Rangpuri language

Rangpuri is an Indic language spoken by ten million Rajbongshi people in Bangladesh, five million in India, and 130,000 Rajbanshi and Tajpuria in Nepal. Many are bilingual in either Bengali or Assamese. There is a strong language movement in West Bengal.

Names

Rangpuri goes by numerous names. In Bangladesh, these include Rangpuri, Bahe Bangla, Ancholit Bangla, Kamta, Polia. In India, there is Kamtapuri, Dutta, Rajbangsi, Rajbansi, Rajbanshi, Rajbongshi, Goalparia, Koch Rajbanshi. Another name of the language is Tajpuri. In Assam it is known as Kochrajbongshi.

Dialects

The main dialects are Western Rajbanshi, Central Rajbanshi, Eastern Rajbanshi and Hill Rajbanshi (also known as Koch language).

The Central dialect has the majority of speakers and is quite uniform. There are publications in this language. The Western dialect has more diversity. Lexical similarity is 77 to 89% between the three dialects. The version spoken in the hills has some influence of the local tribal languages and differs quite a bit from the other three. Rajbonshi shares 48 to 55% of its vocabulary with Bengali, and 43 to 49% with Maithili and Nepali.

References

External links

• A complete reference grammar of the Rajbanshi language
• Ethnologue Report on Rangpuri
• Ethnologue Report on Rajbanshi

Languages of Bangladesh National and Official Bengali Indo-European Assamese Bengali Bihari Bishnupriya Chakma Chittagonian English Pali Rangpuri Rohingya Sadri Sylheti Hajong Sino-Tibetan Shö A'Tong Bawm Sak Kukish Falam Garo Haka Khumi Koch Kokborok Megam Meitei Manipuri Mizo Mru Pangkhu Rakhine Marma Riang Tanchangya Tippera Usoi Austroasiatic Khasi Koda Mundari Pnar Santali War-Jaintia Dravidian Kurukh Sauria Paharia Afro-Asiatic Arabic