Bengali language: Difference between revisions

One kind of inconsistency is due to the presence of several letters in the script for the same sound. In spite of some modifications in the 19th century, the Bengali spelling system continues to be based on the one used for Sanskrit,<ref name="huq_sarkar" /> and thus does not take into account some sound mergers that have occurred in the spoken language. For example, there are three letters ({{lang|bn|শ}}, {{lang|bn|ষ}}, and {{lang|bn|স}}) for the [[voiceless postalveolar fricative]] {{IPA|[ʃ]}}, although the letter {{lang|bn|স}} retains the [[voiceless alveolar sibilant]] {{IPA|[s]}} sound when used in certain consonant conjuncts as in {{lang|bn|স্খলন}} {{IPA|[skʰɔlon]}} "fall", {{lang|bn|স্পন্দন}} {{IPA|[spɔndon]}} "beat", etc. The letter {{lang|bn|ষ}} also retains the [[voiceless retroflex sibilant]] {{IPA|[ʂ]}} sound when used in certain consonant conjuncts as in {{lang|bn|কষ্ট}} {{IPA|[kɔʂʈɔ]}} "suffering", {{lang|bn|গোষ্ঠী}} {{IPA|[ɡoʂʈʰi]}} "clan", etc. Similarly, there are two letters ({{lang|bn|জ}} and {{lang|bn|য}}) for the [[voiced postalveolar affricate]] {{IPA|[dʒ]}}. Moreover, what was once pronounced and written as a retroflex nasal {{lang|bn|ণ}} {{IPA|[ɳ]}} is now pronounced as an alveolar {{IPA|[n]}} when in conversation (the difference is heard when reading) (unless conjoined with another [[retroflex consonant]] such as {{lang|bn|ট}}, {{lang|bn|ঠ}}, {{lang|bn|ড}} and {{lang|bn|ঢ}}), although the spelling does not reflect this change. The [[open-mid front unrounded vowel]] {{IPA|[ɛ]}} is orthographically realised by multiple means, as seen in the following examples: {{lang|bn|এত}} {{IPA|[ɛto]}} "so much", {{lang|bn|এ্যাকাডেমী}} {{IPA|[ɛkademi]}} "academy", {{lang|bn|অ্যামিবা}} {{IPA|[ɛmiba]}} "amoeba", {{lang|bn|দেখা}} {{IPA|[dɛkʰa]}} "to see", {{lang|bn|ব্যস্ত}} {{IPA|[bɛsto]}} "busy", {{lang|bn|ব্যাকরণ}} {{IPA|[bɛkorɔn]}} "grammar".