Bengali script

The Bengali script is an Abugida system of writing belonging to the Brahmic family of scripts whose use is associated with the Bengali, Assamese, Manipuri and Sylheti languages. While it is very similar to Devanagari, it is less blocky and presents a more sinuous shaping, and is derived from a precursor of that script called Nagari. The modern script was formalized in 1778 when it was first typeset by Charles Wilkins. There are some minor differences between the version of the script used for Assamese and that used for the other languages: rô (Bengali র; Assamese ৰ) and vô (Bengali not available; Assamese ৱ).

Related Topics:
Abugida - Brahmic family - Bengali - Assamese - Manipuri - Sylheti - Devanagari - Nagari - 1778

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The script was originally not associated with any particular language, but was prevalent as the script of choice in east India. Among the various different regional variations within this script, only the Assamese and Bengali variations exist today in the formalized system. The script was used to write Sanskrit for centuries, especially when dealing with Hindu scripture such as the Mahabharata or Ramayana. It is still occasionally used to write Sanskrit today. Srimanta Sankardeva used it in the 15th and 16th centuries to compose his oeuvre in Kamrupi of that time now some scholars referred to as Brajavali, used by Bhakti poets. It was also used by the later Ahom kings to write the Buranjis, the Ahom chronicles, in the Assamese language. Needless to say, there is a rich legacy of Indian literature written in this script.

Related Topics:
Sanskrit - Hindu - Mahabharata - Ramayana - Srimanta Sankardeva - Brajavali - Bhakti - Ahom - Buranji

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Clusters of consonants are represented by different and sometimes quite irregular characters; thus, learning to read the script is complicated by the sheer size of the full set of characters and character combinations, numbering about 500. While efforts at standardizing the script for the Bengali language continue in such notable centers as the Bangla Academies (unaffiliated) at Dhaka (Bangladesh) and Kolkata (West Bengal, India), it is still not quite uniform as yet, as many people continue to use various archaic forms of letters, resulting in concurrent forms for the same sounds.

Related Topics:
Dhaka - Bangladesh - Kolkata - West Bengal - India

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It seems likely that the standardization of the script will be greatly influenced by the need to typeset it on computers. The large alphabet can be represented, with a great deal of ingenuity, within the ASCII character set, omitting certain irregular conjuncts. Work has been underway since around 2001 to develop Unicode fonts, and it seems likely that it will split into two variants, traditional and modern.

Related Topics:
Standardization - ASCII - Unicode - Fonts

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