There are various languages spoken all over the world; our country is an example in itself. It is a home of diverse languages, every state has a language of its own, and those languages have different ways or dialects of speaking it.
Every language is evolved from some form of an older script. Indo-Aryan family and Dravidian family are the two major families in which all our Indian languages can be divided into. Hindi and Bengali are two such examples of various languages spoken in India.
Hindi vs Bengali
Hindi is the most widely spoken language in India based on the 22 scheduled languages, whereas Bengali is the second most spoken language after Hindi, based on the 22 scheduled languages. Hindi as a word is used to describe a language and is widely spoken in the northern, central, and few western states, whereas Bengali as a word is used to describe a language, culture, or people and is widely spoken in the west, Bengal, Assam and even Bangladesh.
Hindi is the most spoken (primary) language native to India. It is an Indo-Aryan language written in Devanagari script. It was developed or influenced by an ancient language of India, Sanskrit.
Bengali is the second most spoken language in India, after Hindi. It is an Indo- Aryan language. It is also known as Bangla and is the national language of Bangladesh. It is part of the 22 scheduled languages of India.
Comparison Table
| Parameters of Comparison | Hindi | Bengali |
|---|---|---|
| What is it | Based on the 22 scheduled languages of India, Hindi is the widely (primary) spoken language in India. | Based on the 22 scheduled languages of India, Bengali is the second most widely spoken language. |
| Widely Spoken In | Hindi belt region – Bihar, MP, UP, Rajasthan, etc | Bengal, Assam, Bangladesh, etc |
| Script | Devanagari script | Brahmi script |
| Early Forms | Sauraseni, apabhrama, old Hindi, etc | Magadhi Prakrit, old Bengali, etc |
| Used To Describe | A language | A language, culture, food, people, etc., from the Bengal region. |
| Dialects | Braj bhasha, Khari Boli, Haryanvi, etc | Chittagonian, manbhumi, rarhi, etc |
What is Hindi?
Hindi is a language spoken in India. It belongs to the Indo-Aryan family and is written in the Devanagari script (that contains 11 vowels and 33 consonants, written from left to right).
Hindi as a word is derived from a classical Persian word ‘Hendi’ (pronunciation) which means belonging to hind/ India. Awadhi, Maithil, etc., were replaced by the dialect of Delhi (Khari Boli), which is the basis of the modern standard Hindi.
There are various dialects in this language. The words in Hindi are divided into 5 principal categories – Tatsam, ardhatatsam, tadbhav, deshaj, and videshi.
Hindi is used while speaking, writing in many places. It is taught in schools and colleges as the first and second language (as per choice).
What is Bengali?
Bengali is also known as Bangla (internal name), is a language that is spoken by people in India and Bangladesh. It is an Indo-Aryan language; it is common or the bridge language of the Bengal region and known as the national language of Bangladesh.
The Bengali literature has been developed and evolved since the Bengali Renaissance. The Bengali language movement (in east Bengal, now Bangladesh) was very famous in those days.
There are two types of forms in written Bengali –
- Cholitobhasha – known as the colloquial form ( idioms and short verbs)
- Sadhubhasha – a form of Bengali which is sankritised (with tatsama vocabulary)
Jana Gana Mana (India’s national anthem) and Amar Sonar Bangla (national anthem of Bangladesh) are both written in Bengali by Rabindranath Tagore. Bengali is a cursive script that is derived from Brahmi script; it is an abugida type of segmental writing system.
Bengali as a word is also used to describe the culture, people, and food, etc., of Bengal, for example – Bengali sweets, Bengalis (people), etc.
Main Differences Between Hindi and Bengali
- The dialects of Hindi are Braj bhasha, Khari Boli, Haryanvi, etc., whereas the dialects of Bengali are Chittagonian, manbhumi, rarhi, etc.
- Early forms of Hindi are Sauraseni, apabhrama, old Hindi, whereas the early forms of Bengali are Magadhi Prakrit, old Bengali, etc.
References
- https://books.google.co.in/books?hl=en&lr=&id=2z8OAwAAQBAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PR3&dq=hindi&ots=1I2NbsCCki&sig=PDWMEXkhkMGDA-rbZR28nJNHVi8
- https://ir.nbu.ac.in/bitstream/123456789/2082/1/19762.pdf
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