It happens.. An IIT professor was on official visit to my Uni. I asked him for general guidance and pulled my id card (hanging around my neck with strip), saw my name, left it like a pendulum, and turned away his face.
Was the gentleman by any chance wearing Khakhi shorts? I mean not the designer shorts with front pockets, but the ultra-short ones with the flared ends. Let me guess his shirt. Was it a dirty white, with half sleeves. I can certainly tell you what his cap was like. A Gandhi cap, painted black. Brown shoes, dirty white socks. Now, don't ask me how I know this?
Please note I was not talking about syllables of Bengali language, but was talking about when the essay or prose form of literature was started to be written. Syllables were there because the Poems/Poetries were being composed since many centuries ago.
A language is not all syllables and for the development and composition of this language we will have also to visit the Arakan Royal Court where Poragol Khan and Chuti Khan contributed enormously. When Persian was the Official language in Bengal Royal Court, it was Bengali that was the Official language in Arakan. Someone can correct me if I am wrong.
Interesting ! Enjoy reading your posts.
Never knew Bengali was the official language of the Arakan. Would that be modern day Rakhine? So do the Rohingyas speak a dialect of Bengali?
How would you explain the influence of Persian, or non-Sanskrit words in certain Bengali dialects. Example In Sylheti, the use of the word " paani " ( water ) instead of "Jol". Then the word "aboha" ( corruption of the word
aab-o-
hava ) for climate.
A question that has often puzzled me but no one could tell me.
How would you explain the once presence of pidgin Urdu speakers in old Dhaka ( Nawabpur, Sakharipatti, etc.) . Years back when strolling through those bylanes I could roughly understand what the people were talking. Where did this population come from?
Another point. Will be very sensitive asking this question and please decline to answer if inappropriate ( my apologies in advance).
I noticed the tiny Shia community in Dhaka were bi-lingual. They spoke fluent Bangla in public, but while attending a wedding dinner I was pleasantly surprised to see this Shia community remarkably fluent in Urdu also. They were so fluent with near perfect accents, that I felt I was back in Karachi. What is the reason for the Shia community being bi-lingual? Again ignore this question if inappropriate.
Am going through your earlier posts and may have more questions.
