Language
Bengali or Bangla is an Eastern Indo-Aryan language of the Indo-European language family. Its immediate predecessor was ‘Magadhi Apabhransha’. From this emerged the three languages - Bengali, Oriya and Assamese. Of these three, Oriya has a separate script, while Bengali and Assamese share a similar script (except for a few differences).
Bangla exhibits a strong case of diglossia between the formal, written language and the vernacular, spoken language. The two standard written forms of Bangla, Shadhubhasha and Choltibhasha, stand in sharp contrast with the spoken forms of Bangla, often referred to as Ancholik Bangla ("Regional Bangla"). Choltibhasha (literally, "the current language") comprises the standard pronunciation of Bangla and thus serves as the basis for the orthography of most Bangla writing today. It is modeled on the form of the dialect spoken in the Shantipur region in Nadia district, West Bengal and districts bordering on the lower reaches of the Hooghly River.
Literature Old Bengali: (950 - 1350 AD)
The oldest document of Bengali literature - ‘Caryapada’ was written during this time. It is a collection of 47 songs by different poets. Religious and philosophical in nature they were written in a mystic style known as ‘Sandhya Bhasha’. Middle Bengali: (1350-1800 AD)
Chandidas’s ‘Sri Krishna Kirtan’ represents the Bengali language of the early middle period influenced by mystic love and brotherhood. This Vaishnava influence is also visible in the development of the Bengali language. Various Vaishnava Padavalis (verses) and the tradition of writing biographies started eg. Chaitanyamangal of Brindabandas and Chaitanyacharitamrita of Krishnadas Kobiraj. During the later middle period Mangal Kavyas that eulogized non-Aryan Gods - Manasa, Chandi and Dharma were written while Krittivas Ojha translated Ramayana and Kasiramdasa translated Mahabharata into Bengali. Modern Bengali: (1800 AD - )
This period witnessed the development of Bengali language as we speak it today. Modern Bengali gradually developed through the writings of Bankim Chandra Chatterji, Sharatchandra Chatterjee, Rabindranath Tagore and others. Michael Madhusudan Dutt introduced blank verse in Bengali. Jibanananda Das and Sukanta Bhattacharya were important poets in the post Rabindranath period. Some great dramatists were Dinabandhu Mitra, Girish Chandra Ghosh, Amritlal Basu and Dwijendralal Roy.
Notable novelists of the 20th century are Tarashankar Banerji, Bibhutibhushan Banerji, Achintya Kumar Sengupta, Premendra Mitra, Buddhdeb Basu, Balai Chand Mukhopadhyay (Banaphool), Manik Bandopadhyay, Samresh Basu, Bimal Kar, Bimal Mitra, Ashapurna Devi, Mahasweta Devi, Nabanita Dev Sen, Shirshendu Mukhopadhyay and Sunil Gangopadhyay.
The Bengali Language At Cornell
Bengali is taught at three levels at Cornell. Course Poster
Elementary Level: BENGL 1121-1122 (reading, writing, listening and speaking skills developed)
Intermediate Level: BENGL 2201-2202 (emphasis is on reading skills)
Intermediate Level: BENGL 2203-2204 (emphasis is on writing skills)
Advanced Level: BENGL 3303-3304 (Bengali Literature)
Advanced Level: BENGL 4431 (directed studies)
Students with prior exposure to Bengali should consult the instructor or take a placement exam to determine at what level they should start.
Cornell Area Program Affiliation: South Asia Program The Mission of the South Asia Program is to bring attention to South Asia in the form of courses, faculty, research, libraries, art exhibitions, language learning, resources, student organizations, and exchange programs. In addition to our pluralistic structure, the South Asia Program sponsors numerous lectures and events on South Asia, administers outreach programs, and contributes widely to academic work through our own publication series.
Announcements:
FLAS Summer Travel Scholarship Summer Travel Scholarships
If you are studying Bengali, you can spend a summer in a Bengali-speaking region--India or Bangladesh--on a Summer Travel Scholarship from the Department of Asian Studies.
For more information or to apply for a Summer Travel Scholarship, contact the Department of Asian Studies, 350 Rockefeller Hall
Bangla Language Fellowships from AEBS to Bangladesh Applications are encouraged from all college and university students - Undergraduate, MA, and PhD - in all disciplines including business, engineering, science, the social sciences and humanities. Undergraduate students must have completed at least one year of college course-work by program start date. Students who during the summer will be between degrees (and therefore between institutions) also qualify for the scholarships. No prior Bangla language training is required for beginning students.
Bangla Language Fellowships from AIIS to India At the end of ONE year of language training in Bangla students are eligible to apply for fellowships from the American Institute of Indian Studies and continue further training in Kolkata, India. For detailed information check the AIIS web site.
