Bengali–Assamese script
The Bengali–Assamese script, also known as Eastern Nagari script, is the fifth most widely used writing system in the world. It is the basis of the Bengali and Assamese alphabets, as well as the alphabets of Bishnupriya Manipuri, Kokborok, Meitei, Chakma, Santali, Kamtapuri etc. Other languages, such as Angika, Bodo, Karbi, Maithili and Mising were once written in this script. Modern Sylheti is often written using this script as well, as is Sanskrit in areas where the script predominates. The Tirhuta script of Maithili is very closely related, though it behaves slightly differently.
Description
The Bengali—Asamese script was originally not associated with any particular regional language, but was prevalent as the main script in the eastern regions of Medieval India. The script was also used to write Sanskrit. Epics of Hindu scripture, including the Mahabharata or Ramayana, were written in older versions of the Eastern Nagari script in this region. After the medieval period, the use of Sanskrit as the sole written language gave way to Magadhi Apabhramsa eventually evolved into Bengali, Assamese and other related languages. Sankardev used the script in the 15th and 16th centuries to compose his oeuvre in Assamese and Brajavali the language of the Bhakti poets; and before him, Madhava Kandali used it to write the Assamese Ramayana in the 14th century. It was also used by the later Ahom kings to write the Buranjis, the Ahom chronicles, in the Assamese language. There is a rich legacy of East sub-continental literature written in this script, which is still occasionally used to write Sanskrit today.Script
In this and other articles on Wikipedia dealing with the Assamese and Bengali languages, a Romanization scheme used by linguists specializing in Assamese and Bengali phonology is included along with IPA transcription.Alphabets
There are three major modern alphabets in this script: Tirhuta, Bengali, and Assamese. Modern Assamese is very similar to modern Bengali though Tirhuta is more different from both Assamese and Bengali. Assamese has at least one extra letter, ৱ, that Bengali does not, and the letter ক্ষ is not a conjunct as in Bengali, but a letter by itself. The alphabetical orders of the two alphabets also differ. Languages like Meitei and Bishnupriya Manipuri use a hybrid of the two alphabets, with the Bengali র and the Assamese ৱ. Tirhuta carries forward some forms used in medieval Assamese.Some other languages use a vowel অৗ to denote // which is not found in either Bengali or Assamese; and though the vowel diacritic, is found in Tirhuta the vowel letter itself is absent.
Vowels
- Assamese Vowels
- Bengali Vowels
- Maithili Vowels
Two additional modified Vowels, অ' and অ্যা, are not considered letters of the Eastern Nagari script, but are often used in Assamese and Bengali to represent certain vowels when the intended pronunciation would otherwise be ambiguous.
| Vowels | Vowel Diacritic symbol | Assamese | Bengali | Bishnupriya Manipuri | Meitei Manipuri | Sylheti | Hajong | Rabha | Rajbongsi |
| অ | – | ô | ô/o | ô | ô/a | o | o | ô | ô |
| অʼ | ʼ | o | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| আ | া | a | a | a | a꞉ | a | a | a | a |
| অ্যা/এ্যা | ্যা | – | æ | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| অৗ | ৗ | – | – | – | – | – | â | â | – |
| ই | ি | i | i | i | i | i | i | i | i |
| ইʼ | িʼ | – | – | – | – | – | – | î | – |
| ঈ | ী | i | i | i | – | ī | – | – | |
| উ | ু | u | u | u | u | u | u | u | u |
| উʼ | ুʼ | – | – | – | – | – | – | â | – |
| ঊ | ূ | u | u | u | – | ū | – | – | |
| ঋ | ৃ | ri | ri | ri | – | ri | – | – | ri |
| ৠ | ৄ | rii | rii | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| ঌ | ৢ | li | li | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| ৡ | ৣ | lii | lii | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| এ | ে | ê | e/ê | e | e | ê | e | e | ê |
| এʼ | েʼ | e | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| ঐ | ৈ | ôi | ôi | ôi | ei | oi | oi | – | ôi |
| ও | ো | û | o | u | o/ô | – | ô | o | o |
| ঔ | ৌ | ôu | ôu | ôu | ou | ou | ôu | – | ôu |
Vowel signs can be used in conjunction with consonants to modify the pronunciation of the consonant. When no vowel Diacritic symbol is written, then the vowel "অ" is the default inherited vowel for the consonant. To specifically denote the absence of a vowel, a hôsôntô may be written underneath the consonant.
Consonants
The names of the consonant letters in Eastern Nagari are typically just the consonant's main pronunciation plus the inherent vowel "অ" ô. Since the inherent vowel is assumed and not written, most letters' names look identical to the letter itself. Some letters that have lost their distinctive pronunciation in Modern Assamese and Bengali are called by a more elaborate name. For example, since the consonant phoneme /n/ can be written ন, ণ, or ঞ, these letters are not simply called nô; instead, they are called "dental nô", "cerebral nô" and niô. Similarly, the phoneme in Bengali and in Assamese can be written as "palatal shô/xhô" শ, "cerebral shô/xhô" ষ, or "dental sô/xô" স, depending on the word.| Consonant | Assamese | Bengali | Bishnupriya Manipuri | Meitei Manipuri | Sylheti | Hajong | Maithili |
| ক | kô | kô | kô | kô | xo | ko | ka |
| খ | khô | khô | khô | khô | xo | kho | kha |
| গ | gô | gô | gô | gô | go | go | ga |
| ঘ | ghô | ghô | ghô | ghô | go | gho | gha |
| ঙ | ungô | ngô | ngô | ngô | – | ngo | nga |
| চ | sô | cô | cô | cô | so | co | ca |
| ছ | sô | chô | chô | – | so | so | - |
| ? | – | – | – | – | – | - | cha |
| জ | zô | jô | jô | jô | zo | jo | ja |
| ঝ | zhô | jhô | jhô | jhô | zo | jho | - |
| ? | – | – | – | – | – | – | jha |
| ঞ | niô | nô | nô | – | – | – | nia |
| ট | tô | ţô | ţô | – | to | – | – |
| ? | – | – | – | – | – | – | ţa |
| ঠ | thô | ţhô | ţhô | – | to | – | ţha |
| ড | dô | đô | đô | – | do | - | da |
| ড় | rô | ŗô | ŗô | – | ŗo | – | – |
| ঢ | dhô | đhô | đhô | – | do | - | da |
| ঢ় | rhô | ŗhô | ŗhô | – | ro | – | – |
| ণ | nô | nô | nô | – | no | - | - |
| ত | tô | tô | tô | tô | ṭo | to | ta |
| থ | thô | thô | thô | thô | ṭo | tho | tha |
| দ | dô | dô | dô | dô | ḍo | do | da |
| ধ | dhô | dhô | dhô | dhô | ḍo | dho | dha |
| ন | nô | nô | nô | nô | no | no | na |
| প | pô | pô | pô | pô | fo | po | pa |
| ফ | fô | phô | fô | fô | fo | fo | - |
| ? | – | – | – | – | – | – | pha |
| ব | bô | bô | bô | bô | bo | bo | ra |
| ভ | bhô | bhô | bhô | bhô | bo | bho | bha |
| ম | mô | mô | mô | mô | mo | mo | ma |
| য | zô | jô | jô | – | zo | - | ya |
| য় | yô | yô | yô | yô | – | yo | – |
| র | - | rô | rô | rô | ro | wõ | va |
| ৰ | rô | – | – | ro | ro | ra | |
| ল | lô | lô | lô | lô | lo | – | – |
| ? | – | – | – | – | – | – | la |
| ৱ | wô | – | wô | wô | o | wo | – |
| শ | xô | şô | şô | – | – | - | sha |
| ষ | xô | şşô | şşô | – | – | - | ssha |
| স | xô | şô | sô | sô | şo | - | sa |
| হ | hô | hô | hô | hô | ho | ho | - |
| ? | – | – | – | – | – | - | ha |
Digits
| Western Arabic numerals | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 |
| Bengali numerals | ০ | ১ | ২ | ৩ | ৪ | ৫ | ৬ | ৭ | ৮ | ৯ |
| Assamese names | xuinno | ek | dui | tini | sari | pãs | soy | xat | ath | no |
| Assamese names | শূন্য | এক | দুই | তিনি | চাৰি | পাঁচ | ছয় | সাত | আঠ | ন |
| Bengali names | shunnô | æk | dui | tin | char | pãch | chhôy | shat | aţ | nôy |
| Bengali names | শূন্য | এক | দুই | তিন | চার | পাঁচ | ছয় | সাত | আট | নয় |
| Meitei names | shunya | ama | ani | ahum | mari | manga | taruk | taret | nipa꞉n | ma꞉pan |
| Meitei names | শুন্য | অমা | অনি | অহুম | মরি | মঙা | তরূক | তরেৎ | নীপান | মাপন |
| Sylheti names | shuinno | ex | dui | tin | sair | fas | soe | shat/hat | aŧ | noe |
| Sylheti names | শুইন্য় | এখ | দুই | তিন | ছাইর | ফাছ | ছয় | সাত/হাত | আট | নয় |
| Maithili names | shūnya | ek | du | tīn | chari | pãch | chhau | sat | aţh | nau |
| Maithili names | শূন্য | এক | দু | তীন | চাৰি | পাঁচ | ছৌ | সাত | আঠ | নৌ |
Unicodes
There are two Unicode blocks for Bengali–Assamese script, called Bengali and Tirhuta. The Bengali block is U+0980–U+09FF:The Tirhuta block is
U+11480–U+114DF: