---
lang: en
type: Language
record_kind: entity-profile
title: Bengali
description: Bengali is an eastern Indo-Aryan language and the mother tongue of most Bangladeshis and a major population in West Bengal. Its literary tradition, headed by Rabindranath Tagore, anchors South Asian cultural identity.
llms_summary: "Bengali. Language. Grammatical Typology SOV, Split-ergative. L1 Native Speakers 230000000 (230M). Language Family Indo-European / Indo-Iranian / Indo-Aryan. Language Vitality Index 10/10 (Global) scale. Number of Countries 2 countries. Standard Script Bengali abugida. Total Speakers 270000000 (270M). UNESCO Risk Category Safe. Web Domain Share (%) 0.1 %. Writing System Complexity Level 4 (Abugida) level. Linguistics & Culture. Bengali is an eastern Indo-Aryan language and the mother tongue of most Bangladeshis and a major population in West Bengal. Its literary tradition, headed by Rabindranath Tagore, anchors South Asian cultural identity.  canonical profile on Structured Pages"
canonical: "https://structuredpages.com/bengali/"
og_image: "https://structuredpages.com/images/languages/bengali/bengali.webp"
primary_image: "https://structuredpages.com/images/languages/bengali/bengali.webp"
site: structured-pages
slug: bengali
date_created: 2026-09-11
date_modified: 2026-09-11
license: All rights reserved
entities:
  -
    role: subject
    slug: bengali
    name: Bengali
    type: Language
    profile_url: "https://structuredpages.com/bengali/index.md"
---
# Bengali

Bengali is an eastern Indo-Aryan language and the mother tongue of most Bangladeshis and a major population in West Bengal. Its literary tradition, headed by Rabindranath Tagore, anchors South Asian cultural identity.

*Last updated: 2026-09-11*

## Record

- **Title**: [Bengali](https://structuredpages.com/bengali/index.md)
- **Use case**: Linguistics & Culture
- **CTA**: [See if Structured Pages fits your catalog](mailto:chris62475@gmail.com?subject=Structured%20Pages%20Catalog%20Inquiry)
- **CTA note**: Email chris62475@gmail.com to talk it through. Live demos on structuredpages.com.

### Description

#### Historical Evolution

Bengali emerged from Magadhi Prakrit in the medieval period, with the Charyapada hymns among the earliest attestations. Sultanate and Mughal patronage fostered literature in Brahmic script, while the Bengali Renaissance modernized prose. After Partition, Bengali became the symbol of Bangladeshi independence (1971), with distinct standardization bodies in Dhaka and Kolkata.

#### Phonology

Bengali contrasts aspirated and unaspirated stops, retroflexes, and nasalized vowels in some dialects. Word-final stress is common, and consonant clusters are often simplified or epenthesized. The language lacks grammatical tone, unlike some neighboring Sinitic languages.

#### Syntax

Bengali is SOV with postpositions and split-ergativity in the perfective past. Verbs inflect for person, tense, aspect, and honorific level (তুই/তুমি/আপনি paradigms). Relativization and complementation use finite clauses; adjectives generally precede nouns without agreement in gender.

### Categories

- language
- indo aryan

### Attributes

| Property | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Grammatical Typology | SOV, Split-ergative |
| L1 Native Speakers | 230000000 (230M) |
| Language Family | Indo-European / Indo-Iranian / Indo-Aryan |
| Language Vitality Index | 10/10 (Global) scale |
| Number of Countries | 2 countries |
| Standard Script | Bengali abugida |
| Total Speakers | 270000000 (270M) |
| UNESCO Risk Category | Safe |
| Web Domain Share (%) | 0.1 % |
| Writing System Complexity | Level 4 (Abugida) level |