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Consonant clusters in Bengali are very common word-initially and elsewhere due to a long history of borrowing from Sanskrit, a language with a large cluster inventory. A substantial number of non-initial clusters have also been borrowed from Persian. Some words borrowed from European languages also have the same features as those from the former two. A handful of words from non-standard dialects of Bengali include native clusters.
Native Bengali (তদ্ভব tôdbhôbo) words do not contain initial consonant clusters;[1] the maximum syllabic structure is CVC (i.e. one vowel flanked by a consonant on each side). Many speakers of Bengali restrict their phonology to this pattern, even when using Sanskrit or English borrowings, such as গেরাম geram (CV.CVC) for গ্রাম gram (CCVC) "village" or ইস্কুল iskul (VC.CVC) for স্কুল skul (CCVC) "school".
Sanskrit (তৎসম tôtshômo) words borrowed into Bengali, however, possess a wide range of clusters, expanding the maximum syllable structure to CCCVC. Some of these clusters, such as the mr in মৃত্যু mrittu "death" or the sp in স্পষ্ট spôshṭo "clear", have become extremely common, and can be considered legal consonant clusters in Bengali.
English and other foreign (বিদেশী bideshi) borrowings add even more cluster types into the Bengali inventory, further increasing the syllable capacity to CCCVCCCC,[citation needed] as commonly used loanwords such as ট্রেন ṭren "train" and গ্লাস glash "glass" are now even included in leading Bengali dictionaries.
| Cluster | Source language(s) | Example(s) in orthography | Example(s) in transliteration | Translation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| kr | Sanskrit English | কৃমি ক্রিকেট | krimi krikeṭ | worm cricket (sport) |
| kl | Sanskrit English | ক্লান্তি ক্লাস | klanti klash | fatigue class |
| khr | Greek (via English) | খ্রিস্টান | khrishṭan | Christian |
| gr | Sanskrit English | গ্রাম গ্রিক | gram grik | village Greek |
| gl | Sanskrit English | গ্লানি গ্লাস | glani glash | sorrow glass |
| ṭr | English | ট্রেন | ṭren | train |
| ḍr | English | ড্রাইভার | ḍraibhar | driver |
| tr | Sanskrit | ত্রিশ | trish | thirty |
| thr | English | থ্রু | thru | through |
| dr | Sanskrit | দৃশ্য | drishsho | view |
| dhr | Sanskrit | ধ্রুবতারা | dhrubotara | North star |
| nr | Sanskrit | নৃতত্ত্ব | nritôtto | anthropology |
| pr | Sanskrit English | প্রশ্ন প্রেশার | proshno preshar | question pressure |
| pl | Sanskrit English | প্লাবন প্লেন | plabon plen | flood plane |
| fr | English | ফ্রান্স | frans | France |
| fl | English | ফ্লাইট | flaiṭ | flight |
| br | Sanskrit English | বৃষ্টি ব্রাশ | brishṭi brash | rain brush |
| bl | English | ব্লাউজ | blauj | blouse |
| bhr | Sanskrit | ভ্রু | bhru | brow |
| mr | Sanskrit | মৃত্যু | mrittu | death |
| ml | Sanskrit | ম্লান | mlan | melancholy |
| sk | Sanskrit English | স্কন্ধ স্কুল | skôndho skul | shoulder school |
| skr | English | স্ক্রু | skru | screw |
| skh | Sanskrit | স্খলন | skhôlon | slip |
| sṭ | English | স্টেশন | sṭeshon | station |
| sṭr | English | স্ট্রেট | sṭreṭ | straight |
| st | Sanskrit | স্তম্ভ | stômbho | tower |
| str | Sanskrit | স্ত্রী | stri | Wife |
| sth | Sanskrit | স্থানীয় | sthanio | local |
| sn | Sanskrit English | স্নান স্নো | snan sno | bath snow |
| sp | Sanskrit English | স্পষ্ট স্পেশাল | spôshṭo speshal | clear special |
| spr | Sanskrit English | স্পৃহা স্প্রিং | spriha spring | desire spring (coil) |
| sf | Sanskrit | স্ফূর্তি | sfurti | delight |
| sm | English | স্মার্ট | smarṭ | smart (good-looking) |
| sr | Sanskrit | শ্রমিক | sromik | laborer |
| sl | Sanskrit English | শ্লীলতা স্লোগান | slilota slogan | (protest) chant (<slogan) |
| hr | Sanskrit | হৃদয় | hridôe | heart |
| hl | Sanskrit | হ্লাদিনী | hladini |
Final consonant clusters are rare in Bengali.[2] Most final consonant clusters were borrowed into Bengali from English, as in লিফ্ট lifṭ "lift, elevator" and ব্যাংক bêngk "bank". However, final clusters do exist in some native Bengali words, although rarely in standard pronunciation. One example of a final cluster in a standard Bengali word would be গঞ্জ gônj, which is found in names of hundreds of cities and towns across Bengal, including নবাবগঞ্জ Nôbabgônj and মানিকগঞ্জ Manikgônj. Some nonstandard varieties of Bengali make use of final clusters quite often. For example, in some Purbo (eastern) dialects, final consonant clusters consisting of a nasal and its corresponding oral stop are common, as in চান্দ chand "moon". The Standard Bengali equivalent of chand would be চাঁদ chãd, with a nasalized vowel instead of the final cluster.
| Cluster | Source language(s) | Example(s) in orthography | Example(s) in transliteration | Translation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| kṭ | English | |||
| kt | Persian | ওয়াক্ত | oakt | Muslim prayer time |
| kf | Persian | ওয়াক্ফ | oakf | waqf |
| ksh | Persian | |||
| ks | English | ট্যাক্স | ṭêks | tax |
| ngk | English | ব্যাংক | bêngk | bank |
| nch | English | লঞ্চ | lônch | steamboat (<launch) |
| nj | dialectal | গঞ্জ | gônj | marketplace |
| nṭ | English | প্যান্ট | pênṭ | pants |
| nḍ | English | পাউন্ড | paunḍ | pound |
| nd | dialectal | চান্দ | chand | moon |
| ndh | dialectal | কান্ধ | kandh | shoulder |
| ns | Persian English | চান্স | chans | chance |
| fṭ | English | লিফ্ট | lifṭ | elevator/lift |
| fs | Persian | নাফ্স | nafs | self |
| mp | English | ল্যাম্প | lêmp | lamp |
| rk | Persian English | পার্ক | park | park |
| rch | English | টর্চ | ṭôrch | torch |
| rj | English | লাঠি-চার্জ | laṭhi-charj | baton-charge |
| rṭ | English | শার্ট | sharṭ | shirt |
| rḍ | English | বোর্ড | borḍ | (administrative) board |
| rth | English | |||
| rd | Persian | ফর্দ | fôrd | inventory sheet |
| rn | English | হর্ন | hôrn | (car) horn |
| rp | English | শার্প | sharp | sharp |
| rb | English | |||
| rbh | English | নার্ভ | narbh/narv | nerve |
| rm | English | ফর্ম | fôrm | form |
| rl | English | কার্ল | karl | curl |
| rs | English | নার্স | nars | nurse |
| rsṭ | English | ফার্স্ট | farsṭ | first |
| rsh | Persian | |||
| lṭ | English | বেল্ট | belṭ | belt |
| sk | English | রিস্ক | risk | risk |
| sṭ | English | লাস্ট | lasṭ | last |
| st | Persian | দোস্ত | dost | friend |
| sht | Persian | গোশ্ত | gosht | meat |
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