

Use 09BE: BENGALI VOWEL SIGN AA for the vowel sign.

The vowel sign appears to the left of the base consonant.

Where the vowel harmony effect applies, if the vowel in the following syllable is one of ɔ o e a this is pronounced e.

Use 0987: BENGALI LETTER I for the independent vowel.

Use 09BF: BENGALI VOWEL SIGN I for the vowel sign.

Bengali has lost the distinction between short and long i vowels in pronunciation, but retains the difference in spelling.

Use 0988: BENGALI LETTER II for the independent vowel.

Use 09C0: BENGALI VOWEL SIGN II for the vowel sign.

Pronounced with the lips very rounded.

Where the vowel harmony effect applies, if the vowel in the following syllable is one of ɔ o e a this is pronounced o.

To avoid clashing with the dot, the vowel sign for u appears to the side when attached to rɔ, ie. রু.

When combining with শ the form শু is common in handwriting and older typefaces. The u can also be written below the consonant, especially in newspapers. A similar phenomenon occurs with the letter গ, ie. গু.

Also, hu traditionally looks like হু.

Use 0989: BENGALI LETTER U for the independent vowel.

Use 09C1: BENGALI VOWEL SIGN U for the vowel sign.

Pronounced with the lips very rounded.

Bengali has lost the distinction between short and long u vowels in pronunciation, but retains the difference in spelling.

To avoid clashing with the dot, the vowel sign for ū appears to the side when attached to rɔ, ie. রূ.

Use 098A: BENGALI LETTER UU for the independent vowel.

Use 09C2: BENGALI VOWEL SIGN UU for the vowel sign.

Vocalic r.

The vowel sign is attached to the bottom of the consonant, but some computer typefaces position it slightly to the right.

Note that hṛ traditionally looks like হৃ, although modern computer typefaces tend to put the normal vowel sign under the consonant.

Use 098B: BENGALI LETTER VOCALIC R for the independent vowel.

Use 09C3: BENGALI VOWEL SIGN VOCALIC R for the vowel sign.

The vowel sign is written before its base.

Where the vowel harmony effect applies, if the vowel in the following syllable is one of i u this is pronounced i; if the vowel in the following syllable is one of ɔ o e a this is pronounced æ.

The pronounciation æ is generally used in common words such as কেন kænô, why or কেমন kæmôn, how, and certain verb forms. Some speakers in Bangladesh may not clearly distinguish between the æ and e, but they do know which is appropriate if asked.

In high quality printing the horizontal line of the vowel sign may be omitted at the beginning of a word.

Use 098F: BENGALI LETTER E for the independent vowel.

Use 09C7: BENGALI VOWEL SIGN E for the vowel sign.

The vowel sign is written before its base.

Diphthong.

Note that the sound can also be represented by the inherent vowel plus i, eg. বই bôi, book. The combination of o plus i can also occur, eg. ওই oi, demonstrative.

Use 0990: BENGALI LETTER AI for the independent vowel.

Use 09C8: BENGALI VOWEL SIGN AI for the vowel sign.

The vowel sign appears on both sides of the base.

Pronounced with the lips very rounded.

Where the vowel harmony effect applies, if the vowel in the following syllable is one of i u this is pronounced u; if the vowel in the following syllable is one of ɔ o e a this is pronounced ɔ .

See the note earlier about inconsistent spellings due to the sound o being also an inherent vowel sound.

Use 0993: BENGALI LETTER O for the independent vowel.

Use 09CB: BENGALI VOWEL SIGN O for the vowel sign.

The vowel sign can also be represented in Unicode by 09C7: BENGALI VOWEL SIGN E + 09BE: BENGALI VOWEL SIGN AA, but this is for compatibility with encodings that represent the vowel in this way. Normally you should not use this approach.

The vowel sign appears on both sides of the base.

Diphthong.

Use 0994: BENGALI LETTER AU for the independent vowel.

Use 09CC: BENGALI VOWEL SIGN AU for the vowel sign.

The vowel sign can also be represented in Unicode by 09C7: BENGALI VOWEL SIGN E + 09D7: BENGALI AU LENGTH MARK, but this is for compatibility with encodings that represent the vowel in this way. Normally you should not use this approach.

Use 0995: BENGALI LETTER KA.

See also ক্ষ

This conjunct is often treated as a letter of the alphabet in that some dictionaries give it it's own section.

At the beginning of a word it is pronounced kʰ, but like kʰː between vowels in the middle of a word.

Use 0995: BENGALI LETTER KA + 09CD: BENGALI SIGN VIRAMA + 09B7: BENGALI LETTER SSA.

Aspirated consonant.

Use 0996: BENGALI LETTER KHA.

When combining with ু the form গু is common in handwriting and older typefaces. The u can also be written below the consonant, especially in newspapers.

Use 0997: BENGALI LETTER GA.

Use 0998: BENGALI LETTER GHA .

Some speakers will pronounce a hard g in a word like বাঙালী baŋgali, Bengali, while others will either soften it or omit it.

Use 0999: BENGALI LETTER NGA.

Use 099A: BENGALI LETTER CA.

Aspiration is stronger at the beginning of a word than in the middle or at the end.

Some people may tend to pronounce this as s.

Use 099B: BENGALI LETTER CHA.

In Bangladesh this can sound more like z, especially in words of Perso-Arabic origin, eg. নামাজ namaj, prayers, pronounced namaz.

The conjunct জ্ঞ jñ is pronounced g at the beginning of words, or gː between vowels. It also changes a following a to æ, eg. বিজ্ঞান bijñan, science, pronounced bigːæn, or জ্ঞান jñan, knowledge, pronounced gæn.

Use 099C: BENGALI LETTER JA .

Aspirated.

Use 099D: BENGALI LETTER JHA.

This is only used in conjuncts such as ñc, ñj, ñjh, jñ, etc.

It is also used independently in words like গাঞি, though that is very rare².

It is pronounced the same as nɔ.

The conjunct জ্ঞ jñ is pronounced g at the beginning of words, or gː between vowels. It also changes a following a to æ, eg. বিজ্ঞান bijñan, science, pronounced bigːæn, or জ্ঞান jñan, knowledge, pronounced gæn.

Use 099E: BENGALI LETTER NYA.

Retroflex plosive. Note that Bengali retroflex consonants do not involve the tongue being curled around or pointed vertically upwards, as in other Indic languages. The tip of the tongue is touched against the alveolar ridge.

Use 099F: BENGALI LETTER TTA.

Aspirated retroflex plosive.

Use 09A0: BENGALI LETTER TTHA.

Unaspirated retroflex plosive.

Use 09A1: BENGALI LETTER DDA .

Retroflex flap. Curl tongue as if for ɖ but before making contact with the alveolar ridge flap the tongue down smartly to make contact with the bottom of the mouth.

In Sanskrit this was merely an allophone of ড between vowels. The distinguishing dot was added to the Bengali script in the 19th century.

Use 09DC: BENGALI LETTER RRA .

Aspirated retroflex plosive.

Rather rare, even though it is used in the name of the Bangladeshi capital, ie. ɖhaka, and some other quite common words like ঢাক².

Use 09A2: BENGALI LETTER DDHA.

Theoretically the aspirated version of ɽ, but in practise not normally pronounced with aspiration, although it occasionally may be, as in রাঢ়². A very rare letter, the only common word in which it appears it the Bengali month আষাঢ় aʂaɽh, June-July.

Use 09DD: BENGALI LETTER RHA .

This is pronounced exactly the same as n.

Note that the conjunct হ্ণ hɳ is pronounced nh or nː.

Use 09A3: BENGALI LETTER NNA .

Dental plosive. The tongue is further forward than the English t.

Use 09A4: BENGALI LETTER TA.

Special vowel combinations: The syllable ntu can be written in modern typefaces with the u below the n͟t conjunct, but in older print a special arrangement incorporates all three sounds together, eg. কিন্তু kin͟tu, but.

The combination truis represented by ত্রু.

In some words a tɔ that has no following inherent or other vowel may have a shape like ত্‍. It is called খণ্ড ত্‌ khɔɳɖȏ tɔ. It either comes at the end of words, eg. হঠাত্‍ hɔʈhaṯ, suddenly, or before a consonant that doesn't naturally combine with tɔ, eg. উত্‍সব uṯsɔb, festival. Many such words, however, use ত. It's not possible to say which will be used.

For khɔɳɖȏ tɔ use 09A4: BENGALI LETTER TA + 09CD: BENGALI SIGN VIRAMA + 200D: ZERO WIDTH JOINER.

Note that a resolution has just been taken to create a new Unicode character for khɔɳɖȏ tɔ and to clarify usage in the standard. Add details here.

Aspirated dental plosive.

When the English sound 'th' as in 'thin' is transliterated into Bengali, this is the sound that is used.

Use 09A5: BENGALI LETTER THA.

Produced with the teeth firmly against the top front teeth.

When the English sound 'th' as in 'then' is transliterated into Bengali, this is the sound that is used.

Use 09A6: BENGALI LETTER DA.

Use 09A7: BENGALI LETTER DHA.

Special vowel combinations: The syllable ntu can be written in modern typefaces with the u below the n͟t conjunct, but in older print a special arrangement incorporates all three sounds together, eg. কিন্তু kin͟tu, but.

Note that the conjunct হ্ন hn, is pronounced nh or nː.

Use 09A8: BENGALI LETTER NA.

Unaspirated labial plosive.

Use 09AA: BENGALI LETTER PA.

Aspirated labial plosive.

Some pronounce as pʰ with aspiration, but many (especially in Bangladesh) pronounce more like f. In West Bengal it is more like the pf in the German 'pfennig', and this is a fairly standard rendering.

Use 09AB: BENGALI LETTER PHA.

Note that the Sanskrit 'v' becomes 'b' in Bengali, eg. বিষ্ণু biʂ͟ɳu, Vishnu.

When used in conjuncts, where it is known as bɔ phɔla, it is transcribed as v when the pronunciation is not b:

• when word initial, it is not pronounced, eg. স্বামী s͟vamī, husband, pronounced ʃamiː; জ্বর j͟vɔr, fever, pronounced ʤɔr.
• between vowels, it can lengthen the consonant to which it is attached, eg. বিশ্ব biʃ͟vô, universe, pronounced biʃːo
• it may also be pronounced as b in conjuncts in words of English origin, eg. নম্বর nɔm͟bôr, number, pronounced nɔmbor.

See the list of conjuncts with unusual pronunciations.

Use 09AC: BENGALI LETTER BA.

Use 09AD: BENGALI LETTER BHA.

Use 09AE: BENGALI LETTER MA.

Note that the conjunct হ্ম hm, is pronounced mh or mː.

If a conjunct ends with m this letter is typically not pronounced, but the initial sound in the cluster is lengthened. For examples see the list of conjuncts with unusual pronunciations.

Pronounced ʤ at the beginning of a word.

Phonetic variants: In Bangladesh this can sound more like z, especially in words of Perso-Arabic origin.

Use 09AF: BENGALI LETTER YA.

y̌ɔ-phɔla: When it occurs as the last member of a consonant cluster this is called y̌ɔ-phɔla. Conjuncts formed with y̌ɔ-phɔla are unusual because the final consonant is reduced, eg. ক + য = ক্য.

Note that it may or may not be ligated with the preceding consonant or conjunct, eg. compare ন + য = ন্য with the previous example.

An exception to the rule for shaping of y̌ɔ-phɔla can occur when rɔ is the first letter in the conjunct. This combination is typically rendered using the reph and a full ɔn͟tɔḥs͟thô y̌ɔ, ie. র্য.

y̌ɔ-phɔla affects the pronunciation of the syllable in number of ways:

• it is not pronounced, but lengthens the preceding consonant, eg. জন্য jônnô, pronounced ʤonːo. See the list of conjuncts with unusual pronunciations for more examples.
• when followed by the vowel sign া, this often produces the vowel sound æ, eg. হ্যাঁ h͟yæ̃, yes, pronounced hæ̃; ব্যাঙ্ক b͟yæŋ͟k, bank, pronounced bæŋk.
  • an example of an exception to this would be ব্যাখ্যা b͟yækh͟ya, explanation, where the second syllable is pronounced a; another exception would be a word like সন্ধ্যা sôn͟dhya, evening, where the second syllable sounds more like a too.
• occasionally, when there is no following vowel sign, the j is not pronounced and the inherent vowel is changed. It may become æ, eg. ব্যথা b͟ytha, pain, pronounced bætʰa. Or, if the following syllable is i, the inherent vowel is pronounced e, eg. ব্যক্তি b͟yk͟ti, pain, pronounced bekti.

The conjunct হ্য hy̌, is pronounced jː.

To produce the standard form of y̌ɔ-phɔla for the font you are using, follow the preceding consonant with 09CD: BENGALI SIGN VIRAMA + 09AF: BENGALI LETTER YA.

y̌ɔ-phɔla can also be used after independent vowels though this doesn't appear to be common.

The dot was added in the 19th century.

Pronounced as e after another vowel, particularly after ɔ, a or o, eg. ভয় bʰɔe, fear; ভয় bʰɔe, fear.

Between i and e, a and u, e and e, it is pronounced j. Sometimes it is not pronounced at all, eg. মেরে mee, girl, woman.

Between o and a it is a light w, eg. খওরা kʰaowa, to eat, drink.

Use 09DF: BENGALI LETTER YYA.

Rolled, but at the end of a word in particular the tongue only flaps once or twice.

When it occurs as the second element in a conjunct it is typically written as a wavy horizontal line, eg. ব + র = ব্র. This mark is called rɔ-phɔla.

When it occurs as the first element in a conjunct it is typically written as a diagonal stroke above the consonant that follows it, eg. র + য = র্য. This mark is called reph.

Special vowel combinations: To avoid clashing with the dot, the vowel sign for u appears to the side when attached to rɔ, ie. রু. Similarly, the vowel sign for ū appears to the side when attached to rɔ, ie. রূ.

Use 09B0: BENGALI LETTER RA.

Never a dark 'l'.

Use 09B2: BENGALI LETTER LA.

Typically pronounced s in the following conjunct: শ্র ʃr, sr.

May also be pronounced s in Bangladesh, or in English words that use the sound s.

When combining শ with u the form শু is common in handwriting and older typefaces. The u can also be written below the consonant, especially in newspapers.

Use 09B6: BENGALI LETTER SHA.

Use 09B7: BENGALI LETTER SSA.

Typically pronounced s in the following conjuncts:

• স্ত st, st
• স্থ sth, stʰ
• স্ন sn, sn
• স্ত্র str, str

May also be pronounced s in Bangladesh, or in English words that use the sound s.

The conjunct স্ম sm, ʃː may involve some nasalisation of the preceding vowel, eg. ভস্ম, bʰɔ̃ʃːo; but with a vocalic r vowel sign s, eg. স্মৃতি, sriti, memory it is pronounced s.

Use 09B8: BENGALI LETTER SA.

Special vowel combinations: Note that hṛ traditionally looks like হৃ, although modern computer typefaces tend to put the normal vowel sign under the consonant. Also, hu traditionally looks like হু.

Note that the conjuncts হ্ণ hɳ, and হ্ন hn, are pronounced nh or nː. Similarly, হ্ম hm, is pronounced mh or mː.

The conjunct হ্য hy̌, is pronounced jː.

Use 09B9: BENGALI LETTER HA.

Used to represent the sound ŋ, eg. বাংলা baŋla, Bengali (language). Never supports a vowel sign.

Sometimes spelling is inconsistent, especially when this or ঙ are used in a conjunct, eg. সাঙঘাতিক or সাংঘাতিক terrible, tremendous; রঙ or রং colour.

Use 0982: BENGALI SIGN ANUSVARA.

Vowel nasalisation marker. This appears over the top of an independent vowel, but over the basic consonant when a vowel sign is attached, not over the vowel sign.

cɔn͟drôbin͟du means moon dot.

Use 0981: BENGALI SIGN CANDRABINDU. Talk about the relevant order wrt vowel signs.

This sign has two different effects:

• নিঃশব্দ niʃːɔbdô, here the bisɔr͟gô lengthens the following consonant. There is no aspiration.
• বাঃ baːɦ, left, here it is pronounced with vigourous final aspiration.

The only common words containing this sign are বাঃ baːɦ, left and দুঃখ dukʰːô, sorrow.

Use 0983: BENGALI SIGN VISARGA. This is a combining character. There's probably some order required here wrt vowel signs.

Virama

Kills the inherent vowel between consonants. Typically used in Bengali to represent unusual conjuncts, eg. ফ্‌ল্যাট phly̌æʈ, flat, or override expectations.

Use 09E6: BENGALI DIGIT ZERO.

Use 09E7: BENGALI DIGIT ONE.

Use 09E8: BENGALI DIGIT TWO.

Use 09E9: BENGALI DIGIT THREE.

Use 09EA: BENGALI DIGIT FOUR.

Use 09EB: BENGALI DIGIT FIVE.

Use 09EC: BENGALI DIGIT SIX.

Use 09ED: BENGALI DIGIT SEVEN.

Use 09EE: BENGALI DIGIT EIGHT.

Use 09EF: BENGALI DIGIT NINE.

Used with a space before it.

Use 0964: DEVANAGARI DANDA.

Use 003F: QUESTION MARK.