A standard language (also standard dialect or standardized dialect) is a

language variety used by a group of people in their public discourse.[1] Alternatively, varieties
become standard by undergoing a process of standardization, during which it is organized
for description in grammars and dictionaries and encoded in such reference works. [1]Typically,
varieties that become standardized are the local dialects spoken in the centers
of commerce and government, where a need arises for a variety that will serve more than local
needs. A standard language can be
either pluricentric[2] (e.g. Arabic, English, German, Persian, Serbo-Croatian, French, Portuguese and S
panish)[3] or monocentric (e.g. Icelandic, Italian,[4] Japanese,[5] and Russian[5]).[6] A standard written
language is sometimes termed by the German word Schriftsprache.
Characteristics[edit]
The only requirement for a variety to be standard is that it can frequently be used in public places or
public discourse.[1] The creation of a prescriptive standard language derives from a desire
for national (cultural, political, and social) cohesion, with this considered requiring an agreed-upon,
standardized language variety. [citation needed] Standard languages commonly feature:

A recognized dictionary (standardized spelling and vocabulary)

A recognized grammar

A standard pronunciation (educated speech)

A linguistic institution defining usage norms; e.g. Acadmie franaise or Real Academia
Espaola

Constitutional (legal) status (frequently as an official language)

Effective public use (court, legislature, schools)

A literary canon

Convenience speaking[7]

Popularity and acceptance in the community[7]

Population[7]

Used in the broad-casting and news media

The term dialect (from the ancient Greek word dilektos, "discourse", from di,
"through" and leg, "I speak") is used in two distinct ways. One usagethe more common
among linguistsrefers to a variety of a language that is a characteristic of a particular group of the
language's speakers.[1] The term is applied most often to regional speech patterns, but a dialect may
also be defined by other factors, such as social class. [2] A dialect that is associated with a
particular social class can be termed asociolect, a dialect that is associated with a particular ethnic

group can be termed as ethnolect, and a regional dialect may be termed a regiolect. [citation
needed]

According to this definition, any variety of a language constitutes "a dialect", including

any standard varieties.

The other usage refers to a language that is socially subordinated to a regional or national standard
language, often historically cognate to the standard, but not derived from it.[3]In this sense, the
standard language is not itself considered a dialect.
A dialect is distinguished by its vocabulary, grammar, and pronunciation (phonology,
including prosody). Where a distinction can be made only in terms of pronunciation (including
prosody, or just prosody itself), the term accent may be preferred over dialect. Other types of speech
varieties include jargons, which are characterized by differences
in lexicon(vocabulary); slang; patois; pidgins; and argots.
The particular speech patterns used by an individual are termed an idiolect.
Standard and non-standard dialect[edit]
A standard dialect (also known as a standardized dialect or "standard language") is a dialect that
is supported by institutions. Such institutional support may include government recognition or
designation; presentation as being the "correct" form of a language in schools; published grammars,
dictionaries, and textbooks that set forth a correct spoken and written form; and an extensive formal
literature that employs that dialect (prose, poetry, non-fiction, etc.). There may be multiple standard
dialects associated with a single language. For example, Standard American English,
Standard British English, Standard Canadian English, Standard Indian English, Standard Australian
English, and StandardPhilippine English may all be said to be standard dialects of the English
language.
A nonstandard dialect, like a standard dialect, has a complete vocabulary, grammar, and syntax, but
is usually not the beneficiary of institutional support. Examples of a nonstandard English dialect
are Southern American English, Western Australian English, Scouse and Tyke. The Dialect Test was
designed by Joseph Wright to compare different English dialects with each other.
Dialect or language[edit]
There is no universally accepted criterion for distinguishing two different languages from two
dialects (i.e., varieties) of the same language. [4] A number of rough measures exist, sometimes
leading to contradictory results. The distinction is therefore subjective and depends on the user's
frame of reference.
The most common, and most purely linguistic, criterion is that of mutual intelligibility: two
varieties are said to be dialects of the same language if being a speaker of one variety confers
sufficient knowledge to understand and be understood by a speaker of the other; otherwise, they are
said to be different languages. However, this definition becomes problematic in the case of dialect
continua, in which it may be the case that dialect B is mutually intelligible with both dialect A and
dialect C but dialects A and C are not mutually intelligible with each other. In this case the criterion
of mutual intelligibility makes it impossible to decide whether A and C are dialects of the same

language or not. Cases may also arise in which a speaker of dialect X can understand a speaker of
dialect Y, but not vice versa; the mutual intelligibility criterion flounders here as well.
Another occasionally used criterion for discriminating dialects from languages is that of linguistic
authority, a more sociolinguistic notion. According to this definition, two varieties are considered
dialects of the same language if (under at least some circumstances) they would defer to the same
authority regarding some questions about their language. For instance, to learn the name of a new
invention, or an obscure foreign species of plant, speakers of Bavarian German and East Franconian
German might each consult a German dictionary or ask a German-speaking expert in the subject. By
way of contrast, although Yiddish is classified by linguists as a language in the "Middle High German"
group of languages, a Yiddish speaker would not consult a German dictionary to determine the word
to use in such case.
By the definition most commonly used by linguists, any linguistic variety can be considered a
"dialect" of some language"everybody speaks a dialect". According to that interpretation, the
criteria above merely serve to distinguish whether two varieties are dialects of the same language or
dialects of different languages.
A framework was developed in 1967 by Heinz Kloss, abstand and ausbau languages, to describe
speech communities, that while unified politically and/or culturally, include multiple dialects which
though closely related genetically may be divergent to the point of inter-dialect unintelligibility.
Terminology[edit]
The terms "language" and "dialect" are not necessarily mutually exclusive: There is nothing
contradictory in the statement "the language of the Pennsylvania Dutch is a dialect ofGerman".
There are various terms that linguists may use to avoid taking a position on whether the speech of a
community is an independent language in its own right or a dialect of another language. Perhaps the
most common is "variety";[5] "lect" is another. A more general term is "languoid", which does not
distinguish between dialects, languages, and groups of languages, whether genealogically related or
not.[6]
Political factors[edit]
In many societies, however, a particular dialect, often the sociolect of the elite class, comes to be
identified as the "standard" or "proper" version of a language by those seeking to make a social
distinction, and is contrasted with other varieties. As a result of this, in some contexts the term
"dialect" refers specifically to varieties with low social status. In this secondary sense of "dialect",
language varieties are often called dialects rather than languages:

if they have no standard or codified form,

if they are rarely or never used in writing (outside reported speech),

if the speakers of the given language do not have a state of their own,

if they lack prestige with respect to some other, often standardised, variety.

The dialects of the Bengali language are part of the Eastern Indo-Aryan language group of
the Indo-European language family. Borishali (Barisal region), Noakhali (Noakhali region), Rongpore
(Rangpur Region), Khulna (Khulna region), Mymonshingh (Mymensingh region), Sylheti (Sylhet
region) and Chittagonian (Chittagong region) are major spoken dialects in Bangladesh. Although
these languages are mutually intelligible with neighboring dialects of Bengali, they lack mutual
intelligibility with the Bengali language and sometimes would not be understood by a native speaker
of Standard Bengali. Hence, some of these dialects are sometimes considered languages in their
own right.[1]
Bengali dialects can be thus classified along at least two dimensions: spoken vs. literary variations,
and prestige vs. regional variations.

Spoken and literary variants[edit]

More than other languages of South Asia, Bengali exhibits strong diglossia between the formal,
written language and the vernacular, spoken language. Two styles of writing, involving somewhat
different vocabularies and syntax, have emerged :[2][3]
1. Shadhubhasha () is the written language with longer verb inflections and a more

Sanskrit-derived (
ttshm) vocabulary ( shadhu = 'chaste' or 'sage'; bhasha =
'language'). Songs such as India's national anthem Jana Gana Mana (by Rabindranath Tagore)
and national song Vande Mtaram (by Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay) were composed in
Shadhubhasha, but its use is on the wane in modern writing.

2. Choltibhasha ( ) or Cholitobhasha (), a written Bengali style that reflects a more

colloquial idiom, is increasingly the standard for written Bengali ( cholito = 'current' or
'running'). This form came into vogue towards the turn of the 19th century, in
an orthography promoted in the writings of Peary Chand Mitra (Alaler ghare dulal, 1857),
[4]

Pramatha Chowdhury (Sabujpatra, 1914) and in the later writings of Rabindranath Tagore. It

is modeled on the dialect spoken in the districts bordering the lower reaches of the Hooghly
River, particularly the Shantipur region in Nadia district, West Bengal. This form of Bengali is
sometimes called the "Nadia standard".[5]
Spoken Bengali exhibits far more variation than written Bengali. Formal spoken Bengali, including
what is heard in news reports, speeches, announcements, and lectures, is modeled on Choltibhasha.
This form of spoken Bengali stands alongside other spoken dialects, or Ancholik Bangla ( )
(i.e. 'regional Bengali'). The majority of Bengalis are able to communicate in more than one dialect
often, speakers are fluent in Choltibhasha, one or more Ancholik dialect, and one or more forms
of Gramyo Bangla ( ) (i.e. 'rural Bengali'), dialects specific to a village or town.
To a non-Bengali, these dialects may sound or look vastly different, but the difference is mostly a
phonological and phonetic one, and not so much a grammatical one. Many dialects share features

with the so-called Shadhu Bhasha or "pure language", which was the written standard until the 19th
century. Comparison of Bengali dialects gives us an idea about archaic forms of the language as
well.
During standardization of Bengali in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the cultural elite were
mostly from the regions of Kolkata, Hooghly, Howrah, North 24 Parganas andNadia. What is accepted
as the standard form today in both West Bengal and Bangladesh is based on the West-Central
dialect. While the language has been standardized today through two centuries of education and
media, variation is widespread, with many speakers familiar with or fluent in both their sociogeographical variety as well as the standard dialect used in the media.
Regional dialect differences[edit]
Dialectal differences in Bengali manifest themselves in three forms: standardized dialect vs. regional
dialect, literary language vs. colloquial language and lexical (vocabulary) variations. The name of the
dialects generally originates from the district where the language is spoken.
While the standard form of the language does not show much variation across the Bengali-speaking
areas of South Asia, regional variation in spoken Bengali constitutes a dialect continuum. Mostly
speech varies across distances of just few miles and takes distinct forms among the religious
communities. Apart from the present dialects, there are a few more which have disappeared. For
example, Bikramapuri, Stagiy (this is the name used in East Bengal for the dialect of Southwestern Rarh region). The present dialects of Bengali are listed below with an example sentence
meaning:
English translation: "A man had two sons." (M=male indicated i.e. A man had two sons, P=
person indicated, without gender, i.e. A person had two sons)
Bengali Shadhubhasha: "k bektir duii putr chhil." (P)
West Central dialects[edit]
These dialect are mostly spoken in and around the Bhagirathi River basin, in West Central
Bengal. The standard form of the colloquial language (Choltibhasha) has developed out of
the Nadia dialect.
Nadia/Choltibhasha Standard: k jon loker dui chhele chhilo. (M)
Dialects can be defined as "sub-forms of languages which are, in general, mutually comprehensible".
[1]

English speakers from different countries and regions use a variety of different accents (systems

of pronunciation), as well as various localized words and grammatical constructions; many different
dialects can be identified based on these factors. Dialects can be classified at broader or narrower
levels: within a broad national or regional dialect, various more localized sub-dialects can be
identified, and so on. The combination of differences in pronunciation and use of local words may
make some English dialects almost unintelligible to speakers from other regions.
The major native dialects of English are often divided by linguists into three general categories:
the British Isles dialects, those of North America, and those of Australasia.[2]Dialects can be

associated not only with place, but also with particular social groups. Within a given Englishspeaking country, there will often be a form of the language considered to be Standard English the
Standard Englishes of different countries differ, and each can itself be considered a dialect. Standard
English is often associated with the more educated layers of society.
Dialects[edit]
Main article: Bengali dialects
Regional variation in spoken Bengali constitutes a dialect continuum. Linguist Suniti Kumar
Chatterji grouped these dialects into four large clustersRarh, Banga, Kamarupa and Varendra; [6] but
many alternative grouping schemes have also been proposed. [38] The south-western dialects (Rarh
or Nadia dialect) form the basis of modern standard colloquial Bengali. In the dialects prevalent in
much of eastern and south-eastern Bangladesh (Barisal, Chittagong, Dhaka and Sylhet Divisions of
Bangladesh), many of the stops and affricates heard in West Bengal are pronounced as fricatives.
Western alveolo-palatal affricates [t], [t], [d] correspond to eastern [ts],

[ts~s], [dz~z]. The influence of Tibeto-Burman languages on the phonology of Eastern

Bengali is seen through the lack of nasalized vowels and an alveolar articulation of what are
categorised as the "cerebral" consonants (as opposed to the postalveolar articulation of West
Bengal). Some variants of Bengali, particularly Chittagonian and Chakma, have contrastive tone;
differences in the pitch of the speaker's voice can distinguish words. Rangpuri, Kharia Thar and Mal
Paharia are closely related to Western Bengali dialects, but are typically classified as separate
languages. Similarly, Hajong is considered a separate language, although it shares similarities to
Northern Bengali dialects.[39]
During the standardization of Bengali in the 19th century and early 20th century, the cultural center
of Bengal was in the city of Kolkata, founded by the British. What is accepted as the standard form
today in both West Bengal and Bangladesh is based on the West-Central dialect of Nadia District,
located next to the border of Bangladesh.[40] There are cases where speakers of Standard Bengali
in West Bengal will use a different word from a speaker of Standard Bengali in Bangladesh, even
though both words are of native Bengali descent. For example, the word salt is nun in the west
which corresponds to lbn in the east.[41]
Spoken and literary varieties[edit]
Bengali exhibits diglossia, though largely contested notion as some scholars proposed triglossia or
even n-glossia or heteroglossia between the written and spoken forms of the language. [42] Two styles
of writing, involving somewhat different vocabularies and syntax, have emerged: [40][43]
1. Shadhu-bhasha ( shadhu "sage" + bhasha "language") was the written
language, with longer verb inflections and more of a Pali and SanskritderivedTatsama vocabulary. Songs such as India's national anthem Jana Gana
Mana (by Rabindranath Tagore) were composed in Shadhubhasha. However, use of
Shadhubhasha in modern writing is uncommon, restricted to some official signs and
documents in Bangladesh as well as for achieving particular literary effects.

2. Cholitobhasha ( chlit "current" + bhasha "language"), known by linguists

as Standard Colloquial Bengali, is a written Bengali style exhibiting a preponderance of
colloquial idiom and shortened verb forms, and is the standard for written Bengali now. This
form came into vogue towards the turn of the 19th century, promoted by the writings of Peary
Chand Mitra (Alaler Gharer Dulal, 1857),[44] Pramatha Chaudhuri (Sabujpatra, 1914) and in the
later writings of Rabindranath Tagore. It is modeled on the dialect spoken in
the Shantipur region in Nadia district, West Bengal. This form of Bengali is often referred to as
the "Nadia standard", "Nadia dialect", "Southwestern/West-Central dialect" or "Shantipuri
Bangla".[38]
While most writing is in Standard Colloquial Bengali, spoken dialects exhibit a greater variety. Southeastern West Bengal, including Kolkata, speak in Standard Colloquial Bengali. Other parts of West
Bengal and western Bangladesh speak in dialects that are minor variations, such as
the Midnapore dialect characterised by some unique words and constructions. However, a majority
in Bangladesh speak in dialects notably different from Standard Colloquial Bengali. Some dialects,
particularly those of the Chittagong region, bear only a superficial resemblance to Standard
Colloquial Bengali.[45] The dialect in the Chittagong region is least widely understood by the general
body of Bengalis.[45] The majority of Bengalis are able to communicate in more than one variety
often, speakers are fluent in Cholitobhasha (Standard Colloquial Bengali) and one or more regional
dialects.[23]
Even in Standard Colloquial Bengali, the words may differ according to the speakers's religion:
Hindus are more likely to use words derived from Sanskrit, whereas Muslims are more open to use
words of Persian, Arabic and Austroasiatic Deshi origin respectively.[46] For example:[41]

Predominantly Hindu usage

Predominantly Muslim usage

translation

nmshkar

salam-alaikum

hello

nimntrn

daoat

invitation

bari

basha

house/home

jl

pani

water

pa

thng

leg

ma

ammu

mother

 nun

lbn

salt

Hindi in the broad sense is a dialect continuum without clear boundaries. For example, both Nepali
and Panjabi are sometimes considered to be Hindi (based on the high level of mutual intelligibility for
Panjabi and Hindi especially), though they are more often considered to be separate languages.
Hindi is often divided into Western Hindi and Eastern Hindi, and these are further divided. Following
is a list of principal Hindi dialects; boldface indicates an idiom that is often classified as a separate
language.
Hindustani, including standard Hindi (or 'High Hindi') and standard Urdu, as well as regional dialects
of Urdu. Standard Hindi is the principal official languages of India, while standard Urdu is the official
language of Pakistan and the state of Jammu and Kashmir. Urdu has a rich literary history, being the
language of the Mughal court second only to Persian
Khadiboli or Sarhindi, spoken in western Uttar Pradesh; the dialect that forms the basis for Standard
Hindi
Chhattisgarhi (sometimes spelled "Chattisgarhi"; also known as Lahariya or Khalwahi), spoken
mostly in the recently created state of Chhattisgarh
Bagheli, spoken mostly in the Baghelkhand region of the state of Madhya Pradesh
Awadhi, spoken mostly in central Uttar Pradesh, the area formerly comprising the kingdom of Awadh
or "Oudh"
Fijian Hindustani, a form of Awadhi spoken by Fijians of Indian descent
Bihari', mostly spoken in the state of Bihar, which in turn is comprised of several principal dialects:
Angika,
Bhojpuri
Sarnami - a form of Bhojpuri with Awadhi influence spoken by Surinamers of Indian descent
Maithili, now an official language of Bihar
Magahi,
Vajjika,
Rajasthani, mostly spoken in the state of Rajasthan, and also comprised of several notable
(sub)dialects:
Marwari
Mewati or "Mewari"
Jaipuri
Braj Bhasha, in a vaguely defined region of north central India, centered on Delhi
Bundeli, mostly spoken in the Bundelkhand region and the Jhansi district of Uttar Pradesh
Hariyanvi, Bangaru or Jatu, mostly spoken in the state of Haryana
Kanauji, mostly spoken in Kanauj, Uttar Pradesh
The Eastern Hindi dialect centered on the Hindu holy city of Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh, with a strong
influence on the Sanskritized learned vocabulary of standard Hindi
Bambaiya Hindi, the dialect of the city of Bombay (Mumbai); the basis for the language of the
popular Bollywood films
These dialects demonstrate a variety of influences including the adjacent Iranian, Dravidian, and
Tibeto-Burman language families.
Bollywood dialects: Hindi movies often use dialects to highlight the regional character of some of the
roles. Some of the dialects used include

Bhojpuri: Movie "Ganga-Jamuna"

Bhopali: Spoken by Soorma Bhopali in "Sholay"
Rajasthani: Movie "Paheli"
Bundeli: Movie "Bandit Queen"
Awadhi: Movie "Shatranj Ke Khiladi"
Deccani: Movie "Ankur"
Bambaiya Hindi: used in numerous movies
Needless to say, dialects used in movies are not always pure.

United States[edit]
American English

General American, a very commonly used dialect

Cultural

African American Vernacular English (AAVE)

Chicano English

New York Latino English

Pennsylvania Dutch English

Yeshivish

Hawaiian Pidgin[6]
Regional

New England English

Northeastern: Boston accent

Southeastern (Rhode Island)

Northwestern (Vermont)

Southwestern (Connecticut)

Boston Brahmin accent

Hudson Valley English

Mid-Atlantic dialects

Baltimore accent

Philadelphia English

New York dialect

New Jersey English dialects

Inland Northern American English (Lower Peninsula of Michigan,

northern Ohio and Indiana, Chicago, part of eastern Wisconsin and upstate New York)
Northeast Pennsylvania English

Upper Midwest American English (Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, Wisconsin,

the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, and parts of Iowa)

Yooper dialect (Upper Peninsula of Michigan and some neighboring areas)

Midland American English (central United States)

North Midland (Kansas City, Omaha, Columbus, Ohio, and Indianapolis)

St. Louis

Cincinnati

Pittsburgh English
South Midland (Kentucky, Southern Indiana, Southern Illinois,

southern Missouri, Arkansas, southern Kansas, and Oklahoma)

Miami accent

Southern American English

Appalachian English

Tidewater accent[7]

Harkers Island English (North Carolina)

Ocracoke

Ozark English

Texan English

Yat dialect (New Orleans)

Cajun English

Southwestern dialects

New Mexican English

Western American English

California English

Boontling

Pacific Northwest English