Languages of Bangladesh

Languages of Bangladesh
Official languages	Bengali
National languages	Bengali
Regional languages	Unofficial Chittagonian, Chattgayia local language in Chittagong Sylheti, Chakma, Rangpuri
Minority languages	38 Minority languages Assamese, Bishnupriya Manipuri, Chakma, Hajong, Tangchangya, Oraon Sadri, Khasi, Koda, Mundari, Pnar, Santali, War-Jaintia, Kurukh, Sauria Paharia, A'Tong, Chak, Chin, Asho, Bawm, Falam, Haka, Khumi, Koch,Garo, Megam, Meitei Manipuri, Mizo, Mru, Pangkhua, Rakhine/Marma, Kok Borok, Riang, Tippera and Usoi
Main immigrant languages	Bihari • Burmese • Rohingya
Main foreign languages	English
Sign languages	Bengali Sign language
Common keyboard layouts	Bengali National Keyboard 200px

The official and de facto national language of Bangladesh is Modern Standard Bengali (Literary Bangla). It serves as the lingua franca of the nation, with 98% of Bangladeshis fluent in Standard Bengali or Bengali dialects as their first language. English, having no official status, is prevalent across government, law, business, media and education, and can be regarded as the de facto co-official language of Bangladesh (see Bangladeshi English).

The indigenous people of northern and southeastern Bangladesh speak a variety of native languages.

Aryan languages

The lowlands of Bangladesh form the eastern half of the ethno-linguistic region of Bengal, and the Bengali language is spoken by the majority of the country's inhabitants. There are also some Eastern Indic language varieties, which are variously classified either as dialects of Bengali or separate but closely related languages. They can be thought of forming a dialect continuum.

• Bengali-Assamese branch:
  • Assamese: is an Eastern Indo-Aryan language used mainly in the state of Assam. It is the official language of Assam State, India.
  • Bishnupriya Manipuri
  • Bengali proper: spoken all over the country.
  • Chakma: spoken in the Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT). Unrelated to the Tibeto-Burman languages more commonly found in the region.
  • Chittagonian: spoken in the city of Chittagong and in much of the southeast of the country, it is often considered to be a dialect of Bengali, but both languages are mutually unintelligible to each other.
  • Hajong: originally a Tibeto-Burman language that has shifted over time to an Indic language.
  • Rohingya: spoken in Arakan State, Burma, and by refugees from that region, currently living in Bangladesh's Chittagong Division. While it is also often called Arkani by native speakers, it is unrelated to the Rakhine of Arakan State.
  • Tangchangya: spoken in the Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT). Unrelated to the Tibeto-Burman languages more commonly found in the region.
• Oraon Sadri: also a major language of Jharkhand State, India.
• Bihari: spoken primarily by Muslim refugees from Bihar State, India.

Non-Aryan languages

The 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.

• Khasi: also a major language of Meghalaya State, India
• Koda
• Mundari
• Pnar
• Santali
• War-Jaintia

Dravidian languages

Two Dravidian languages are spoken by indigenous communities of western Bangladesh.

• Kurukh
• 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.

• A'Tong
• Chak
• Chin languages:
  • Asho
  • Bawm
  • Falam
  • Haka
  • Khumi
• Koch
• Garo: also a major language of Meghalaya State, India
• Megam
• Meitei Manipuri: also a major language of Manipur State, India
• Mizo: also a major language of Mizoram State, India
• Mru
• Pangkhua
• Rakhine/Marma: also a major language of Arakan State, Burma
• Tripuri languages: a major language group of Tripura State, India
  • Kok Borok
  • Riang
  • Tippera
  • Usoi

Further reading

• UNESCO, "Bangladesh: Some endangered languages (information from Ethonologue, UNESCO)", June 2010.

External links

• Ethnologue report for Bangladesh
• Bangla language