A Grammar of the Bengal LanguageThe language of Bangladesh, West Bengal and parts of Tripura and Assam, Bengali is an Indo-Aryan language originating from Sanskrit. With over 230 million speakers, it is the sixth most spoken language in the world today. Published in 1778, this was one of the first grammars of Bengali ever compiled. The English orientalist Nathaniel Brassey Halhed (1751-1830) prepared the work during his employment with the East India Company, in order to facilitate communication between his colleagues and the weaving districts of Bengal. It provides detailed and descriptive accounts of all aspects of the language, from its alphabet to its systems of agreement, case and tense, as well as its numerals, verbs and word order. The work was considered to be groundbreaking because Halhed made the first steps towards identifying the Indo-European language family, making it of lasting relevance to language typologists today. |
Contents
Of the Elements l | 1 |
CHAP II | 85 |
Of Nouns _ 46 | 107 |
Of Numbers _ _ | 159 |
Of Syntax | 177 |
Of Orthocpy and Verfification | 190 |
APPENDIX | 207 |
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Common terms and phrases
aanaas almoſt alſo anſwering applied becauſe Beedyaa Bengal Bengal language Bengaleſe cauſe claſs compoſed Compoſition confined conſequently conſidered conſonant conſtantly conſtruction correſpondent dialect different diſcourſe diſtinct diſtinguiſhed Engliſh expreſs feminine fifth fifty figure final find fire firſt five gerund gondaas Greek himſelf Hindoſtanic houſe idiom infinitive inflexions inſerted inſtance kaachaa laſt leſs letter maſculine meaſure moſt muſt naſal neceſſary noiſe noun oblique caſe obſerved occaſionally paakaa paffive participle Particles paſt tenſe Perſian perſon plural prefixed preſent tenſe preterite pronounced Raajaa reaſon reflective reſemblance reſpect rupee ſaid ſame ſay ſecond ſee ſeems ſeize ſenſe ſentence ſeparate ſeries ſerves ſet ſeven ſeventy ſeveral ſhall Shanſcrit ſhort vowel ſhould ſign ſimple ſingle ſingular Somdott ſome ſometimes ſon ſound ſpecies ſtands ſtate ſtill ſtroke ſubject ſubjoined ſubſtantive ſuch ſupplied ſuppoſed ſyllable ſyſtem termination theſe thoſe thou Thouſand univerſally uſage uſed uſually verb verſe Wffi whoſe word