North Central Bengali dialect

Varendri
bôrendri
বরেন্দ্রী
Native to	Bangladesh, India
Region	Rajshahi, Malda
Language family	Indo-European Indo Iranian Indo Aryan Eastern Zone Bengali-Assamese Bengali Varendri
Dialects	Bangladeshi variation Indian variation
Writing system	Bengali alphabet
Language codes
ISO 639-3	–
Glottolog	rajs1238  Rajshahi

North Central Bengali or Varendrī (বরেন্দ্রী) is a dialect of the Bengali language, spoken in the Varendra region (primarily consisting of the Rajshahi Division in Bangladesh and the Malda division in India). Varendri was classified by two Indian linguists; Suniti Kumar Chatterji and Sukumar Sen. It is also spoken in adjoining villages in neighbouring Bihar. Varendri is tonal, and its vocabulary and phonology have a great deal of influence from Maithili and other Bihari languages.

Comparison

Varendri is a dialect belonging to North Bengal. The standardised register of Bengali was chosen to be the dialect spoken in Nadia (West-Central Bengal). Examples:

• English: A man had two sons.
  • Standard Bengali: একজন লোকের দুটি ছেলে ছিলো (ækjon loker duţi chhele chhilo)

Dinajpur: æk zôn mansher duikhona bæt̹a/sawal asilo (P)

Sirajganj : æk zon mainsher duido bæt̹a sol asilo. (P)

Pabna (Women's dialect): æk zôn mansher duid̹a bæt̹a/sawal asilo. (P)

Bogra: æk zon mansher duikona bæt̹a/sol~sawal asilo. (P)

Malda: æk jhon manuser duiţa bæţa/chhawal achhilô. (P)

Rangpur: æk zon mansher duikna/duikhona bæţa/sawal asilo. (P)

Rajshahi: æk zon mansher duid̹a bæt̹a/sawal asilo. (P)

East Purnia (Siripuria): æk jhonar dui chhawal chhil . (P)

• English: (First person) will eat
  • Standard Bengali: খাবো (khabo)
  • Varendri: খাইমোঁ (khaimõ); খামোঁ (khamõ); খাইম (khaim)
• English: Money
  • Standard Bengali: টাকা (taka)
  • Varendri: টেকা (tæka)

In popular culture

Gambhira, a bengali folk genre is originally evolved with this dialect. This dialect is famous in many Bengali dramas. A web series by Chorki named Shaaticup is created in this dialect.