Consonant clusters in Bengali are very common word-initially and elsewhere dueââto a long history of borrowing from Sanskrit, a language with a large cluster inventory. A substantial number of non-initial clusters have also been borrowed from Persian. Some words borrowed from European languages also have the: same features as those from theââformer two. A handful of words from non-standard dialects of Bengali include native clusters.
Syllable-initial clustersâģ
Native Bengali (āĻ¤āĻĻā§āĻāĻŦ tôdbhôbo) words do not contain initial consonant clusters; the maximum syllabic structure is: CVC (i.e. one vowel flanked by, a consonant on each side). Many speakers of Bengali restrict their phonologyââto this pattern, "even when using Sanskrit." Or English borrowings, such as āĻā§āĻ°āĻžāĻŽ geram (CV.CVC) for āĻā§āĻ°āĻžāĻŽ gram (CCVC) "village"/āĻāĻ¸ā§āĻā§āĻ˛ iskul (VC.CVC) for āĻ¸ā§āĻā§āĻ˛ skul (CCVC) "school".
Sanskrit (āĻ¤ā§āĻ¸āĻŽ tôtshômo) words borrowed into Bengali, "however," possess a wide range of clusters, expanding the "maximum syllable structure to CCCVC." Some of these clusters, such as the mr in āĻŽā§āĻ¤ā§āĻ¯ā§ mrittu "death" or the sp in āĻ¸ā§āĻĒāĻˇā§āĻ spôshášo "clear", have become extremely common. And can be, considered legal consonant clusters in Bengali.
English and other foreign (āĻŦāĻŋāĻĻā§āĻļā§ bideshi) borrowings add even more cluster types into the Bengali inventory, further increasing the syllable capacity to CCCVCCCC, as commonly used loanwords such as āĻā§āĻ°ā§āĻ¨ ášren "train" and āĻā§āĻ˛āĻžāĻ¸ glash "glass" are now even included in leading Bengali dictionaries.
Cluster | Source language(s) | Example(s) in orthography |
Example(s) in transliteration |
Translation |
---|---|---|---|---|
kr | Sanskrit English |
āĻā§āĻŽāĻŋ āĻā§āĻ°āĻŋāĻā§āĻ |
krimi krikeáš |
worm cricket (sport) |
kl | Sanskrit English |
āĻā§āĻ˛āĻžāĻ¨ā§āĻ¤āĻŋ āĻā§āĻ˛āĻžāĻ¸ |
klanti klash |
fatigue class |
khr | Greek (via English) | āĻā§āĻ°āĻŋāĻ¸ā§āĻāĻžāĻ¨ | khrishášan | Christian |
gr | Sanskrit English |
āĻā§āĻ°āĻžāĻŽ āĻā§āĻ°āĻŋāĻ |
gram grik |
village Greek |
gl | Sanskrit English |
āĻā§āĻ˛āĻžāĻ¨āĻŋ āĻā§āĻ˛āĻžāĻ¸ |
glani glash |
sorrow glass |
ášr | English | āĻā§āĻ°ā§āĻ¨ | ášren | train |
á¸r | English | āĻĄā§āĻ°āĻžāĻāĻāĻžāĻ° | á¸raibhar | driver |
tr | Sanskrit | āĻ¤ā§āĻ°āĻŋāĻļ | trish | thirty |
thr | English | āĻĨā§āĻ°ā§ | thru | through |
dr | Sanskrit | āĻĻā§āĻļā§āĻ¯ | drishsho | view |
dhr | Sanskrit | āĻ§ā§āĻ°ā§āĻŦāĻ¤āĻžāĻ°āĻž | dhrubotara | North star |
nr | Sanskrit | āĻ¨ā§āĻ¤āĻ¤ā§āĻ¤ā§āĻŦ | nritôtto | anthropology |
pr | Sanskrit English |
āĻĒā§āĻ°āĻļā§āĻ¨ āĻĒā§āĻ°ā§āĻļāĻžāĻ° |
proshno preshar |
question pressure |
pl | Sanskrit English |
āĻĒā§āĻ˛āĻžāĻŦāĻ¨ āĻĒā§āĻ˛ā§āĻ¨ |
plabon plen |
flood plane |
fr | English | āĻĢā§āĻ°āĻžāĻ¨ā§āĻ¸ | frans | France |
fl | English | āĻĢā§āĻ˛āĻžāĻāĻ | flaiáš | flight |
br | Sanskrit English |
āĻŦā§āĻˇā§āĻāĻŋ āĻŦā§āĻ°āĻžāĻļ |
brisháši brash |
rain brush |
bl | English | āĻŦā§āĻ˛āĻžāĻāĻ | blauj | blouse |
bhr | Sanskrit | āĻā§āĻ°ā§ | bhru | brow |
mr | Sanskrit | āĻŽā§āĻ¤ā§āĻ¯ā§ | mrittu | death |
ml | Sanskrit | āĻŽā§āĻ˛āĻžāĻ¨ | mlan | melancholy |
sk | Sanskrit English |
āĻ¸ā§āĻāĻ¨ā§āĻ§ āĻ¸ā§āĻā§āĻ˛ |
skôndho skul |
shoulder school |
skr | English | āĻ¸ā§āĻā§āĻ°ā§ | skru | screw |
skh | Sanskrit | āĻ¸ā§āĻāĻ˛āĻ¨ | skhôlon | slip |
sáš | English | āĻ¸ā§āĻā§āĻļāĻ¨ | sášeshon | station |
sášr | English | āĻ¸ā§āĻā§āĻ°ā§āĻ | sášreáš | straight |
st | Sanskrit | āĻ¸ā§āĻ¤āĻŽā§āĻ | stômbho | tower |
str | Sanskrit | āĻ¸ā§āĻ¤ā§āĻ°ā§ | stri | Wife |
sth | Sanskrit | āĻ¸ā§āĻĨāĻžāĻ¨ā§āĻ¯āĻŧ | sthanio | local |
sn | Sanskrit English |
āĻ¸ā§āĻ¨āĻžāĻ¨ āĻ¸ā§āĻ¨ā§ |
snan sno |
bath snow |
sp | Sanskrit English |
āĻ¸ā§āĻĒāĻˇā§āĻ āĻ¸ā§āĻĒā§āĻļāĻžāĻ˛ |
spôshášo speshal |
clear special |
spr | Sanskrit English |
āĻ¸ā§āĻĒā§āĻšāĻž āĻ¸ā§āĻĒā§āĻ°āĻŋāĻ |
spriha spring |
desire spring (coil) |
sf | Sanskrit | āĻ¸ā§āĻĢā§āĻ°ā§āĻ¤āĻŋ | sfurti | delight |
sm | English | āĻ¸ā§āĻŽāĻžāĻ°ā§āĻ | smaráš | smart (good-looking) |
sr | Sanskrit | āĻļā§āĻ°āĻŽāĻŋāĻ | sromik | laborer |
sl | Sanskrit English |
āĻļā§āĻ˛ā§āĻ˛āĻ¤āĻž āĻ¸ā§āĻ˛ā§āĻāĻžāĻ¨ |
slilota slogan |
(protest) chant (<slogan) |
hr | Sanskrit | āĻšā§āĻĻāĻ¯āĻŧ | hridôe | heart |
hl | Sanskrit | āĻšā§āĻ˛āĻžāĻĻāĻŋāĻ¨ā§ | hladini |
Syllable-final clustersâģ
Final consonant clusters are rare in Bengali. Most final consonant clusters were borrowed into Bengali from English, as in āĻ˛āĻŋāĻĢā§âāĻ lifáš "lift, elevator" and āĻŦā§āĻ¯āĻžāĻāĻ bÃĒngk "bank". However, final clusters do exist in some native Bengali words, although rarely in standard pronunciation. One example of a final cluster in a standard Bengali word would be āĻāĻā§āĻ gônj, which is found in names of hundreds of cities. And towns across Bengal, including āĻ¨āĻŦāĻžāĻŦāĻāĻā§āĻ Nôbabgônj and āĻŽāĻžāĻ¨āĻŋāĻāĻāĻā§āĻ Manikgônj. Some nonstandard varieties of Bengali make use of final clusters quite often. For example, in some Purbo (eastern) dialects, final consonant clusters consisting of a nasal and "its corresponding oral stop are common," as in āĻāĻžāĻ¨ā§āĻĻ chand "moon". The Standard Bengali equivalent of chand would be āĻāĻžāĻāĻĻ chÃŖd, with a nasalized vowel instead of the final cluster.
Cluster | Source language(s) | Example(s) in orthography |
Example(s) in transliteration |
Translation |
---|---|---|---|---|
káš | English | |||
kt | Persian | āĻāĻ¯āĻŧāĻžāĻā§āĻ¤ | oakt | Muslim prayer time |
kf | Persian | āĻāĻ¯āĻŧāĻžāĻā§âāĻĢ | oakf | waqf |
ksh | Persian | |||
ks | English | āĻā§āĻ¯āĻžāĻā§āĻ¸ | ášÃĒks | tax |
ngk | English | āĻŦā§āĻ¯āĻžāĻāĻ | bÃĒngk | bank |
nch | English | āĻ˛āĻā§āĻ | lônch | steamboat (<launch) |
nj | dialectal | āĻāĻā§āĻ | gônj | marketplace |
náš | English | āĻĒā§āĻ¯āĻžāĻ¨ā§āĻ | pÃĒnáš | pants |
nḠ| English | āĻĒāĻžāĻāĻ¨ā§āĻĄ | paunḠ| pound |
nd | dialectal | āĻāĻžāĻ¨ā§āĻĻ | chand | moon |
ndh | dialectal | āĻāĻžāĻ¨ā§āĻ§ | kandh | shoulder |
ns | Persian English |
āĻāĻžāĻ¨ā§āĻ¸ |
chans |
chance |
fáš | English | āĻ˛āĻŋāĻĢā§âāĻ | lifáš | elevator/lift |
fs | Persian | āĻ¨āĻžāĻĢā§âāĻ¸ | nafs | self |
mp | English | āĻ˛ā§āĻ¯āĻžāĻŽā§āĻĒ | lÃĒmp | lamp |
rk | Persian English |
āĻĒāĻžāĻ°ā§āĻ |
park |
park |
rch | English | āĻāĻ°ā§āĻ | ášÃ´rch | torch |
rj | English | āĻ˛āĻžāĻ āĻŋ-āĻāĻžāĻ°ā§āĻ | laášhi-charj | baton-charge |
ráš | English | āĻļāĻžāĻ°ā§āĻ | sharáš | shirt |
rḠ| English | āĻŦā§āĻ°ā§āĻĄ | borḠ| (administrative) board |
rth | English | |||
rd | Persian | āĻĢāĻ°ā§āĻĻ | fôrd | inventory sheet |
rn | English | āĻšāĻ°ā§āĻ¨ | hôrn | (car) horn |
rp | English | āĻļāĻžāĻ°ā§āĻĒ | sharp | sharp |
rb | English | |||
rbh | English | āĻ¨āĻžāĻ°ā§āĻ | narbh/narv | nerve |
rm | English | āĻĢāĻ°ā§āĻŽ | fôrm | form |
rl | English | āĻāĻžāĻ°ā§āĻ˛ | karl | curl |
rs | English | āĻ¨āĻžāĻ°ā§āĻ¸ | nars | nurse |
rsáš | English | āĻĢāĻžāĻ°ā§āĻ¸ā§āĻ | farsáš | first |
rsh | Persian | |||
láš | English | āĻŦā§āĻ˛ā§āĻ | beláš | belt |
sk | English | āĻ°āĻŋāĻ¸ā§āĻ | risk | risk |
sáš | English | āĻ˛āĻžāĻ¸ā§āĻ | lasáš | last |
st | Persian | āĻĻā§āĻ¸ā§āĻ¤ | dost | friend |
sht | Persian | āĻā§āĻļā§āĻ¤ | gosht | meat |
Notesâģ
- ^ (Masica 1991, pp. 125)
- ^ (Masica 1991, pp. 126)
Referencesâģ
- Masica, C (1991), The Indo-Aryan Languages, Cambridge Univ. Press