Phonological variation and linguistic diversity in Bangladeshi dialects: An exploration of sound patterns and sociolinguistic significance
Abstract
This paper explores how people in different parts of Bangladesh talk differently from each other. The study pays special attention to the unique sounds in their dialects compared to the standard Bangla language. The main goal of the research is to understand why these sounds change from one dialect to another. The researchers collected data from 70 participants coming from 20 regions of Bangladesh, who were fluent in their regional dialects and studied it carefully. By employing semi-structured interviews, IPA transcription, and thorough verification processes, this study ensures the accuracy and reliability of its findings and discussion, contributing valuable insights into the phonological diversity of Bangladeshi dialects and their socio-linguistic significance. The authors found 13 phonological variations or patterns among the dialects of different regions of Bangladesh. Each type of change is explained with clear examples to make it easier to understand. The research contributes significantly to the understanding of socio-linguistic diversity in Bangladesh by providing experimental evidence of phonological variation and its determinants. It also lays the groundwork for future research on dialects and their relationship with the standard language. This study will bring up a greater appreciation for Bangladesh’s linguistic diversity and encourage further research into language variation and change.
References
Abedin, M. M. U. (2011). The effect of regional Bengali dialect on the English pronunciation of Bangladeshi second language learners: A reflection. Crossings: A Journal of English Studies, 3(1), 273–290. https://doi.org/10.59817/cjes.v3i1.355
Alam, M. J. (2023). The Development and Initial Validation of an Assessment for Early Vocabulary Development in Children in Bangladesh: A Bangla Version of the MacArthur-Bates Communicative Development Inventories (MBCDI) [PhD thesis]. The University of Auckland.
Awal, A. (2023). Standard and Non-Standard English in Bangladesh: A Sociolinguistic Exploration of Linguistic Identity, Post-Colonial Legacy, and the Quest for Global Englishes. Creative Saplings, 2(5), 1–20. https://doi.org/10.56062/gtrs.2023.2.05.358
Barua, A. (2020). A Comparative Study of Phonological Bengali Language and Chittagonian Dialect Spoken in Bangladesh [PhD thesis]. Mahachulalongkornrajavidyalaya University.
Basu, A. M., & Amin, S. (2000). Conditioning factors for fertility decline in Bengal: History, language identity, and openness to innovations. Population and Development Review, 26(4), 761–794. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1728-4457.2000.00761.x
Blevins, J., & Egurtzegi, A. (2023). Refining explanation in Evolutionary Phonology: macro-typologies and targeted typologies in action. Linguistic Typology, 27(2), 289–311. https://doi.org/10.1515/lingty-2021-0036
Bourdieu, P. (1991). Language and Symbolic Power. Harvard University Press.
Brown, M. E., & Ganguly, S. (2003). Fighting words: Language policy and ethnic relations in Asia. Mit Press.
Chambers, J. K. (2009). Sociolinguistic theory: Linguistic variation and its social significance. Wiley-Blackwell. https://doi.org/10.1002/9781118335598.ch14
Chambers, J. K., Trudgill, P. (1998). Dialectology. Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511805103
Donegan, P., & Stampe, D. (2004). The Study of Natural Phonology. In: Joseph, B. D., & Janda, R. D. (editors). The Handbook of Historical Linguistics. Blackwell Publishing Ltd. pp. 674–692.
Eckert, P. (2012). Three waves of variation study: The emergence of meaning in the study of sociolinguistic variation. Annual Review of Anthropology, 41, 87–100. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-anthro-092611-145828
Faria, F. T. J., Moin, M. B., Wase, A. A., et al. (2023). Vashantor: A Large-scale Multilingual Benchmark Dataset for Automated Translation of Bangla Regional Dialects to Bangla Language. arXiv preprint arXiv:2311.11142. https://doi.org/10.48550/arXiv.2311.11142
Fleming, K., & Ansaldo, U. (2019). Revivals, nationalism, and linguistic discrimination: Threatening languages. Routledge.
Gope, A. (2018). The phoneme inventory of Sylheti: Acoustic evidences. Journal of Advanced Linguistic Studies, 7(1–2).
Habib, R. B. (2012). English Pronunciation in Policy and Practice at College Level in Bangladesh [PhD thesis]. East West University.
Haque, E. (2018). Dialect and Education in Bangladesh: Attitudes towards Regional Bengali Dialects. Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development, 39(4), 333–346.
Hasan, M. R. (2021). Investigation into the Effect of Dynamic Acoustical Features in Deep Neural Network-based Speech Classification [PhD thesis]. Khulna University of Engineering & Technology.
Kakon, A. N. (2007). Analysis of the trend and inter-regional variation of urbanization in Bangladesh. Available online: http://lib.buet.ac.bd:8080/xmlui/handle/123456789/2202 (accessed on 2 January 2024).
Kendall, T., Pharao, N., Stuart-Smith, J., et al. (2023). Advancements of phonetics in the 21st century: Theoretical issues in sociophonetics. Journal of Phonetics, 98, 101226. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.wocn.2023.101226
Khalid, A. K. M. (2022). The history of English in Bangladesh [PhD thesis]. University of Lethbridge.
Labov, W. (1994). Principles of Linguistic Change, Volume 1: Internal Factors. Blackwell. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0022226700015693
Labov, W. (2001). Principles of Linguistic Change, Volume 2: Social Factors. Wiley-Blackwell. https://doi.org/10.1002/9781444327496
Low, E. L. (2016). Phonological patterning for English as a lingua franca in Asia: Implications for norms and practice in multilingual Asia. Journal of English as a Lingua Franca, 5(2), 309–332. https://doi.org/10.1515/jelf-2016-0022
Maniruzzaman, M. (2006). Phonetic and phonological problems encountered by the Bengali speaking EFL learner: How can they be overcome. Available online: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/317061468_Phonetic_and_phonological_problems_encountered_by_the_Bengali_speaking_EFL_learner_How_can_they_be_overcome (accessed on 2 January 2024).
Mayr, R., Siddika, A., Morris, J., et al. (2021). Bilingual phonological development across generations: Segmental accuracy and error patterns in second-and third-generation British Bengali children. Journal of Communication Disorders, 93, 106140. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcomdis.2021.106140
McCarthy, K. M., & de Leeuw, E. (2022). Prosodic patterns in Sylheti-English bilinguals. Studies in Second Language Acquisition, 44(2), 562–579. https://doi.org/10.1017/S027226312100036X
Milroy, L., & Milroy, J. (1985). Linguistic Change, Social Network and Speaker Innovation. Journal of Linguistics, 21(2), 339–384. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0022226700010306
Moniruzzaman, M. (2009). Variability Study in F2 Materials of Intervarietal Cross of Brinjal (Solanum Melongena L.) [PhD thesis]. Sher-E-Bangla Agricultural University.
Panda, S. P., Nayak, A. K., & Rai, S. C. (2020). A survey on speech synthesis techniques in Indian languages. Multimedia Systems, 26, 453–478.
Rahman, A. R. M. M. (2020). Ideological Evaluation of Linguistic Hybridization and Its Consequences in Bangladesh [PhD thesis]. National University of Singapore (Singapore).
Rahman, A., & Chowdhury, R. (2018). Teaching “English for Life”: Beliefs and attitudes of secondary school English teachers in rural Bangladesh. Bangladesh Education Journal, 17(2), 35–54.
Rahman, S. S. (2023). A sociolinguistic investigation of Bangla phonology. In: Language in Society in Bangladesh and Beyond. Routledge. pp. 23–40.
Riddiford, A. (2013). Madly after the muses: Bengali poet Michael Madhusudan Datta and his reception of the Graeco-Roman classics. OUP Oxford. https://doi.org/10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199699735.001.0001
Satyanath, S. (2023). Overview of issues. The Routledge Handbook of Sociolinguistics Around the World.
Serajuddin, M. (2023) Impact of Cultural Factors on the Acquisition of English as A Second Language in Bangladesh. Available online: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/373483011_Impact_Of_Cultural_Factors_On_The_Acquisition_Of_English_As_A_Second_Language_In_Bangladesh (accessed on 2 January 2024).
Shamim, A. (2021). A Description of the Phonology and Morphology of Kɔɖa, an Endangered Language of Bangladesh [PhD thesis]. City University of New York.
Silverstein, M. (1979). Language Structure and Linguistic Ideology. In: Clyne, P. R., Hanks, W. F., & Hofbauer, C. L. (editors). The Elements: A Parasession on Linguistic Units and Levels. Chicago Linguistic Society. pp. 193–247.
Simpson, A. (2007). Language and national identity in Asia. Oxford University Press.
Stampe, D. (1979). A Dissertation on Natural Phonology. Garland. https://doi.org/10.2478/v10010-009-0002-x
Sultana, A. (2018). The impact of phonological variations on dialectal identity in Bangladesh. Linguistic Research in Bangladesh, 4(2), 200–214.
Sultana, S., Kabir, M. M. N., Haider, M. Z., et al. Language in Society in Bangladesh and Beyond. Available online: https://www.routledge.com/Language-in-Society-in-Bangladesh-and-Beyond-Voices-of-the-Unheard-in-the-Global-South/Sultana-Kabir-Haider-Roshid-Hamid/p/book/9781032304038 (accessed on 2 January 2024).
Uddin, M. N., & Monjur, S. (2015). The influence of regional Bangla dialects on English pronunciation of Bangladeshi EFL (English as a Foreign Language) learners: A review. International Journal of Arts, Humanities and Management, 1(12), 11–23.
Copyright (c) 2024 Mohammad Mustafizur Rahman, Binoy Barman, Liza Sharmin, Md. Rafiz Uddin, Sakiba Binte Yusuf, Ushba Rasool
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
The author(s) warrant that permission to publish the article has not been previously assigned elsewhere.
Author(s) shall retain the copyright of their work and grant the Journal/Publisher right for the first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under:
OA - Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY 4.0). This license allows for the copying, distribution and transmission of the work, provided the correct attribution of the original creator is stated. Adaptation and remixing are also permitted.
This broad license intends to facilitate free access to, as well as the unrestricted reuse of, original works of all types.
_%E5%89%AF%E6%9C%AC1.png){kind=logo}
