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{{short description|Phonology of the Bengali language}}
{{Self-reference|For assistance with IPA transcriptions of Bengali for Wikipedia articles, see [[Help:IPA/Bengali]].}}
{{IPA notice}}
The phonology of [[Bengali language|Bengali]], like that of its neighbouring [[Eastern Indo-Aryan languages]], is characterised by a wide variety of [[diphthong]]s and [[inherent vowel|inherent]] [[back vowel]]s (both {{IPAslink|o̞|o}} and {{IPAslink|ɔ}}).

==Phonemic inventory==
[[File:Bengali vowel chart.svg|thumb|upright=1.13|Standard Bangladeshi Bengali vowel chart, from {{Harvcoltxt|Khan|2010|p=222}}|class=skin-invert-image]]
[[Phoneme|Phonemically]], Bengali features 29 consonants, 7 oral vowels (8 if non-native /ʌ/ is counted), and up to 7 [[nasalization|nasalized vowels]]. In the tables below, the sounds are given in [[International Phonetic Alphabet|IPA]].

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;"
|+ Oral vowels
! || [[Front vowel|Front]] || [[Central vowel|Central]] || [[Back vowel|Back]]
|-
! [[Close vowel|Close]]
| {{IPA link|i}} || || {{IPA link|u}}{{efn|name=u|The phonetic quality of /u/ may also be a fully back near-close rounded vowel [{{IPA link|ʊ}}].{{sfnp|Khan|2010|p=222}}}}{{efn|name=w|The semivowels /o̯ u̯/ may be merged as [{{IPA link|w}}] as a result of [[fortition]], especially in loan words e.g. {{lang|bn|ওয়াদা}} {{IPA|[wad̪a~o̯ad̪a]}} 'promise', {{lang|bn|উইলিয়াম}} {{IPA|[wiliam~u̯iliam]}} 'William'.}}
|-
! [[Close-mid vowel|Close-mid]]
| {{IPA link|e}} || || {{IPA link|o}}{{efn|name=w}}
|-
! [[Open-mid vowel|Open-mid]]
|{{IPA link|æ}}~{{IPA link|ɛ}}{{efn|name=fn1|{{IPA|/æ/}} never occurs outside of the initial syllable in native words, as it was originally and allophone of word-initial /e/ in some that later became phonemic via [[syncope]]. An example would be the word for "alike", একই, original [ækoi̯] but now [æki]. of The main exceptions are when prefixes added to words starting জ্ঞা /ggæ/ (pronounced [gæ] when no prefixes are added but [gːæ] after a prefix is added). An example would be the word বিজ্ঞান /big.gæn/ [bigːæn] "science", a combination of the prefix বি- /bi/ (denoting deliberation, distinction, order or opposition) to the word জ্ঞান /ggæn/ [gæn] "knowledge". Some may choose to pronounce /æ/ in this environment as /a/, giving rise to the pronunciations [gan] (homophonous with গান "song") & [bigːan]. Examples of non-syllable initial /æ/ in this environment are rarer when the word doesn't start with জ্ঞা, but they do exist. (অন্যায় /ɔn.næe̯/ [ɔnːæe̯] "Injustice" from অ- /ɔ/ (denoting negation) & ন্যায় /nnæe̯/ [næe̯] "justice"). The vowel is usually pronounced as a near-open [{{IPA link|æ}}]<ref>{{cite book |last1=Thompson |first1=Hanne-Ruth |title=Bengali: A Comprehensive Grammar (Routledge Comprehensive Grammars), 1 |date=25 November 2020 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=978-0415411394 |page=23 |edition=1}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Bengali romanization table |url=http://www.bahaistudies.net/asma/bengali_loc.pdf |website=Bahai Studies |access-date=4 March 2020}}</ref> but may also be pronounced and transcribed in IPA as open-mid [{{IPA link|ɛ}}],{{sfnp|Khan|2010|p=222}} depending on the speaker or variety.}}||
({{IPA link|ʌ}}){{efn| /ʌ/ is only found English loanwords containing the vowel /ʌ/, and is merged by most speakers with /a/ & by some as /ɔ/.<ref>{{Harvcoltxt|Chatterji|1921|p=16}}</ref>}}
|| {{IPA link|ɔ}}
|-
! [[Open vowel|Open]]
| || {{IPA link|ɐ|a}}{{efn|In onomatopoeias and polysyllabic words, /a/ is phonetically realised as the vowel [{{IPA link|ɐ}}].{{sfnp|Khan|2010|p=222}} In monosyllabic words, /a/ is realised as the more opened vowel [{{IPA link|ä}}~{{IPA link|äː}}].}} ||
|}
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;"
|+ Nasal vowels
! || [[Front vowel|Front]] || [[Central vowel|Central]] || [[Back vowel|Back]]
|-
! [[Close vowel|Close]]
| {{IPA link|ĩ}} || || {{IPA link|ũ}}
|-
! [[Close-mid vowel|Close-mid]]
|{{IPA link|ẽ}} || || {{IPA link|õ̞|õ}}
|-
! [[Open-mid vowel|Open-mid]]
|({{IPA link|æ̃}}~{{IPA link|ɛ̃}}){{efn|name=~|Bengali is usually said to have 7 nasal vowels. However, whilst /æ̃~ɛ̃/ and /ɔ̃/ do not have minimal pairs between them and their oral counterparts, they are still phonetically distinct, which makes their phonemic status hard to define<ref>Islam (2018) "Phonemic status of Bangla nasal vowels: A corpus study"</ref>}} || || ({{IPA link|ɔ̃}}){{efn|name=~}}
|-
![[Open vowel|Open]]
| || {{IPA link|ɐ̃|ã}}||
|}
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;"
|+ Consonants
! colspan="3" |
! [[Labial consonant|Labial]]
! [[Dental consonant|Dental]]/ [[Alveolar consonant|Alveolar]]
! [[Retroflex consonant|Retroflex]]{{efn|True retroflex (''murdhonno'') consonants are not found in Bengali.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Mazumdar|first1=Bijaychandra|title=The history of the Bengali language|date=2000|publisher=Asian Educational Services|location=New Delhi|isbn=978-8120614529|page=[https://archive.org/details/historyofbengali0000mazu/page/57 57]|edition=Repr. [d. Ausg.] Calcutta, 1920.|ref=The history of the Bengali language|quote=yet it is to be noted as a fact, that the [[cerebral consonant|cerebral]] letters are not so much cerebral as they are [[dental consonant|dental]] in our speech. If we carefully notice our pronunciation of the letters of the '{{lang|bn|ট}}' class we will see that we articulate '{{lang|bn|ট}}' and '{{lang|bn|ড}},' for example, almost like English T and D without turning up the tip of the tongue much away from the region of the teeth.|url=https://archive.org/details/historyofbengali0000mazu/page/57}}</ref> They are [[apical consonant|apical]] [[postalveolar consonant|postalveolar]] in western dialects. In other dialects, they are [[fronting (sound change)|fronted]] to [[apico-alveolar]].}}
! [[Palato-alveolar consonant|Palato- alveolar]]
! [[Velar consonant|Velar]]
! [[Glottal consonant|Glottal]]
|-
! colspan="3" | [[Nasal stop|Nasal]]
| {{IPA link|m}} || {{IPA link|n}}{{efn|[{{IPA link|ɳ}}] may occur as an allophone of /{{IPA link|n}}/ in conjuncts with retroflex stops as it was the original sound for the letter ণ while in other words it is pronounced as [{{IPA link|n}}] like with the letter ন.}} || || || {{IPA link|ŋ}} ||
|-
! rowspan="4" | [[Plosive]]/ [[Affricate]]
! rowspan="2" | voiceless
! unaspirated
| {{IPA link|p}} || {{IPA link|t̪|t}} || {{IPA link|ʈ}} || {{IPA link|tʃ}}{{efn|name=fn2|Palato-alveolar affricates [tʃ] and [tʃʰ], and [dʒ] and [dʒʱ] can also be pronounced as alveolo-palatal affricates [{{IPA link|tɕ}}] and [tɕʰ], and [{{IPA link|dʑ}}] and [dʑʱ].}} || {{IPA link|k}} ||
|-
! aspirated
| {{IPA link|pʰ}}{{efn|name=fn3|/{{IPA|pʰ}}/ (written as {{angbr|{{lang|bn|ফ}}}}) is phonetically realised as either an aspirated stop [pʰ] or, commonly, fricative [{{IPA link|ɸ}}~{{IPA link|f}}]. The fricatives can additionally occur as an allophone of /pʰ/ in foreign loan words e.g. {{lang|bn|ফ্যান}} {{IPA|[ɸæn]}} 'fan'.}}|| {{IPA link|tʰ}} || {{IPA link|ʈʰ}} || {{IPA link|tʃʰ}}{{efn|name=fn2|}} || {{IPA link|kʰ}} ||
|-
! rowspan="2" | voiced
! unaspirated
| {{IPA link|b}} || {{IPA link|d̪|d}} || {{IPA link|ɖ}} || {{IPA link|dʒ}}{{efn|name=fn2|}} || {{IPA link|ɡ}} ||
|-
! aspirated{{efn|The voiced aspirated (murmured) series is missing in the Eastern Bengali of Sylhet, Barak Valley, Cumilla, Tripura, Noakhali and Chittagong, where it is replaced by [[tone (linguistics)|tone]], as in [[Punjabi language|Punjabi]].<ref>{{Harvcoltxt|Masica|1991|p=102}}</ref>}}
| {{IPA link|bʱ}}{{efn|name=fn4|/{{IPA|bʱ}}/ (written as {{angbr|{{lang|bn|ভ}}}}) is phonetically realised as either an aspirated stop [bʱ] or, much rarely, fricative [{{IPA link|β}}~{{IPA link|v}}]. The fricatives can additionally occur as an allophone of /bʱ/ in foreign loan words e.g. {{lang|bn|ভিসা}} {{IPA|[βisa]}} 'visa'.}} || {{IPA link|dʱ}} || {{IPA link|ɖʱ}} || {{IPA link|dʒʱ}}{{efn|name=fn2|}} || {{IPA link|ɡʱ}} ||
|-
! rowspan="2" | [[Fricative]]
! colspan="2" | voiceless
| || {{IPA link|s}}{{efn|{{IPA|/s/}} is a phoneme for many speakers of Standard Bengali (e.g. {{lang|bn|সিরকা}} {{IPA|/sirka/}} 'vinegar', {{lang|bn|অস্থির}} {{IPA|/ɔstʰir/}} 'uneasy', {{lang|bn|ব্যস}} {{IPA|/bas/}} or {{IPA|/bæs/}} 'enough'). For most speakers, {{IPA|/s/}} and {{IPA|/ʃ/}} are phonemically distinct ({{lang|bn|আস্তে}} {{IPA|/aste/}} 'softly' vs. {{lang|bn|আসতে}} {{IPA|/aʃte/}} 'to come'). For some, especially in [[Rajshahi]], there is no difference between {{lang|bn|স}} and {{lang|bn|শ}}, ({{lang|bn|বাস}} {{IPA|/bʌs/}} 'bus' vs. {{lang|bn|বাঁশ}} {{IPA|/bas/}} 'bamboo'); they have the same consonant sound. For some speakers, {{IPA|[s]}} can be analyzed as an allophone of either {{IPA|/ʃ/}} or {{IPA|/tʃʰ/}} ({{IPA|[ʃalam]}} for {{lang|bn|সালাম}} {{IPA|/salam/}} 'greetings' or {{lang|bn|বিচ্ছিরি}} {{IPA|[bitʃːʰiri]}} for {{lang|bn|বিশ্রী}} {{IPA|/bisːri/}} 'ugly'). Some loanwords that originally had {{IPA|/s/}} are now pronounced with {{IPA|[tʃʰ]}} in Standard Bengali ({{lang|bn|পছন্দ}} ''pochondo'' {{IPA|[pɔtʃʰondo]}} 'like', compared to Persian ''pasand'').}} || || {{IPA link|ʃ}} || ||
|-
! colspan="2" | voiced
| || ({{IPA link|z}}){{efn|{{IPA|/z/}}: {{angbr|{{lang|bn|জ}}}} and {{angbr|{{lang|bn|য}}}} may represent a voiced affricate {{IPAslink|dʒ}} in Standard Bengali words of native origin, but they can also represent {{IPAslink|z}} in foreign words and names ({{lang|bn|জাকাত}} {{IPA|/zakat/}} '[[zakah]] charity', {{lang|bn|আজিজ}} {{IPA|/aziz/}} 'Aziz'). Most foreign borrowings with {{IPA|/z/}} sound are replaced with {{IPA|/dʒ/}}, as in {{lang|bn|নামাজ}} {{IPA|/namadʒ/}} '[[namaz]]' and {{lang|bn|ডিজাইন}} {{IPA|/ɖidʒain/}} 'design'. However, a native ''s''/''z'' opposition has developed in Chittagonian Bengali. Additionally, some loanwords that originally had {{IPA|[z]}} are now pronounced with /{{IPA link|dʒ}}/ in Standard Bengali ({{lang|bn|সবজি}} {{IPA|/ʃobdʒi/}} 'vegetable', from Persian ''sabzi'').}} || || || || {{IPA link|ɦ}}{{efn|name=fn5|{{IPA|/ɦ/}}: [{{IPA link|h}}] occurs in word-initial or final positions while [{{IPA link|ɦ}}] occurs medially.}}
|-
! colspan="3" | [[Approximant]]
| ({{IPA link|w}}){{efn|name=w}} || {{IPA link|l}} || || |({{IPA link|j}}){{Efn|{{IPA|[j]}} occurs in some pronunciations of Bengali vowel clusters as a result of the semivowels /e̯ i̯/ undergoing fortitional merging. This fortitional merging occurs in the same areas as the fortition /o̯ u̯/ to [w]. Examples include: {{lang|bn|নয়ন}} "eye" {{IPA|[nɔjon~nɔe̯on]}} {{lang|bn|ভাই}} "brothers" {{IPA|[bʱaj~bʱai̯]}}.}}
| ||
|-
! rowspan="2" | [[Rhotic consonant|Rhotic]]
! colspan="2" | unaspirated
| || {{IPA|r}}{{efn|The {{IPA|/r/}} phoneme is pronounced either as a voiced alveolar tap [{{IPA link|ɾ}}], voiced alveolar approximant [{{IPA link|ɹ}}] or voiced alveolar trill [{{IPA link|r}}]. Most speakers colloquially pronounce /r/ as a tap [ɾ], although the trill [r] may occur word-initially (but very rarely); with the tap [ɾ] occurring medially and finally. /r/ can also occur as an approximant [ɹ], especially in some eastern dialects and sometimes in conjuncts before consonants.<ref name="The Phonemes of Bengali">{{harvcoltxt|Ferguson|Chowdhury|1960}}</ref>{{sfnp|Khan|2010|pp=223–224}}}} || {{IPA link|ɽ}}{{efn|{{IPA|[ɽ]}} is an allophone of {{IPA|/ɖ/}} that occurs outside of word initial positions & the clusters /ɖɖ/ /nɖ/ (realised phonetically as [d̠ː] & [n̠d̠] respectively). Bengali dialects make alveolar {{IPA|/r/}} and postalveolar {{IPA|/ɽ/}} increasingly indistinct phonemically eastwards, and it is fully realised as alveolar in eastern dialects (including the Standard Bengali dialect spoken in Dhaka), where both may be phonetically realised as either [ɾ] or [ɹ]. Thus the pairs {{lang|bn|পড়ে}} {{IPA|/pɔɽe/}} 'reads'/'falls' vs. {{lang|bn|পরে}} {{IPA|/pɔre/}} 'wears'/'after', and {{lang|bn|করা}} {{IPA|/kɔra/}} 'do' vs. {{lang|bn|কড়া}} {{IPA|[kɔɽa]}} 'strict' can be homophonous.}} || || ||
|-
! colspan="2" | aspirated
| || || ({{IPA link|ɽʱ}}){{Efn|{{IPA|[ɽʱ]}} is a non-word initial allophone of /ɖʱ/. It is distinct phonetically only in far western Bengali dialects (and some conservative speech), and usually pronounced as either as [ɾ̠] or as the many phonetic realisations of Bengali /r/ in most dialects.}} || || ||
|}

Although the standard form of Bengali is largely uniform across Bangladesh and India, there are a few sounds that vary in pronunciation (in addition to the myriad variations in non-standard dialects):
{{notelist}}

===Consonant clusters===
{{main|Bengali consonant clusters}}

Native Bengali ({{lang|bn|তদ্ভব}} ''tôdbhôbo'') words do not allow initial [[consonant cluster]]s;<ref>{{Harvcoltxt|Masica|1991|p=125}}</ref> the maximum syllabic structure is CVC (i.e. one vowel flanked by a consonant on each side). Many speakers of Bengali restrict their phonology to this pattern, even when using Sanskrit or English borrowings, such as {{lang|bn|গেরাম}} ''geram'' (CV.CVC) for {{lang|bn|গ্রাম}} ''gram'' (CCVC) meaning 'village' or {{lang|bn|ইস্কুল}} ''iskul'' / ''ishkul'' (VC.CVC) for {{lang|bn|স্কুল}} ''skul'' (CCVC) 'school'.

Sanskrit ({{lang|bn|তৎসম}} ''tôtśômo'') 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 {{IPA|[mr]}} in {{lang|bn|মৃত্যু}} ''mrittu'' ('death') or the {{IPA|[sp]}} in {{lang|bn|স্পষ্ট}} ''spôshṭo'' ('clear'), have become extremely common, and can be considered permitted consonant clusters in Bengali. English and other foreign ({{lang|bn|বিদেশী}} ''bideshi'') borrowings add even more cluster types into the Bengali inventory, further increasing the syllable capacity,{{Citation needed|date=June 2009}} as commonly used loanwords such as {{lang|bn|ট্রেন}} ''ṭren'' ('train') and {{lang|bn|গ্লাস}} ''glash'' ('glass') are now included in leading Bengali dictionaries.

Final consonant clusters are rare in Bengali.<ref>{{Harvcoltxt|Masica|1991|p=126}}</ref> Most final consonant clusters were borrowed into Bengali from English, as in {{lang|bn|লিফ্ট}} ''lifṭ'' ('elevator') and {{lang|bn|ব্যাংক}} ''beņk'' ("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 {{lang|bn|গঞ্জ}} ''gônj'', which is found in names of hundreds of cities and towns across Bengal, including {{lang|bn|নবাবগঞ্জ}} ''Nôbabgônj'' and {{lang|bn|মানিকগঞ্জ}} ''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 {{lang|bn|চান্দ}} ''chand'' ('moon'). The Standard Bengali equivalent of ''chand'' would be {{lang|bn|চাঁদ}} ''chãd'', with a nasalized vowel instead of the final cluster.

===Diphthongs===
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;"
|+ Diphthongs
! IPA || Transliteration || Example
|-
| {{IPA|/ii̯/}} || ii || {{Transliteration|bn|nii}} "I take"
|-
| {{IPA|/iu̯/}} || iu || {{Transliteration|bn|biubhôl}} "upset"
|-
| {{IPA|/ei̯/}} || ei || {{Transliteration|bn|dei}} "I give"
|-
| {{IPA|/eu̯/}} || eu || {{Transliteration|bn|ḍheu}} "wave"
|-
| {{IPA|/æe̯/}} || êe || {{Transliteration|bn|nêe}} "they (singular) takes"
|-
| {{IPA|/ai̯/}} || ai || {{Transliteration|bn|pai}} "I find"
|-
| {{IPA|/ae̯/}} || ae || {{Transliteration|bn|pae}} "they (singular) find"
|-
| {{IPA|/au̯/}} || au || {{Transliteration|bn|pau}} "sliced bread"
|-
| {{IPA|/ao̯/}} || ao || {{Transliteration|bn|pao}} "you find"
|-
| {{IPA|/ɔe̯/}} || ôe || {{Transliteration|bn|nôe}} "they (singular) are not"
|-
| {{IPA|/ɔo̯/}} || ôo || {{Transliteration|bn|nôo}} "you are not"
|-
| {{IPA|/oi̯/}} || oi || {{Transliteration|bn|noi}} "I am not"
|-
| {{IPA|/oo̯/}} || oo || {{Transliteration|bn|dhoo}} "you wash"
|-
| {{IPA|/ou̯/}} || ou || {{Transliteration|bn|nouka}} "boat"
|-
| {{IPA|/ui̯/}} || ui || {{Transliteration|bn|dhui}} "I wash"
|}
Magadhan languages such as Bengali are known for their wide variety of [[diphthongs]], or combinations of [[vowel]]s occurring within the same [[syllable]].<ref>{{Harvcoltxt|Masica|1991|p=116}}</ref> Two of these, {{IPA|/oi̯/}} and {{IPA|/ou̯/}}, are the only ones with representation in script, as {{lang|bn|ঐ}} and {{lang|bn|ঔ}} respectively. The semivowels {{IPA|/e̯ i̯ o̯ u̯/}} may all form the glide part of a diphthong. The total number of diphthongs is not established, with bounds at 17 and 31. Several vowel combinations can be considered true monosyllabic diphthongs, made up of the main vowel (the nucleus) and the trailing vowel (the off-glide).{{sfnp|Sarkar|1985}}{{page needed|date=September 2023}} Almost all other vowel combinations are possible, but only across two adjacent syllables, such as the disyllabic vowel combination {{IPA|[u.a]}} in {{lang|bn|কুয়া}} {{Transliteration|bn|kua}} ('well'). As many as 25 vowel combinations can be found, but some of the more recent combinations have not passed through the stage between two syllables and a diphthongal monosyllable.<ref>{{Harvcoltxt|Chatterji|1926|pp=415–416}}</ref>

==Prosody==

===Stress===
In standard Bengali, [[Stress (linguistics)|stress]] is predominantly initial. Bengali words are virtually all [[trochee|trochaic]]; the primary stress falls on the initial syllable of the word, while secondary stress often falls on all odd-numbered syllables thereafter, giving strings such as {{lang|bn|সহযোগিতা}} ''sahayogitā'' {{IPA|[ˈʃɔhoˌdʒoɡiˌta]}} ('cooperation'). The first syllable carries the greatest stress, with the third carrying a somewhat weaker stress, and all following odd-numbered syllables carrying very weak stress. However, in words borrowed from Sanskrit, the root syllable has stress, out of harmony with the situation with native Bengali words.<ref name="suniti_stress">{{Harvcoltxt|Chatterji|1921|pp=19–20}}</ref> Also, in a declarative sentence, the stress is generally lowest on the last word of the sentence.

Adding [[prefix (linguistics)|prefixes]] to a word typically shifts the stress to the left; for example, while the word {{lang|bn|সভ্য}} ''sabhya'' {{IPA|[ˈʃobbʱo]}} ('civilized') carries the primary stress on the first syllable, adding the [[negation|negative]] prefix {{IPA|/ɔ-/}} creates {{lang|bn|অসভ্য}} ''asabhya'' {{IPA|[ˈɔʃobbʱo]}} ('uncivilized'), where the primary stress is now on the newly added first syllable {{lang|bn|অ}} ''ô''. Word-stress does not alter the meaning of a word and is always subsidiary to sentence-level stress.<ref name="suniti_stress"/>

===Intonation===
For Bengali words, intonation or pitch of voice have minor significance, apart from a few cases such as distinguishing between identical vowels in a diphthong. However, in sentences intonation does play a significant role.<ref>{{Harvcoltxt|Chatterji|1921|p=20}}</ref> In a simple [[declarative sentence]], most words and/or phrases in Bengali carry a rising tone,<ref name="inton0">{{Harvcoltxt|Hayes|Lahiri|1991|p=56}}</ref> with the exception of the last word in the sentence, which only carries a low tone. This [[Intonation (linguistics)|intonational]] pattern creates a musical tone to the typical Bengali sentence, with low and high tones alternating until the final drop in pitch to mark the end of the sentence.

In sentences involving [[Focus (linguistics)|focused]] words and/or phrases, the rising tones only last until the focused word; all following words carry a low tone.<ref name="inton0"/> This intonation pattern extends to [[wh-questions]], as wh-words are normally considered to be focused. In yes–no questions, the rising tones may be more exaggerated, and most importantly, the final syllable of the final word in the sentence takes a high falling tone instead of a flat low tone.<ref name="inton1">{{Harvcoltxt|Hayes|Lahiri|1991|pp=57–58}}</ref>

===Vowel length===
Like most Magadhan languages, [[vowel length]] is not contrastive in Bengali; all else equal, there is no meaningful distinction between a "[[short vowel]]" and a "[[long vowel]]",<ref>{{Harvcoltxt|Bhattacharya|2000|p=6}}</ref> unlike the situation in most Indo-Aryan languages. However, when [[morpheme]] boundaries come into play, vowel length can sometimes distinguish otherwise homophonous words. This is because [[open syllable|open]] monosyllables (i.e. words that are made up of only one [[syllable]], with that syllable ending in the main vowel and not a consonant) can have somewhat longer vowels than other syllable types.<ref name="munier">{{Harvcoltxt|Ferguson|Chowdhury|1960|pp=16–18}}</ref> For example, the vowel in ''ca'' ('tea') can be somewhat longer than the first vowel in ''caṭa'' ('licking'), as ''ca'' is a word with only one syllable, and no final consonant. The [[Affix|suffix]] ''ṭa'' ('the') can be added to ''ca'' to form ''caṭa'' ('the tea'), and the long vowel is preserved, creating a minimal pair ({{IPA|[ˈtʃaʈa]}} vs. {{IPA|[ˈtʃaˑʈa]}}). Knowing this fact, some interesting cases of apparent vowel length distinction can be found. In general, Bengali vowels tend to stay away from extreme vowel articulation.<ref name="munier"/>

Furthermore, using a form of [[reduplication]] called "echo reduplication", the long vowel in ''ca'' can be copied into the reduplicant ''ṭa'', giving ''caṭa'' ('tea and all that comes with it'). Thus, in addition to ''caṭa'' ('the tea') with a longer first vowel and ''caṭa'' ('licking') with no long vowels, we have ''caṭa'' ('tea and all that comes with it') with two longer vowels.

==Regional phonological variations==
{{main|Bengali dialects}}
{{more citations needed section|date=February 2020}}

=== Affricates and fricatives ===
In the dialects prevalent in much of eastern and south-eastern [[Bangladesh]] ([[Barisal Division|Barisal]], [[Chittagong Division|Chittagong]], [[Dhaka Division|Dhaka]] and [[Sylhet Division]]s), and [[Tripura]] and [[Barak Valley]] of [[India]], many of the stops and [[Affricate consonant|affricates]] heard in the western and (south) central dialects are pronounced as [[Fricative consonant|fricatives]]. Western [[Palato-alveolar consonant|palato-alveolar]] and [[Alveolo-palatal consonant|alveolo-palatal affricates]] {{lang|bn|চ}} [{{IPA link|tɕ}}~{{IPA link|tʃ}}], {{lang|bn|ছ}} [{{IPA link|tɕʰ}}~{{IPA link|tʃʰ}}], {{lang|bn|জ}} [{{IPA link|dʑ}}~{{IPA link|dʒ}}], {{lang|bn|ঝ}} [{{IPA link|dʑʱ}}~{{IPA link|dʒʱ}}] correspond to eastern {{lang|bn|চ়}} [{{IPA link|ts}}~{{IPA link|s}}], {{lang|bn|স}} {{IPA|[s]}}, {{lang|bn|জ়}} [{{IPA link|z}}~{{IPA link|dz}}], {{lang|bn|য}} [{{IPA link|z}}~{{IPA link|zʱ}}].<ref name="hajong2">{{cite web |title=Hajong |url=http://www.ethnologue.com/show_language.asp?code=haj |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061115092134/http://www.ethnologue.com/show_language.asp?code=haj |archive-date=15 November 2006 |access-date=6 July 2020 |publisher=The Ethnologue Report}}</ref> Note that few Perso-Arabic borrowings containing the phoneme {{IPAblink|z}} are realised as such in all dialects.

The unvoiced aspirated velar stop {{lang|bn|খ}} {{IPAblink|kʰ}}, the aspirated labial stop {{lang|bn|ফ}} {{IPAblink|pʰ}} and the voiced aspirated labial stop {{lang|bn|ভ}} {{IPAblink|bʱ}} of western-central Bengali dialects correspond to {{lang|bn|খ়}} [{{IPA link|x}}~{{IPA link|χ}}], {{lang|bn|ফ়}} [{{IPA link|ɸ}}~{{IPA link|f}}] and {{lang|bn|ভ়}} [{{IPA link|b}}~{{IPA link|β}}~{{IPA link|v}}] in eastern Bengali. These pronunciations are more prevalent in the [[Sylheti language|Sylheti]] variety of northeastern Bangladesh and south Assam, the variety spoken by most of the Bengali community in the United Kingdom. Note that phonemic transcriptions from left to right for eastern Bengali dialects indicate the realizations further eastwards. Retroflexes lose aspiration and variously remain like that or become alveolar. Breathy voiced stops lose breathiness. The voiced velar stop {{lang|bn|গ}} [{{IPA link|g}}] can fricative to {{Lang|bn|গ়}} [{{IPA link|ɣ}}], and is mostly lost afterwards. The stops {{lang|bn|ঘ থ ধ ঠ ঢ}} are relatively stable across dialects that do not lose aspiration, remaining [{{IPA link|gʱ t̪ʰ d̪ʱ ʈʰ ɖʰ}}]. The first 3 stops may be phonetically realised as affricates [{{IPA link|gɣ t̪θ d̪ð}}] by a few speakers, though this is extremely rare and idiosyncratic. {{lang|bn|থ}} [{{IPA link|t̪ʰ}}] and {{lang|bn|দ}} [{{IPA link|d̪}}] in English loanwords fricatise to {{Lang|bn|থ়}} {{IPAblink|θ}} and {{lang|bn|দ়}} respectively in the speech of educated speakers (Bengali approximates English {{IPAslink|ð}} as {{Lang|bn|দ}} {{IPAblink|d̪}}, not {{Lang|bn|ধ}} {{IPAblink|d̪ʱ}}), though this realisation isn't used in native words.

Many eastern Bengali dialects share phonological features with Assamese, including the debuccalisation of {{Lang|bn|স}}, {{Lang|bn|শ}} & {{Lang|bn|ষ}} {{IPAblink|ʃ}} to {{Lang|bn|হ}} {{IPAblink|h}} (but not to {{Lang|bn|খ়}} {{IPAblink|x}}).{{sfnp|Khan|2010|pp=223–224}}

===Substrate and Tibeto-Burman influence===
The influence of older [[substrate language|substrate]] and [[Tibeto-Burman languages]] on the phonology is more observable in eastern Bengali dialects, and becomes increasingly prominent eastwards. In dialects of the [[Mymensingh Division|Mymensingh]], [[Sylhet Division|Sylhet]], [[Chittagong Division]]s of Bangladesh (and bordering areas of [[Dhaka Division|Dhaka]] and [[Barishal Division]]s), and [[Tripura]] and [[Barak Valley]] of India, [[alveolar consonants|alveolar stops]] are realised in place of [[Postalveolar consonant|postalveolar stops]] {{lang|bn|ট}} {{IPA|[t̠]}}, {{lang|bn|ঠ}} {{IPA|[t̠ʰ]}}, {{lang|bn|ড}} {{IPA|[d̠]}}, and {{lang|bn|ঢ}} {{IPA|[d̠ʱ]}}, resembling the equivalent phonemes in Southeast Asian languages such as [[Thai language|Thai]] and [[Lao language|Lao]].

In the phonology of far western Bengali, the distinction between the alveolar tap {{lang|bn|র}} {{IPA|[ɾ]}}, and postalveolar taps {{lang|bn|ড়}} {{IPA|[ɽ]}} and {{lang|bn|ঢ়}} {{IPA|[ɽʱ~ɽ]}} is clear and distinct like Indian languages further west. However, the distinction is often less clear in western and central dialects (unless in careful or conservative speech), and fully lost in eastern dialects, where both tap sounds are realised as either the alveolar tap or the alveolar approximant [{{IPA|ɹ}}], similar to [[Assamese language|Assamese]] {{lang|as|ৰ}}, due to older substrate and Tibeto-Burman influence.{{sfnp|Khan|2010|pp=223–224}} Far eastern Bengali dialects tend not to distinguish aspirated voiced stops {{lang|bn|ঘ}} {{IPA|[ɡʱ]}}, {{lang|bn|ঝ}} {{IPA|[dʑʱ]}} (often fricativized instead), {{lang|bn|ঢ}} {{IPA|[d̠ʱ]}}, {{lang|bn|ধ}} {{IPA|[dʱ]}}, and {{lang|bn|ভ}} {{IPA|[bʱ]}} from their unaspirated equivalents, with some dialects treating them as allophones of each other and other dialects replacing the former with the latter completely. Note that {{lang|bn|ঢ়}} is realised as {{IPA|[ɽ]}} but not as {{IPA|[ɽʱ]}} in all Bengali dialects (including the standard one) except for far western ones (in [[Jharkhand]] and western parts of [[West Bengal]]).

Some variants of the [[Bengali language|Bengali]], particularly the Chittagonian, [[Noakhali language|Noakhailla]] and Sylheti, have contrastive tone and so differences in pitch can distinguish words. There is also a distinction between {{lang|bn|ই}} and {{lang|bn|ঈ}} in many northern Bangladeshi [[Bengali dialects]]. {{lang|bn|ই}} represents the uncommon {{IPAblink|ɪ}}, but {{lang|bn|ঈ}} the standard {{IPAblink|i}} used for both letters in most other dialects.

==See also==
* [[Bengali alphabet]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

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{{refend}}

{{Language phonologies}}
{{Bengali language topics|state=expanded}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bengali Phonology}}
[[Category:Bengali grammar]]
[[Category:Indo-Aryan phonologies]]

Bengali phonology - Revision history

JerrodOverstreet at 16:43, 28 January 2026