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Let’s learn about the Bengali language! We’ve gathered background information and interesting facts about the language. In addition, check out our newest children’s books available in Bengali.
Where is Bengali spoken?
Bengali is the seventh most popular language globally, spoken by more than 260 million people worldwide. Bengali is primarily spoken in Bangladesh and India.
Bengali in the United States
There are over 300 thousand Bengali speakers in the United States, with large groups in the New York metropolitan area, California, and Texas.
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Interesting Facts About Bengali
The Bengali language is an Indo-Aryan language that can be traced back to 3500 B.C. Bengali evolved from the Magadhi Prakrit, Pāli, and Sanskrit languages.
The Bengali script is derived from Brahmi, one of the two ancient Indian scripts. The language has 29 consonants and 14 vowels. There are no gender-specific pronouns, but it does have gender-specific terms like actor and actress.
Some English words borrowed from Bengali include dinghy, jute, and bungalow.
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Bengali Books – Bilingual Children’s Books
If you interact with children who speak Bengali, or are learning the language, you may want suggestions on some of the best bilingual children’s books. The Living in Harmony series is a valuable resource for discussing universal themes of kindness and respect while learning about a new culture. We offer a wide selection of books; see all our bilingual Bengali books here.
Are you interested in learning about other languages as well? View our Language Spotlight series on world languages, which includes Kinyarwanda, Tigrinya, Hmong, Cherokee, Hindi, Dari, Pashto and more!