Bengali language: Difference between revisions

Since the Bengali script is an abugida, its consonant graphemes usually do not represent phonetic [[Segment (linguistics)|segments]], but carry an "inherent" vowel and thus are [[Syllable|syllabic]] in nature. The inherent vowel is usually a back vowel, either {{IPA|[ɔ]}} as in {{lang|bn|মত}} {{IPA|[m'''ɔ'''t]}} "opinion" or {{IPA|[o]}}, as in {{lang|bn|মন}} {{IPA|[m'''o'''n]}} "mind", with variants like the more open {{IPA|[ɒ]}}. To emphatically represent a consonant sound without any inherent vowel attached to it, a special diacritic, called the ''[[virama|hôsôntô]]'' {{lang|bn|(্)}}, may be added below the basic consonant grapheme (as in {{lang|bn|ম্}} {{IPA|[m]}}). This diacritic, however, is not common, and is chiefly employed as a guide to pronunciation. The abugida nature of Bengali consonant graphemes is not consistent, however. Often, syllable-final consonant graphemes, though not marked by a ''hôsôntô'', may carry no inherent vowel sound (as in the final {{lang|bn|ন}} in {{lang|bn|মন}} {{IPA|[m'''o'''n]}} or the medial {{lang|bn|ম}} in {{lang|bn|গামলা}} {{IPA|[ɡamla]}}).

==Phonology==