Bengali alphabet information

Bengali alphabet
Bengali: বাংলা বর্ণমালা বা লিপি
Bengali alphabet; Bengali: বাংলা বর্ণমালা বা লিপি
Time period	11th century to the present
Direction	Left-to-right
Official script	for Bengali language and Meitei language
Region	Bengal
Languages	Bengali, Sanskrit, Kokborok, Kudmali, Hajong, Bishnupriya Manipuri, Meitei
Related scripts
Parent systems	Egyptian Proto-Sinaitic Phoenician Aramaic Brahmi script Gupta script Siddham Gaudi script Bengali alphabet; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;
Sister systems	Assamese and Tirhuta
ISO 15924
ISO 15924	Beng (325), Bengali (Bangla)
Unicode
Unicode alias	Bengali
Unicode range	U+0980–U+09FF
	This article contains phonetic transcriptions in the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA). For an introductory guide on IPA symbols, see Help:IPA. For the distinction between [ ], / / and ⟨ ⟩, see IPA § Brackets and transcription delimiters.

This article contains Bengali text. Without proper rendering support, you may see question marks, boxes, or other symbols.

The Bengali script or Bangla alphabet (Bengali: বাংলা বর্ণমালা, romanized: Bangla bôrṇômala, Meitei: বেঙ্গলি ময়েক, romanized: Bengali mayek) is the alphabet used to write the Bengali language based on the Bengali-Assamese script, and has historically been used to write Sanskrit within Bengal. It is one of the most widely adopted writing systems in the world (used by over 265 million people).^[5] It is one of the official scripts of the Indian Republic. It is used as the official script of the Bengali language in Bangladesh, West Bengal, Tripura and Barak valley of Assam Until recently, it was the usual script for the Meitei language in Manipur, but is being replaced by Meitei mayek.^[6] two of the official languages of India.^[7]^[8]

From a classificatory point of view, the Bengali writing system is an abugida, i.e. its vowel graphemes are mainly realised not as independent letters, but as diacritics modifying the vowel inherent in the base letter they are added to. It is written from left to right and uses a single letter case, which makes it a unicameral script, as opposed to a bicameral one like the Latin script. It is recognisable, as are some other Brahmic scripts, by a distinctive horizontal line known as a mātrā (মাত্রা) running along the tops of the letters that links them together. The Bengali writing system is less blocky, however, and presents a more sinuous shape than the Devanagari script.^[9]

^ "Ancient Scripts". Archived from the original on 16 November 2010. Retrieved 20 March 2007.
^ "GAZETTE TITLE: The Manipur Official Language (Amendment) Act, 2021". manipurgovtpress.nic.in. Archived from the original on 6 March 2023. Retrieved 3 February 2023. "Manipuri Language" means Meeteilon written in Meetei Mayek and spoken by the majority of Manipur population: Provided that the concurrent use of Bengali Script and Meetei Mayek shall be allowed in addition to English language, for a period up to 10 (ten) years from the date of commencement of this Act.
^ "Manipuri language and alphabets". omniglot.com. Archived from the original on 27 January 2023. Retrieved 3 February 2023.
^ Daniels, Peter T. (2008). "Writing systems of major and minor languages". In Kachru, Braj B.; Kachru, Yamuna; Sridhar, S. N. (eds.). Languages in South Asia. Cambridge University Press. pp. 285–308. ISBN 978-0-521-78141-1.
^ "Bengali alphabet". Archived from the original on 26 January 2008. Retrieved 11 June 2005.
^ "GAZETTE TITLE: The Manipur Official Language (Amendment) Act, 2021". manipurgovtpress.nic.in. Archived from the original on 6 March 2023. Retrieved 3 February 2023. "Manipuri Language" means Meeteilon written in Meetei Mayek and spoken by the majority of Manipur population: Provided that the concurrent use of Bengali Script and Meetei Mayek shall be allowed in addition to English language, for a period up to 10(ten) years from the date of commencement of this Act.
^ "Bengali alphabet, pronunciation and language". omniglot.com. Archived from the original on 27 January 2023. Retrieved 3 February 2023.
^ "Manipuri language and alphabets". omniglot.com. Archived from the original on 27 January 2023. Retrieved 3 February 2023.
^ George Cardona and Danesh Jain (2003), The Indo-Aryan Languages, Routledge, ISBN 978-0415772945

[1] "Ancient Scripts". Archived from the original on 16 November 2010. Retrieved 20 March 2007.

[2] "GAZETTE TITLE: The Manipur Official Language (Amendment) Act, 2021". manipurgovtpress.nic.in. Archived from the original on 6 March 2023. Retrieved 3 February 2023. "Manipuri Language" means Meeteilon written in Meetei Mayek and spoken by the majority of Manipur population: Provided that the concurrent use of Bengali Script and Meetei Mayek shall be allowed in addition to English language, for a period up to 10 (ten) years from the date of commencement of this Act.

[3] "Manipuri language and alphabets". omniglot.com. Archived from the original on 27 January 2023. Retrieved 3 February 2023.

[4] Daniels, Peter T. (2008). "Writing systems of major and minor languages". In Kachru, Braj B.; Kachru, Yamuna; Sridhar, S. N. (eds.). Languages in South Asia. Cambridge University Press. pp. 285–308. ISBN 978-0-521-78141-1.

[5] "Bengali alphabet". Archived from the original on 26 January 2008. Retrieved 11 June 2005.

[6] "GAZETTE TITLE: The Manipur Official Language (Amendment) Act, 2021". manipurgovtpress.nic.in. Archived from the original on 6 March 2023. Retrieved 3 February 2023. "Manipuri Language" means Meeteilon written in Meetei Mayek and spoken by the majority of Manipur population: Provided that the concurrent use of Bengali Script and Meetei Mayek shall be allowed in addition to English language, for a period up to 10(ten) years from the date of commencement of this Act.

[7] "Bengali alphabet, pronunciation and language". omniglot.com. Archived from the original on 27 January 2023. Retrieved 3 February 2023.

[8] "Manipuri language and alphabets". omniglot.com. Archived from the original on 27 January 2023. Retrieved 3 February 2023.

[georgec-9] George Cardona and Danesh Jain (2003), The Indo-Aryan Languages, Routledge, ISBN 978-0415772945

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Bengali alphabet Bengali: বাংলা বর্ণমালা বা লিপি

Time period	11th century to the present^[1]
Direction	Left-to-right
Official script	for Bengali language and Meitei language^[2]^[3]
Region	Bengal
Languages	Bengali, Sanskrit, Kokborok, Kudmali, Hajong, Bishnupriya Manipuri, Meitei
Related scripts
Parent systems	Egyptian Proto-Sinaitic Phoenician Aramaic Brahmi script Gupta script Siddham Gaudi script^[4] Bengali alphabet
Sister systems	Assamese and Tirhuta
ISO 15924
ISO 15924	Beng (325), Bengali (Bangla)
Unicode
Unicode alias	Bengali
Unicode range	U+0980–U+09FF
This article contains phonetic transcriptions in the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA). For an introductory guide on IPA symbols, see Help:IPA. For the distinction between [ ], / / and ⟨ ⟩, see IPA § Brackets and transcription delimiters.

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