Sylheti language

Sylheti
ছিলটী Silôṭi
Native to	Bangladesh (Sylhet Division) and India (Barak Valley and Tripura)
Native speakers	11 million (2007)
Language family	Indo-European Indo-Iranian Indo-Aryan Eastern Bengali–Assamese Sylheti
Writing system	Bengali alphabet (present) Sylheti Nagari (ancient)
Language codes
ISO 639-3	syl
Glottolog	sylh1242
Linguasphere	59-AAF-ui

Sylheti or Syloti (সিলেটী Sileṭi or ছিলটী Silôṭi) is an Eastern Indo-Aryan language variety, primarily spoken in the Sylhet Division of Bangladesh and the Barak Valley region of southern Assam. It was originally a form of Hindustani vernacular, but over the years it gravitated towards standard Bengali to be considered as a dialect of the Bengali language. Despite incomplete mutual intelligibility, it shares a high proportion of vocabulary with Standard Bengali: Chalmers (1996) reports at least 80% overlap.

Name of the language

Sylheti is the common English spelling of the language name after the accepted British spelling of the Sylhet District, while the usual transliteration of the Standard Bengali spelling of the name is Silheti.

History

SAMPLE TEXT:
Front page of a Nagari book titled "Halat-un-Nabi", written in the mid-19th century by Sadeq Ali of Sylhet

In ancient literature, Sylhet was referred as Shilahat and Shilahatta. and the people of Shilahat spoke a language very similar to the language of Kanauj, Uttar Pradesh, India, which was known as Hindustani in India and Devanagari in Shilahat and it was written in Devanagari alphabet. In the 19th century, the British tea-planters in the area referred to the vernacular spoken in Surma and Barak Valleys as Sylheti language. In Assam, the language is still referred to as Sylheti.

During the British colonial period, an alphabet was created in 1860s by a Sylheti student by the name of Abdul Karim studying in London, United Kingdom. Karim, after completing his education, spent several years in London and learnt the printing trade. After returning home, he reduced the number of Devanagari letters in the alphabet and created a new alphabet for the Sylheti language, which later came to be known as Sylhetinagari. Karim designed a woodblock type for Sylhetinagari and founded the Islamia Press in Sylhet Town in about 1870. Other Sylheti presses were established in Sunamganj, Shillong and Kolkata. These presses fell out of use during the early 1970s. Since then the Sylotinagri alphabet has been used mainly by linguists and academics.

The Sylhetiagari script gradually became very unpopular. The script includes 5 independent vowels, 5 dependent vowels attached to a consonant letter and 27 consonants. The Sylheti abugida differs from the Bengali alphabet as it is a form of Kaithi, a script that belongs to the main group of North Indian scripts of Bihar. The writing system's main use was to record religious poetry, described as a rich language and easy to learn.

Campaigns started to rise in London during the mid-1970s to mid-1980s to recognise Sylheti as a language on its own right. During the mid-1970s, when the first mother-tongue classes were established for Bangladeshis by community activists, the classes were given in standard Bengali rather than the Sylheti dialect which triggered the campaign. During the 1980s, a recognition campaign for Sylheti took place in the area of Spitalfields, East End of London. One of the main organisations was the Bangladeshis' Educational Needs in Tower Hamlets (usually known by its acronym as BENTH). However this organisation collapsed in 1985 and with its demise the pro-Sylheti campaign in the borough lost impetus. Nonetheless, Sylheti remains very widespread as a domestic language in working class Sylheti households in the United Kingdom. Middle-class Sylheti families are adopting standard Bengali as their 'home' language.

Sylheti variation from Standard Bengali

Vocabulary look

A phrase in:

• Syloti: এক দেশর গালি আরক দেশর বুলি êx deshôr gali arôx deshôr buli
• Standard Bengali: এক দেশের গালি আরেক দেশের বুলি êk desher gali arek desher buli

which means "a phrase in one language mislead a phrase to another language". For example:

মেঘ megh in Standard Bengali means cloud

• মেঘ megh in Syloti means rain and cloud
• In Pali মেঘ megh means both rain and cloud.
• In Syloti cloud is called বাদল haz or আছমানী হাজ ashmani haz (decor of the sky).
• In Standard Bengali বাদল badôl and বৃষ্টি brishti means Rain.

নাড়া naṛa in Standard Bengali means to stir or to move

In Sylheti, *নাড়া naṛa is pronounced as 'লাড়া' laṛa

Grammar look

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights:

• In Syloti:
  সকল মানষর জন্ম হয় আজাদ আর ইজ্জত ও অধিকার লইয়া। তারার হুশ আর জ্ঞাণ-বুদ্ধি তাকার দায় যানু একজন আরকজনর লগে রুহানি ভাইট্টা ব্যবহার তাকে।
  • Transliteration Xôkhôl mainshôr zônmô ħoe azad ar izzôt o ôdikhar lôia. Tarar hush ar ggan-buddhi taxar dae zanu êxzôn arôxzônôr lôge ruhani bhaitta bêbôhar taxe.

• In Standard Bengali:
  সমস্ত মানুষ স্বাধীনভাবে সমান মর্যাদা এবং অধিকার নিয়ে জন্মগ্রহণ করে। তাঁদের বিবেক এবং বুদ্ধি আছে; সুতরাং সকলেরই একে অপরের প্রতি ভ্রাতৃত্বসুলভ মনোভাব নিয়ে আচরণ করা উচিৎ।
  • Transliteration Sômôstô manush sbadhinbhabe sôman môrzada ebông ôdhikar niye jônmôgrôhôn kôre. Tãder bibek ebông buddhi achhe; sutôrang sôkôleri êke ôpôrer prôti bhratritbôsulôbh mônobhab niye achôrôn kôra uchit.

Below are the grammar similarities and differences look in a word to word comparison:

• Syloti word-to-word gloss:
  All humans' born are free and dignity plus rights with. Their conscious and judgement-intelligence have obligation ensure one another's with spiritual brotherhood conduct stay.
• Bengali word-to-word gloss:
  All human free-manner-in equal dignity and right taken birth-take do. Their reason and intelligence exist; therefore everyone-indeed one another's towards brotherhood-ly attitude taken conduct do should.

Phonology

Sylheti is distinguished by a wide range of fricative consonants corresponding to aspirated consonants in closely related languages and dialects such as Bengali; a lack of the breathy voiced stops; word-final stress; and a relatively large set of loanwords from Arabic, Persian and Assamese. Syloti has affected the course of Standard Bengali in the rest of the state.

A notable characteristic of spoken Sylheti is the correspondence of the /ʜ/ (from hereby transliterated as x), pronounced as an Voiceless epiglottal fricative to the [ʃ], or "sh", of Bengali, e.g.

Standard Bengali	Sylheti	Transliteration	Meaning in English
চরণ স্পর্শ Côrôṇ spôrshô	কদম বুচি Kôdôm buci	Kodom busi	Touch the feet (A welcome/farewell ritual)
ঢাকা Dhākā	ঢাকা Dhāxā	Ḍakha	Dhaka
এক লোক Ēk lōk	এক আদম Ēx adom	Ēkh adom	A person
Ek jon	Ex zon	Ekh zon	Someone
Ek Puruṣh	Ex mord	Ekh mord	A man
Kiser: kīser	Xixor	Kior	Informal of Whereof
Konya; meye	Xonia; Zi	Khonia; Zi	Daughter
Manob Jati	Manshor zat	Manshor zat	Human-kind
Oshomīya	Axomia	Ahomia	People of Assam (Assamese)
Onguli; ongul	Anguil	Anguil	Finger; toe
Onguri	Anguti; angti	Angti	Finger-ring
Ognipokko	Agunfura	Agunfura	Baked; grilled
Oshidharī	Axaidri	Ahaidri	Swordsman
Osur; Osuro	Axura; Xurain	Ahura; Hurain	People of Assyria (Assyrian)
Pakira	Phaikia	Faikia	Plural of bird; All kinds of Bird species
Paki	Phaxi	Faki	A (singular) bird
Prīti	Phriti	Firiti	Love
Por	Phore; bade	Fore; bade	Later
Sokol; somosto	Xokhol	Hokhol	All
Sara (kon)	Xara (buil)	Hara (buil)	Every (time)
Shāto Beel	Xat Bila	Hat Bila	Seven wetlands
Shāt Kora	Xat Khora	Hat Khora	Citrus macroptera fruit
Shāt bar	Xat-bar	Hat-bar	Seven-times (Sylheti term for lots of time)
Sileṭī (স)	Ciloṭia (ছ)	Siloṭia	People of Sylhet
Su bhagyo	Allahr Hāola	Allaar Aaola	Good luck (Sylheti: God's Authority)
Shu tripti; bhalo ruchi	Taza bhux; Bhalaṭike xawka	Taza bhukh; Bhalaṭike khawka	Bon appétit
Strī	Bow	Bow	Wife
Shamī	Zamai; beṭa	Zamai; beṭa	Husband
Shoshur	Xoxur	Hôūr	Father-in-law
Shashuṛī	Xoṛi	Hoṛi	Mother-in-law
Shala	Xala	Hala	Brother-in-law
Shalī	Xali	Hali	Sister-in-law
Shikśa kora	Xixia newa	Hikia newa	Learn
Shoriṣha	Xoirox	Hoiroh	Mustard
Shīẏal	Xial	Hial	Jackal
Shuṭki	Xuṭki; xukṭi	Huṭki: hukṭi	Sundried Fish
Apnar nam ki?	Afnar nam kita?	Afnar nam Kita?	What's your name?
Daktar asar purbe rugi mara gelo	Daxtor awar ageu bemari mara zain	Dakhtor awar ageu bemari mara zain	Before the doctor came, the patient had died
Bohu din dekhi ni	Oto buile na dexlam	Oto buile na dekhlam	Long time no see
Bhalo Achhen?	Bala acoen ni?	Bala asoin ni?	How are you?
Mangsher torokariṭa ami onek bhalopeyechi	Ami ghustor salon bhalafaici	Ami gustor salon balafaisi	I loved the meat curry
Mangsher torokariṭa amar bhalō legeche	Ghustor salonṭa amar bhala lagce	Gustor salonṭa amar bala lagse	I liked the meat curry
Shilchor kon dike pore?	Xilcor xun baidi phorce?	Hilsor khun baidi forse?	Which way to Silchar?
Shōwchagar kōthay?	Xocailoe ba leftin xun xano?	Hosailoe ba liftin khun khano?	Where is the toilet?
Eiṭa ki?	Oxṭa xita?	Okhṭa kita?	What is this?
Oṭa ki?	Outa xita?	Outa kita?	What is that?
Shēshē	Xēshē	Hēshē	End

External links

Sylheti phrasebook travel guide from Wikivoyage

• UK-Based Group that collects and republishes Sylheti literature