Bengali consonant clusters

Consonant clusters in Bengali are very common word-initially due to a long history of borrowing from
English and Sanskrit, two languages with a large cluster inventory. A smaller number of words with
word-final clusters have also been borrowed from English, Urdu, and Persian. A handful of words from
non-standard dialects of Bengali include native clusters.

Contents

 1 Syllable-initial clusters

 2 Syllable-final clusters

 3 See also

 4 Notes

 5 References

Syllable-initial clusters

Native Bengali (তদ্ভব tôdbhôb) words do not allow initial consonant clusters;[1] 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 গেরাম geram
(CV.CVC) for গ্রাম gram (CCVC) "village" or ইস্কু ল iskul (VC.CVC) for স্কু ল skul (CCVC) "school".

Sanskrit (তৎসম tôtshôm) 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 মৃত্যু
mrittu "death" or the sp in স্পষ্ট spôshţo "clear", have become extremely common, and can be
considered legal consonant clusters in Bengali.

English and other foreign (বিদেশী bideshi) borrowings add even more cluster types into the Bengali
inventory, further increasing the syllable capacity to CCCVCCCC, as commonly-used loanwords such as
ট্রেন ţren "train" and গ্লাস glash "glass" are now even included in leading Bengali dictionaries.

Initial Clusters

Example(s) in Example(s) in
Cluster Source language(s) Translation
orthography transliteration

Sanskrit কৃ মি krimi worm

kr
English ক্রিকেট krikeţ cricket
 Sanskrit ক্লান্তি klanti fatigue
kl
English ক্লাস klash class

khr Native coinage খ্রিস্টান khrishţan Christian

Sanskrit গ্রাম gram village

gr
English গ্রিক grik Greek

Sanskrit গ্লানি glani

gl
English গ্লাস glash glass

ţr English ট্রেন ţren train

đr English ড্রাইভার đraibhar driver

tr Sanskrit ত্রিশ trish thirty

thr English থ্রু thru through

dr Sanskrit দৃশ্য drishsho view

dhr Sanskrit ধ্রুবতারা dhrubotara North star

nr Sanskrit নৃতত্ত্ব nritôtto anthropology

Sanskrit প্রশ্ন proshno question

pr
English প্রেশার preshar pressure

Sanskrit প্লাবন plabon flood

pl
English প্লেন plen plane

fr English ফ্রান্স frans France

fl English ফ্লাইট flaiţ flight

Sanskrit বৃষ্টি brishţi rain

br
English ব্রাশ brash brush

bl English ব্লাউজ blauj blouse

bhr Sanskrit ভ্রু bhru brow

mr Sanskrit মৃত্যু mrittu death

ml Sanskrit ম্লান mlan melancholy

 Sanskrit স্কন্ধ skôndho shoulder
sk
English স্কু ল skul school

skr English স্ক্রু skru screw

skh Sanskrit স্খলন skhôlon slip

sţ English স্টেশন sţeshon station

sţr English স্ট্রেট sţreţ straight

st Sanskrit স্তম্ভ stômbho tower

str Sanskrit স্ত্রী stri woman

sth Sanskrit স্থানীয় sthanio local

Sanskrit স্নান snan bath

sn
English স্নো sno snow

Sanskrit স্পষ্ট spôshţo clear

sp
English স্পেশাল speshal special

Sanskrit স্পৃহা spriha desire

spr
English স্প্রিং spring spring (coil)

sf Sanskrit স্ফূ র্তি sfurti delight

sm English স্মার্ট smarţ smart (good-looking)

sr Sanskrit শ্রমিক sromik laborer

Sanskrit শ্লীলতা slilota

sl
English স্লোগান slogan slogan

hr Sanskrit হৃদয় hridôe heart

hl Sanskrit হ্লাদিনী hladini

Syllable-final clusters

Final consonant clusters are rare in Bengali. [2] Most final consonant clusters were borrowed into Bengali
from English, as in লিফ্‌ট lifţ "lift, elevator" and ব্যাংক bêņk "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 গঞ্জ gônj, which is found in names of hundreds of cities and towns
across Bengal, including নবাবগঞ্জ Nôbabgônj and 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 চান্দ chand
"moon". The Standard Bengali equivalent of chand would be চাঁদ chãd, with a nasalized vowel instead of
the final cluster.

Final Clusters

Example(s) in Example(s) in
Cluster Source language(s) Translation
orthography transliteration

kţ English

kt Persian/Urdu ওয়াক্ত oakt Muslim prayer time

kf Persian/Urdu ওয়াক্‌ফ oakf waqf

ksh Persian/Urdu

ks English ট্যাক্স ţêks tax

ngk English ব্যাংক bêngk bank

nch English লঞ্চ lônch steamboat (<launch)

nj dialectal গঞ্জ gônj marketplace

nţ English প্যান্ট pênţ pants

nđ English পাউন্ড paunđ pound

nd dialectal চান্দ chand moon

ndh dialectal কান্ধ kandh shoulder

fţ English লিফ্‌ট lifţ elevator/lift

fs Persian/Urdu নাফ্‌স nafs self

mp English ল্যাম্প lêmp lamp

Persian/Urdu
rk
English পার্ক park park
 rch English টর্চ ţôrch torch

rj English লাঠি-চার্জ laţhi-charj baton-charge

rţ English শার্ট sharţ shirt

rđ English বোর্ড borđ (administrative) board

rth English

rd Persian/Urdu ফর্দ fôrd inventory sheet

rn English হর্ণ hôrn (car) horn

rp English

rb English

rbh English নার্ভ narbh/narv nerve

rm English ফর্ম fôrm form

rl English আর্ল arl earl

rs English নার্স nars nurse

rsţ English ফার্স্ট farst first

rsh Persian/Urdu

lţ English বেল্ট belţ belt

sk English রিস্ক risk risk

sţ English লাস্ট lasţ last

st Persian/Urdu দোস্ত dost friend

sht Persian/Urdu গোশ্ত gosht meat

References

 Masica, C (1991), The Indo-Aryan Languages, Cambridge Univ. Press.