Wikidata:Lexicographical data/Documentation/Languages/bn
| Subclass of | Bengali–Assamese  |
|---|---|
| Native label | বাংলা |
| Country | Bangladesh, India |
| Linguistic typology | subject–object–verb, fusional language |
| Has grammatical case | nominative case, accusative case, genitive case, locative case |
| Writing system | Bangla alphabet, Bengali Braille |
| Language regulatory body | Bangla Academy, Paschimbanga Bangla Akademi |
| Ethnologue language status | 1 National |
| Studied in | Bangla studies |
| Related category | Category:Bengali pronunciation |
| Wikimedia language code | bn |
This page shall host information about the modeling of Bengali lexemes on Wikidata. Note that this page is subject to abrupt change as more information from various sources is accumulated.
General guidelines[edit]
Categorization information[edit]
The sorts of lexical categories that may be found on Bengali lexemes are noted in the table below:
Note that the above table, while able to handle the majority of Bengali lexemes, is not guaranteed to be exhaustive.
Phonetic information[edit]
All information about phonetics should only be present on forms.
Due to the divergent nature of pronunciation schemes given in numerous Bengali pronunciation dictionaries, pronunciation (P7243) statements must be cited. They may be sourced to one of the following books:
IPA transcription (P898)/X-SAMPA code (P2859) statements may be (with appropriate citations) added directly to a form if no pronunciation (P7243) is present, or as qualifiers to a pronunciation (P7243) statement if that is present. Broad IPA transcriptions should be placed as statements on a lexeme form; narrow IPA transcriptions (intending to transcribe a specific audio file as closely as possible) should be placed as statements on the file's structured data on Commons.
As regards audio files, the following apply:
- pronunciation audio (P443) statements can be placed directly on the form if none of the properties described earlier are present. These should be qualified with language of work or name (P407) so that distinctions between pronunciation audio (P443) statements may be drawn based on their speakers.
- (The same language of work or name (P407) value should also be placed in the structured data for the file on Commons.)
- If a IPA transcription (P898)/X-SAMPA code (P2859) value is present, then the pronunciation audio (P443) value (and the language of work or name (P407) qualifier) should qualify that instead.
- If a pronunciation (P7243) value is present, then the following apply:
- If there is exactly one audio file which corresponds to that value, then the pronunciation audio (P443) statement should instead become a qualifier on the pronunciation (P7243) statement and the language of work or name (P407) qualifier moved from the lexeme form to a statement on the structured data for the file on Commons.
- If there are multiple audio files (with distinct language of work or name (P407) qualifiers) on the form, then they should be left alone.
Most resources containing phonetic information do not tend to provide this information for each individual form of a lexeme, or for combinations of different lexemes; for জামাই the pronunciation of জামাইকে may not be directly given, and similarly for যাওয়া and যাইতেছিলি, and similarly for রন্ধনশৈলী with respect to রন্ধন and শৈলী. In this case based on heuristic (P887) may be used as a reference for phonetic information regarding these. (A list of possible values for this property is TBD.)
Spelling information[edit]
Primary spellings of lexemes (representations on both lemmas and forms) should be referenced to publications from the Bangla Academy (Q3350196) and the Paschimbanga Bangla Akademi (Q7141810), the two regulatory bodies for the Bengali language. Any spelling referenced to a publication in the below list may be used as a primary spelling (provided that all phonetic information is otherwise equal):
The two regulatory bodies generally prescribe the same spelling for most words, and so most spellings should have the single language code "bn" for their representations. In cases where they differ (and all other information, such as phonetic information, on the lemma/form would apply to both spellings), the following may be done:
- If both prescribe different spellings, then their language codes should be "bn-x-Q3350196" and "bn-x-Q7141810" as appropriate.
- If both prescribe the same spelling, but one of them permits an alternate spelling (as is done in an appendix to the আকাদেমি বানান অভিধান), then the prescribed spelling should be marked "bn" and the alternate spelling "bn-x-Qxxx" where Qxxx is the Qid of the regulatory body in question.
- If both prescribe the same spelling but both provide different alternatives, then the prescribed spelling should be marked "bn" and the alternatives "bn-x-Qxxx" where Qxxx is the Qid of the regulatory body providing that alternative.
- Other exceptions may be dealt with on a case-by-case basis; post a message on this page's talk page for clarification.
Any spelling provided by an otherwise reputable dictionary that does not conform with the prescriptions of the two regulatory bodies (again, where all other information on the lemma/form would apply as well) can be added as an alternate spelling but must be marked "bn-x-Qxxx", where Qxxx should be substituted with the Qid of the item for the specific edition of the dictionary in question.
Sense information[edit]
Every sense on a lexeme must have a gloss in Bengali—no exceptions.
For most senses, if it is possible to provide a direct correspondence with a Wikidata item, then this should be made with item for this sense (P5137).
synonym (P5973) should be used to link all direct synonyms between senses on Bengali lexemes. It is entirely optional to make such linkages to senses in other languages; it is actively discouraged if all such senses in other languages are linked via item for this sense (P5137) to the same item (in which case a item for this sense (P5137) value on a sense to the same item would suffice).
If a dictionary in the public domain(!) has a definition of a lexeme corresponding to a particular sense, then that definition may be added (with an appropriate reference) using gloss quote (P8394). (Note that this dictionary need not itself be in Bengali; consider as an example Companion to Johnson's Dictionary, Bengali and English (Third Edition) (Q97129312).)
Usage information[edit]
Every lexeme should have at least one usage example (P5831), qualified with both subject form (P5830) and subject sense (P6072). (It would be incredibly helpful if every form and every sense of a lexeme had a corresponding usage example (P5831).) These examples should preferably be sourced to a text on the Bengali Wikisource, although sources from elsewhere may be allowed to stand. Do not directly cite the Bengali Wikipedia for any example unless you make a note of it on this page's talk page!
If a lexeme form is not covered by one of the usage example (P5831) values, then it should have a attested in (P5323) value attached to it. The same italicized note above applies to attestations as well!
Derivation information[edit]
A Bengali lexeme composed of other Bengali lexemes should have combines lexemes (P5238) values pointing to each part, marking their relative order with series ordinal (P1545) qualifiers on the P5238 statements—see আগামীকাল (L588777) and এক লড়িতে সাত সাপ মারা (L620861) for examples of these.
To the extent that this information is known, a Bengali lexeme should have a derived from lexeme (P5191) statement linking to its most direct ancestor, with mode of derivation (P5886) or object form (P5548) or both qualifying the statement as appropriate:
- For tatsama lexemes, the value of the P5191 statement should be a lexeme for the original Sanskrit word: প্রীতি (L643031)
- If the lexeme is derived from a particular form of the Sanskrit word, then qualifying with object form (P5548) may be necessary: হঠাৎ (L670807)
- In general, because the spelling is generally preserved in a tatsama, qualifying with mode of derivation (P5886) is usually not necessary.
- For tadbhava lexemes, the value of the P5191 statement should be a lexeme for the word in a Prakrit (usually Magadhi Prakrit (Q2652214)).
- If the specific Prakrit parent is not known, then the Sanskrit ancestor may be used as the statement value, qualified with mode of derivation (P5886) inheritance (Q56611986).
- For lexemes of an ultimately Perso-Arabic origin, it is preferable to use the Persian word as the direct ancestor--and thus the value for the P5191 statement--for most such borrowings, only using the Arabic word when that Arabic word was not itself borrowed into Persian.
- For lexemes borrowed from other languages, qualifying with mode of derivation (P5886) linguistic borrowing (Q31094516) may be optional: টর্চ (L348556)
It is possible for a lexeme to have both combines lexemes (P5238) and derived from lexeme (P5191) values, especially if it is a tatsama and the parts of that tatsama also exist in standard Bengali—see আকাশগঙ্গা (L310129) and চন্দ্রমণ্ডল (L310348) for examples of these.
Transliteration information[edit]
- It is desirable, but not required, for each form of a Bengali lexeme to have values for ISO 15919 transliteration (P5825) and ITRANS (P8881).
- Hunterian transliteration (P7605) is not required, but no judgment is being made regarding its desirabiity at this time.
Wait - IAST transliteration (P7581) and National Library at Kolkata romanization (P8963), being deficient in their ability to distinguish between certain forms of Bengali letters, are not required and may be discouraged for those forms which contain the affected Bengali letters.
- Once Wikifunctions comes online, such that on-demand on-wiki generation of such transliterations becomes feasible, adding any of these properties will become less of a priority.
| Bengali | ISO 15919 transliteration (P5825)  |
ITRANS (P8881) |
Hunterian transliteration (P7605)  Wait |
IAST transliteration (P7581)  |
National Library at Kolkata romanization (P8963) |
Harvard-Kyoto |
ALA-LC romanization (P8991) | Bharati Braille (P9021)
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| অ | a | a | a | a A | a | a | ⠁ | |
| আ া | ā | aa | ā | ā Ā | ā | A | ⠜ | |
| ই ি | i | i | i | i I | i | i | ⠊ | |
| ঈ ী | ī | ii I | ī | ī Ī | ī | I | ⠔ | |
| উ ু | u | u | u | u U | u | u | ⠥ | |
| ঊ ূ | ū | uu U | ū | ū Ū | ū | U | ⠳ | |
| ঋ ৃ | r̥ | RRi R^i | ṛĭ | ṛ Ṛ | ṛ | R | ⠐⠗ | |
| ৠ ৄ | r̥̄ | RRI R^I | ṟĭ | ṝ Ṝ | RR | ⠠⠗ | ||
| ঌ ৢ | l̥ | LLi L^i | ḷ Ḷ | lR | ⠐⠇ | |||
| ৡ ৣ | l̥̄ | LLI L^I | ḹ Ḹ | lRR | ⠠⠇ | |||
| এ ে | ē | e | e | e E | ē | e | ⠑ | |
| ঐ ৈ | ai | ai | ai | ai Ai | ai | ai | ⠌ | |
| ও ো | ō | o | o | o O | ō | o | ⠕ | |
| ঔ ৌ | au | au | au | au Au | au | au | ⠭ | |
| ক্ | k | k | k | k K | k | k | ⠅ | |
| খ্ | kh | kh | kh | kh Kh | kh | kh | ⠨ | |
| গ্ | g | g | g | g G | g | g | ⠛ | |
| ঘ্ | gh | gh | gh | gh Gh | gh | gh | ⠣ | |
| ঙ্ | ṅ | ~N | n | ṅ Ṅ | ṅ | G | ⠬ | |
| চ্ | c | ch | ch | c C | c | c | ⠉ | |
| ছ্ | ch | Ch | chh | ch Ch | ch | ch | ⠡ | |
| জ্ | j | j | j | j J | j | j | ⠚ | |
| ঝ্ | jh | jh | jh | jh Jh | jh | jh | ⠴ | |
| ঞ্ | ñ | ~n | n | ñ Ñ | ñ | J | ⠒ | |
| ট্ | ṭ | T | t | ṭ Ṭ | ṭ | T | ⠾ | |
| ঠ্ | ṭh | Th | th | ṭh Ṭh | ṭh | Th | ⠺ | |
| ড্ | ḍ | D | d | ḍ Ḍ | ḍ | D | ⠻ | |
| ঢ্ | ḍh | Dh | dh | ḍh Ḍh | ḍh | Dh | ⠐⠻ | |
| ণ্ | ṇ | N | n | ṇ Ṇ | ṇ | N | ⠼ | |
| ত্ | t | t | t | t T | t | t | ⠞ | |
| থ্ | th | th | th | th Th | th | th | ⠹ | |
| দ্ | d | d | d | d D | d | d | ⠙ | |
| ধ্ | dh | dh | dh | dh Dh | dh | dh | ⠮ | |
| ন্ | n | n | n | n N | n | n | ⠝ | |
| প্ | p | p | p | p P | p | p | ⠏ | |
| ফ্ | ph | ph | ph | ph Ph | ph | ph | ⠖ | |
| ব্ | b | b | b | b B | b | b | ⠃ | |
| ভ্ | bh | bh | bh | bh Bh | bh | bh | ⠘ | |
| ম্ | m | m | m | m M | m | m | ⠍ | |
| য্ | y | y | y | y Y | ẏ y | y | ⠽ | |
| র্ | r | r | r | r R | r | r | ⠗ | |
| ল্ | l | l | l | l L | l | l | ⠇ | |
| ব্ | v | v w | w v | v V | v | v | ⠧ | |
| শ্ | ś | sh | sh | ś Ś | ś | z | ⠩ | |
| ষ্ | ṣ | Sh | sh | ṣ Ṣ | ṣ | S | ⠯ | |
| স্ | s | s | s | s S | s | s | ⠎ | |
| হ্ | h | h | h | h H | h | h | ⠓ | |
| ড়্ | ṛ | .D | r | ⠫⠁ | ||||
| ঢ়্ | ṛh | .Dh | rh | ⠿⠁ | ||||
| য়্ | ẏ | Y | ⠢ | |||||
| ং | ṁ | .m N | ṃ ṅ | ṃ Ṃ | ṃ | M | ⠰ | |
| ঃ | ḥ | H | ḥ | ḥ Ḥ | ḥ | H | ⠠ | |
| ঁ | m̐ | .N | ⠄ |
Word forms[edit]
Conjugations[edit]
The forms that should be present on verbs (using করা (L40018) as an example):
Non-finite forms[edit]
- verbal noun (Q1350145): করা
- verbal noun (Q1350145), genitive case (Q146233), chalita bhasha (Q75242466): করার
- verbal noun (Q1350145), genitive case (Q146233), chalita bhasha (Q75242466): করবার
- verbal noun (Q1350145), genitive case (Q146233), sadhu bhasha (Q20613396): করিবার
- non-finite verb (Q1050494), progressive (Q1423674), chalita bhasha (Q75242466): করতে
- non-finite verb (Q1050494), progressive (Q1423674), sadhu bhasha (Q20613396): করিতে
- non-finite verb (Q1050494), perfective (Q1424306), chalita bhasha (Q75242466): করে
- non-finite verb (Q1050494), perfective (Q1424306), sadhu bhasha (Q20613396): করিয়া
- non-finite verb (Q1050494), conditional (Q625581), chalita bhasha (Q75242466): করলে
- non-finite verb (Q1050494), conditional (Q625581), sadhu bhasha (Q20613396): করিলে
Finite forms[edit]
Declensions[edit]
The forms that should be present on nouns (using ছাগল (L446960)—an animate noun—and পানি (L8248)—an inanimate noun—as examples):
| animate (Q51927507) | inanimate (Q51927539) | |
|---|---|---|
| nominative case (Q131105) | ছাগল | পানি |
| genitive case (Q146233) | ছাগলের | পানির |
| accusative case (Q146078) | ছাগলকে | পানিকে |
| locative case (Q202142) | (n/a) | পানিতে |
| dative case (Q145599) | ছাগলকে | (n/a) |
Adjective forms[edit]
Some tatsama adjectives can have three forms, one general, one comparative, and one superlative, while non-tatsama adjectives usually have just one base form.
There are some tatsama adjectives that exist in both masculine and feminine forms in Bengali: হত্যাকারী and হত্যাকারিণী, for example. Typically these ultimately derive from inflections of the same underlying Sanskrit adjective: হিরণ্ময় and হিরণ্ময়ী are both derived from forms of हिरण्मय (L689441). Where the meanings of these adjectives differ only in the gender of the noun to which they apply, they should be added as forms to the same adjective lexeme with the grammatical features masculine (Q499327) and feminine (Q1775415) as appropriate: see for example হত্যাকারী (L308504).
Exceptions to the above[edit]
For those nouns ending in আ, এ, or ও, two locative case (Q202142) forms may be given separately: গলা (L592021) has separate forms for "গলায়" and "গলাতে".
For those animate nouns/pronouns which are attested as appearing in the locative case (Q202142) (such as "আমায়" for আমি (L60055)), and for those forms which 1) are needed elsewhere on Wikidata and 2) have a suffix not typical of that used in the standard language (such as "মলুকারে" for মলুকা (L582561), used on the proverb খুদ পায় না, মলুকারে কাঁদে (L582558), or "করেছিনু" for করা (L40018)), extra forms may be provided if sources (in the form of usage example (P5831) values on the lexeme) are provided. An example of this is at the lexeme for হৃদয় (for the form "হৃদয়েতে").
Phrase guidelines[edit]
Individual Bengali phrases and proverbs can have their own lexemes.
For phrases, idiomatic or otherwise, only those which themselves have Bengali-language definitions should be added. For proverbs, in general those which are listed in a Bengali-language resource should be added.
It is possible that similar phrases are provided in multiple resources but are not written exactly identically. If the differences between the versions of a particular phrase in different resources all fall within the following list, then they should be kept in a single lexeme (with appropriate subject named as (P1810) qualifiers on any described by source (P1343) statements, or subject named as (P1810) claims on references):
- The phrases are the same after removing all punctuation and spaces: কালি, কলম, মন, লেখে তিনজন (L638895) (provided in one resource as "কালি, কলম, মন, লিখে তিন জন")
- The pronunciations of the phrases are the same in the standard language: বড় মাছের কাঁটাও ভালো (L652977) (provided in one resource as "বড়ো মাছের কাঁটাও ভালো")
- There are any emphatic affixes ও or ই (or their respective combining forms) on any words: যেমন কুকুর তেমন মুগুর (L641062) (provided in one resource as "যেমন কুকুর তেমনি মুগুর")
- A sadhu bhasa form is used in one resource and a chalit bhasa in the other, or vice versa: এক মন হইলে সমুদ্র শুকায় (L641767) (provided in one resource as "এক মন হলে সমুদ্র শুকায়")
- There is a parallel structure to the phrase and the words in that structure are simply flipped: যেমন দেবী তেমন দেবা (L656118) (provided in one resource as "যেমন দেবা তেমনি দেবী")
- Even absent a parallel structure, the words are moved around but the relationships between words are the same otherwise: কয়লা ছাড়ে না ময়লা (L656084) (provided in one resource as "কয়লা না ছাড়ে ময়লা")
If any of the differences falls outside of the above list (usually relating to vocabulary choices), multiple lexemes for the phrase can be created:
- A different but synonymous verb phrase might be used: কুকুরের পেটে ঘি সয় না (L656111) and কুত্তার পেটে ঘি হজম হয় না (L656114), or লেবু বেশি কচলালে তিতো হয় (L657082) and লেবু বেশি টিপিলে তিতা হয় (L657083).
- Different variations on the same nouns/pronouns/adjectives might be used: আপ ভালা তো জগৎ ভালা (L646669) and আপনি ভালো তো জগৎ ভালো (L646670).
Regional variety information[edit]
This entire section is subject to change.
Motivation[edit]
The standard Bengali language is largely derived from that variety spoken in or near Kolkata, but there are of course large vocabularies originating from outside that region (and even within that region but not otherwise considered standard) for which separate handling is necessary. Information about words which appear primarily in varieties (or sometimes "dialects"—that is, with no representation in the standard language) often will require distinct lexemes for those words and, if possible, distinct inflection patterns among their forms.
The boundaries of Bengali varieties have not always been given clearly and consistently and are still subject to debate, especially with regard to regions like Medinipur, Jessore/Khulna, and sometimes Bengal generally east of the Meghna. Some such boundary determinations since 1903 may be found here. Nevertheless, a language must be provided in the header of each lexeme. To sidestep the boundary problem, it may seem appropriate at first to lump all such lexemes under the heading "Bengali" and use location of sense usage (P6084) on the senses and call it a day, given the strong likelihood that a term noted as being used in one region may also occur in another nearby (what is used in Kushtia may also be used in Nadia, or what is used in Bogra may also be used in Rangpur). This, however, does not mean that the speech of those from Singhbhum will be necessarily intelligible to those from Cachar, nor that of Teknaf to those from Darjeeling--indeed, such buildups of gradual structural (if in some cases not lexical) changes going in a particular direction characterize what are termed "dialect continua". To make such diversity in the lexicon clear, it is necessary to make some judgments as to which assignment of a region to a variety is most appropriate under the circumstances.
Region indications[edit]
The region that is noted in a reference as where a particular lexeme is used should be indicated using location of sense usage (P6084) on the sense. (If it becomes appropriate to note on a particular lexeme different regional variants of a word, then those can be distinguished using variety of lexeme, form or sense (P7481) on the forms.)
On a comparison of the classifications of George Grierson, Suniti Kumar Chattopadhyay, Muhammad Shahidullah, and Paresh Chandra Mazumdar, there are a number of groupings which appear in the correspondence of all four (after filling in geographic gaps in their specification). Unambiguous placements are given as first-level bullets, while placements with any differences in a given classification are given as sub-bullets below:
- Kolkata, Howrah, Nadia, Hooghly, and Purba Bardhaman are all in the same group, which may be given the name Rarhi (Q48726759).
- Murshidabad may be included here as well. (Only Shahidullah included it with a group of varieties constituting Varendri and Rangpuri.)
- Kushtia may be included here as well. (Only Suniti Kumar included it with Jessore, Khulna, and Faridpur minus its southeastern part.)
- 24 Parganas may be included here as well. (Only Shahidullah included it with Jessore, Khulna, Faridpur minus its southeastern part, and Bangali.)
- Eastern Birbhum may be included here as well. (Only Grierson included it with a group of varieties constituting Jharkhandi. See also "Implications for resources" below.)
- Manbhum, Bankura, Singhbhum, and Santhal Parganas are all in the same group, which may be given the name Manbhumi (Q6747180).
- Western Birbhum may be included here as well. (Shahidullah apparently made no mention of most regions in this group, but placed this with those noted as Rarhi above. See also "Implications for resources" below.)
- Paschim Bardhaman may be included here as well. (Shahidullah apparently made no mention of most regions in this group, but placed this with those noted as Rarhi above.)
- Eastern Malda, southern Dinajpur, Bogra, Rajshahi, and Pabna are all in the same group, which may be given the name Varendri (Q48726757).
- Western Malda may be included here as well. (Only Grierson did not specify a variety of Bengali for that region.)
- Rangpur, Darjeeling, Jalpaiguri, Cooch Behar, and western Goalpara are all in the same group, which may be given the name Rangpuri (Q3241618).
- The rest of Dinajpur may be included here as well. (Only Grierson included it with a group of varieties constituting Varendri.)
- Eastern Purnia may be included here as well. (Only Grierson included it with a group of varieties constituting Varendri.)
- Mymensingh, Dhaka, south-eastern Faridpur, Bakerganj, and Sandwip are all in the same group, which may be given the name Bangali (Q48726740).
Beyond these, there are a number of outliers which can and should be treated separately:
- Sylheti (Q2044560), for those varieties spoken in Cachar and most of Sylhet.
- Noakhailla (Q107548681), for those varieties spoken in Noakhali.
- Chittagonian (Q33173), for those varieties spoken in Chittagong minus Sandwip.
- Chakma (Q32952), for those varieties spoken in the Chittagong Hill Tracts.
- Rohingya (Q3241177), for those varieties spoken in northern Arakan.
The status of Tippera is also complicated; the Indian state of Tripura is grouped by all with Sylheti, while Comilla is grouped with Sylheti by all but Paresh Chandra and with Bangali varieties by all but Shahidullah. Absent resources on the variety spoken in the Indian state, we are opting to group these with Bangali, although reclassification has not been ruled out.
The status of Jessore, Khulna, and Faridpur minus its southeastern part is complicated, as both Suniti Kumar and Shahidullah grouped it with Bangali, while both Grierson and Paresh Chandra considered them a separate group (named by Paresh Chandra as "Madhyapurbi"). While for now we are opting to group these with Bangali, this is driven more by practical concerns (see "Implications for resources" below), and their separation into Madhyapurbi has not been ruled out.
Although references are made in the above table to "southern Dinajpur" and the "rest of Dinajpur", what separates the two in West Bengal is somewhat complicated (the portion in Bangladesh is more clearly in Rangpuri). Using the current borders of Dakshin Dinajpur district for "southern Dinajpur" would exclude the thanas of Itahar, Kaliaganj, Hemtabad, and the eastern part of Raiganj, which are included in the definition of the "দক্ষিণ অঞ্চল" given in Q114811968. Given the greater affinities between Surjapuri (spoken in Bihar's Purnia division) and Rangpuri, however, the four named thanas of Uttar Dinajpur have been kept entirely in Rangpuri for now, although reclassification has not been ruled out.
The portions of "western Malda" for which Grierson did not specify a variety adjoin areas where Surjapuri is spoken (Bihar's Purnia division). While they are included in Varendri for convenience, reclassification has not been ruled out.
Owing to the description, in the introduction to Q105413489, of the area in Birbhum district which that dictionary also covers, "western Birbhum" has been defined in the mapping table, under "Implications for resources" below, for Asitkumar Bandyopadhyay's dialect dictionary as Rajnagar, Khoyrasole, and Dubrajpur thanas.
The status of Medinipur is most complicated by the number of variety boundaries construed in different ways falling within that district, not least due to some areas being transitional between Rarhi and Odia, and while any classification of areas may be reconsidered, the resources available note the following:
- Grierson groups much of the north and northeast (including Ghatal and Tamluk) with Rarhi, denotes a small area running from Medinipur thana to Nandigram thana as "South Western", and does not assign a group to the remainder of the district.
- Suniti Kumar's Origin and Development of the Bengali Language leaves "south-west Medinipur" as one sub-branch of a "south-western" branch of the non-Bihari Eastern Indo-Aryan languages, with the corresponding other sub-branch being Odia itself. It also assigns "north Medinipur" to the same set as Jharkhandi and "east Medinipur" to the same set as Rarhi.
- Sudhir Kumar Karan's volume on South Western Bengali (Q114818197) provides five subgroupings within that variety corresponding to different thanas, reproduced in the mapping table below for Asitkumar Bandyopadhyay's dialect dictionary. He also takes issue with Grierson's borders in the discussion on SWB(P)[1].
- Sukumar Maiti's volume on the "Tamralipta dialect" covers the area of Medinipur district bounded on the inside by Panskura, Debra, Pingla, Sabang, Bhagwanpur, and Nandigram thanas and on the outside by the Rupnarayan River.
- The introduction to Q105413489 lists among those parts of Medinipur district that it covers places in Jamboni and Binpur thanas (and Jhargram thana, assuming "লোধাশুলি" refers to the gram panchayat by that name).
- The first volume of Pareshchandra Mazumdar's বাংলা ভাষা পরিক্রমা states that north and northeast Medinipur's varieties fall under Rarhi, while its south and southwest Medinipur's varieties fall under "Dandabhuktiya" (see Dandabhukti (Q5215642)). A diagram within that volume also assigns eastern Medinipur (Tamluk and Ghatal) to the same set as Rarhi, assigns west Medinipur to the same set as Bankura, Singbhum, and western Birbhum and Bardhaman, and assigns east Medinipur to a "south western border" set.
All thanas that are considered at all in any of the groupings in South Western Bengali (Q114818197) are mapped to Medinipuri (Q61315051). Of the thanas not considered in that volume, Jamboni, Jhargram, and Binpur thanas are here regarded as Jharkhandi, while Keshpur, Chandrakona, Ghatal, and Daspur are regarded as Rarhi. (The ones marked "SWB(K)?" in the table are bordered by other SWB(K) thanas, but as they border Odisha are reckoned as having more Odia speakers and thus only carry the SWB(K) label for convenience, while Haldia is marked SWB(T) due to formerly being part of Sutahata.) Goaltore and Garhbeta, bordering Bankura, are here regarded as Jharkhandi as well, while Salboni and Medinipur, not being bordered by other districts, are here regarded as Rarhi.
There are some resources describing a "Sundarbani" dialect, encompassing present-day Satkhira and areas in the south of 24 Parganas and Khulna more generally. Absent access to these, modeling "Sundarbani" will not be considered at this time.
Locale indications[edit]
Lexemes for terms in different varieties will warrant separate language codes. These and the items used for them are as follows:
| Variety item | Language code |
|---|---|
| Rarhi (Q48726759) | bn-x-Q48726759 |
| Varendri (Q48726757) | bn-x-Q48726757 |
| Manbhumi (Q6747180) | bn-x-Q6747180 |
| Bangali (Q48726740) | bn-x-Q48726740 |
| Medinipuri (Q61315051) | bn-x-Q61315051 |
| Noakhailla (Q107548681) | bn-x-Q107548681 |
| Rangpuri (Q3241618) | rkt[2] |
| Chittagonian (Q33173) | ctg[3] |
| Sylheti (Q2044560) | syl, syl-beng |
| Chakma (Q32952) | ccp, ccp-beng |
| Rohingya (Q3241177) | rhg-rohg[4] |
The item in each row above should be used as the language in the header of the lexeme, while the corresponding code should be used for representations of the lemma and any forms.
Implications for resources[edit]
The geographic denotations of particular words in resources may not align with the bounds defined above, no matter the reclassification we perform.
- Dictionary of East Pakistan Regional Languages (Q25586900): There are lots of words within the dictionary assigned to districts which cross variety boundaries. In general the variety which is most peripheral to the standard language (as in spoken furthest away from Kolkata) should be used whenever there are multiple districts given. More elaboration of the guidelines on what language to place is as follows:
- If two districts are given...
- ...and they are in the same group, that group should be used.
- ...and they are not in the same group, but border each other...
- ...and one of the districts is Chittagong or Sylhet, then Chittagonian or Sylheti as appropriate should be used. (e.g. অবা (L671677))
- ...and one of the districts is Noakhali and the other is not Chittagong, then Noakhali should be used. (e.g. অকন্ (L667592))
- ...and one of the districts is in the Rangpuri group, then Rangpuri should be used. (e.g. অবং (L673822))
- ...and one of the districts is in the Varendri group and the other is neither in the Rangpuri group nor either of Dhaka or Mymensingh, then Varendri should be used. (e.g. অবতার্ (L672263))
- ...and none of the above applies, then Bangali should be used.
- ...and they are not in the same group and do not border each other, then the lexeme may be added multiple times for each district. (This is to say, for example, that the combination of Comilla and Pabna for a word may yield two lexemes, one for Bangali and the other for Varendri.) (e.g. অলংগা (L667722) and অলংগা (L707599))
- If three districts are given...
- ...and two are in the same group and at least one of those two borders the third, then that group should be used. (e.g. অন্দল্ (L672266))
- ...and no two are in the same group...
- ...but they border each other mutually, then any of the groups to which the districts belong may be used. (no example yet, but Kushtia/Pabna/Faridpur and Bogra/Mymensingh/Rangpur are combinations that would fall under this point)
- ...but one borders the other two and the other two do not border each other, then the group of the one bordering the other two should be used. (e.g. অঁলা (L671678))
- ...and there is no contiguity between all districts, then the lexeme may be added multiple times for each contiguous portion among the three districts. (This is to say, for example, that the combination of Comilla, Sylhet, and Rangpur for a word may yield two lexemes, one for Rangpuri and another according to the guidelines for the two-district scenario listed above.)
- If four or more districts are given, then this may be handled similarly to the three-district scenario: ask on the talk page of this page for more information.
- If two districts are given...
- Q110299258: The proverbs in this volume are separated into sections by the present-day district in which they are used, with the exception of one section in that volume for "Khulna and Bagerhat"; proverbs in this specific section are always given as location of sense usage (P6084) Khulna District (Q2093344) when citing only this volume. (Of course, if there is another source specifically claiming use in Bagerhat, then that might be used as a reference for location of sense usage (P6084) Bagerhat District (Q2344861).)
- Q105413489: There are six region indications used viz. "Birbhum", "Bankura", "Purulia", "Dhalbhum", "Jhargram", "Manbhum". All but "Birbhum", as district denotations, map cleanly to variety regions. Notwithstanding any refined distinctions by thana imported from Asitkumar Bandyopadhyay's dialect dictionary, words marked "Birbhum" from this dictionary will be associated with the entire district. (The difference between "Purulia" and "Manbhum" is not clear, although adjoining areas in Jharkhand might be included in the latter.)
- A Dictionary of Dialectal Bengali Language, Vol-1 (Q104731548) and following volumes: A similar concern to that noted for Shahidullah's dictionary applies here, but given that words are mapped to thanas, we should be better able to approximate variety boundaries falling within districts. Note that the thanas are given as of 1977 (the year the data in the dictionary began to be collected); as a result, while a breakdown of these mappings to items is provided below, the present territory those items pertain to (or the territory that they pertained to in 1991) is not guaranteed to be the same as that covered at the time the data in the dictionary was collected:
Resources[edit]
Dictionaries[edit]
Quotable dictionaries[edit]
As many definitions as possible from Bangala Bhashar Abhidhan (Q106313840) are quoted using gloss quote (P8394) on senses simply because the dictionary is public domain in India and the United States (Gyanendramohan Das passed away in 1939). It also helps that the contents of this dictionary are (mostly) searchable at https://dsal.uchicago.edu/dictionaries/dasa/. Do not provide a raw link to the DSAL site in a reference! Use the claims stated in (P248) Bangala Bhashar Abhidhan (Q106313840) and page(s) (P304) (appropriate page number) within it instead!
Where another reference in a Bengali-language source for a sense already exists, quotes from The Student's Bengali-English Dictionary (Q108779937) or its earlier editions may also be added using the same property.
Citable, but non-quotable, dictionaries[edit]
The most frequently cited dictionaries using described by source (P1343) on senses are as follows:
- Q110793051 (This is the 1957 edition; the version on DSAL is the 2004 edition. Very often a definition found in the later edition can also be found in the earlier one—be sure to actually check that there is such a correspondence, however!)
- Q109542070
- Bangla Academy Modern Bangla Dictionary (Q109379924)
- Saral Bangala Abhidhan (Q96253247)
Some other dictionaries with Wikidata items:
- Bangla Academy Byabaharik Bangla Abhidhan (Q28673542)
- Bangiya Shabdakosh (Q16345866)
- Companion to Johnson's Dictionary, Bengali and English (Third Edition) (Q97129312)
More dictionaries may be found here and here.
Phrases[edit]
Some resources for these, in addition to some of the dictionaries above, include the following:
- Prabad Mala (Q106485964) (just a list of phrases)
- Prabadmala (Q111936575) (just a list of phrases)
- Q110299258 (just a list of phrases, although in some places with parenthesized glosses for certain words)
- Q110089755 (mostly a list, but with explanations, sources, and cross-references given for many)
- Q112220081 (mostly a list, but with explanations, sources, and cross-references given for many)
- Prabad-ratnakar (Q110089250) (provides explanations in Bengali)
- Dictionary of Proverbs-illusions and words of special meanings (Q109875001) (provides explanations in Bengali and English)
- A Collection of Proverbs, Bengali and Sanscrit: With Their Translation and Application in English (Q107459878) (provides explanations in English)
Grammars[edit]
The grammars listed here (under 'ব্যাকরণসমূহ') should be preferred over others present on the Internet Archive for the simple reason that others there do not distinguish between forms for তুই, তুমি, and আপনি, and as a result that they might be deficient in other areas as well.
Regional varieties[edit]
Most lexemes pertaining to regional varieties spoken in what is now Bangladesh cite Dictionary of East Pakistan Regional Languages (Q25586900). This dictionary has been reprinted multiple times—in 1973 (when 'পূর্ব পাকিস্তান' was abandoned in the name), 1993 (the first to prefix 'বাংলা একাডেমী' to the name), 2000, and 2009—but it has never been edited since then; the same text is present in all printings, and so all citations to this dictionary should use the same item. The text in later printings has, however, declined significantly in readability—the 2009 version is incredibly difficult to decipher at times—so that color scans of the 1973 printing are primarily relied on (contact Mahir256 for information about color scans of the original printing).
Information about lexemes pertaining to regional varieties spoken in what is now West Bengal is spread out much more. An effort by Asitkumar Bandyopadhyay (and later Ujjwalkumar Mazumdar) to compile a dictionary for western varieties similar to the one for eastern varieties has yielded five smaller volumes thus far:
- A Dictionary of Dialectal Bengali Language, Vol-1 (Q104731548)
- A Dictionary of Dialectal Bengali Language, Vol-II (Q113977148)
- A Dictionary of Dialectal Bengali Language, Vol-III (Q113977157)
- A Dictionary of Dialectal Bengali Language, Vol-IV (Q113977160)
- A Dictionary of Dialectal Bengali Language, Vol-V (Q113977164)
Perhaps one of us should ask the University of Calcutta if they would be interested in uploading (the remainder of) their lexical data someplace? :-)
Other resources include, but are not limited to:
Notes[edit]
- ↑ "Grierson did not demarcate the boundary lines of this dialect by any systematic investigation and the area indicated by him in respect of this dialect is not correctly mapped. He has relegated the entire area of eastern parts of Tamluk P.S. and the areas of Mahishadal and Sutahata Police Stations to Standard Bengali, but as a matter of fact the people of this area speak S.W. Bengali." p. 47
- ↑ The Bengali script shall be assumed as the default for the Qid given, and Devanagari for the related variety spoken in Nepal (rjs).
- ↑ It has been stated that the Arabic script was used once to write Chittagonian, but absent specimens of this writing the Bengali script shall be assumed as the default.
- ↑ Absent a unified scheme for representation in the Latin script, and absent more readily available specimens of the language rendered in the Arabic or Burmese scripts, all three have been omitted for now, but in the interest of not assuming a default script without speaker consultation, the script tag is nevertheless obligatory.
- ↑ Was a village in the 1971 census, but was an urban outgrowth in the 1981 census.
- ↑ More than likely refers to the set of thanas whose area now lie within that subdivision (with the exception of Bishnupur thana and Amtala).
- ↑ Was a municipality in the 1971 and 1981 censuses, but was listed along with other villages in Bijpur thana.
- ↑ There was a police station at the 1971 and 1981 censuses, but statistics for that thana included only the cantonment and not the municipality. This abbreviation in the dictionary likely refers to the city (if not also its cantonment).
- ↑ Was a village in the 1971 and 1981 censuses; the gram panchayat is here chosen to avoid fixation on a single village.
- ↑ Was a thana at the 1971 and 1981 censuses, but in the 1991 census Excel sheets is renamed "Maniknagar".
- ↑ Was a town/urban area at the 1971 and 1981 censuses.
- ↑ This was a separate thana at the 1971 and 1981 censuses, but appears to have been merged with Asansol municipality sometime afterwards.
- ↑ Was a town at the 1971 and 1981 census, amalgamated with Asansol.
- ↑ The thana east of Harishchandrapur and north of Ratua had the name "Kharba" in 1971 and "Kharba (Chanchal)" in 1981. For no specific reason at all, the thana was mapped to "Chanchal" and the gram panchayat chosen for "Kharba".
- ↑ Was a village in the 1971 and 1981 censuses; the gram panchayat is here chosen to avoid fixation on a single village.
- ↑ Was a municipality in the 1971 and 1981 censuses, but was listed along with other villages in Raghunathganj thana.
- ↑ Was a municipality in the 1971 and 1981 censuses, but was listed along with other villages in Samserganj thana.
- ↑ This thana contained Murshidabad at the 1971 and 1981 censuses, and the thana's police station named the subdivision containing it.
- ↑ Here assumed to include the area that was Bally and Liluah thanas (and is now the Bally Jagachha block) at the 1971 census.
- ↑ Was a separate municipality at the 1971 census, but was listed along with other villages in Bally thana.
- ↑ Was a separate municipality at both the 1971 and 1981 censuses.
- ↑ Was a separate municipality at both the 1971 and 1981 censuses, but was listed along with other villages in Uttarpara thana.
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