Talk:Sylheti language

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Archive 1

March 2022

Sylheti is considered by the vast majority of its speakers as well as non-Sylheti Bangladeshis and most linguists as a dialect of Bengali, not its own language. It is not a codified language but a spoken regional dialect. Therefore, the title of the page being "Sylheti Language" is greatly misleading. I understand there are claims of it being a language online, but it is a very minority view even among us Sylhetis, who almost without any disagreement consider it a dialect. CorrectionalFacility101 (talk) 08:36, 17 March 2022 (UTC)[reply]

@CorrectionalFacility101: The present version of the article is properly sourced and had undergone substantial discussion in the talk page. Both the considerarions, separate language and a dialect, are covered in the article. I'd suggest you bring scholarly sources that are more recent than the ones already used in the article. Then we can discuss it further. - Fylindfotberserk (talk) 09:58, 17 March 2022 (UTC)[reply]

Languages and dialects in south asia form a continuoum. Neighboring regions are not as clear cut distinct fron each other in language as european countries are. Hence the status of languages there as being dialect or lamguage is determined based on the cultural affinity of the people who speak it. In the case of Sylhetis, they are and all identify as Bengali and consider Sylheti a a dialect of Bengali. This is not only the case for Bangladeshi Sylhetis but even Indian Sylhetis. So the title should be altered to Sylheti dialect.

Secondly, the claim of Sylheti nagri being the script of Sylheti is incorrect. It is an archaic script that was used mainly for religious literature and nobody today in Bangladesh or India knows it or uses it, whether Sylheti or non-Sylheti. Traditionally the standard Bengali script was still the main script used by Sylhetis. You will not find a single Sylheti in Bangladesh or India who can read or write in "Sylheti nagri", they all use standard Bangla script.

To say that Sylheti nagri is the "script for Sylheti" is as ludicrous as claiming that ancient norse runes are the standard script for swedish and norwegian. It would seem according to the implications of this wiki article that Sylhetis dont know their own language is a language or the supposed alphabet of its script. Since, again, nobody uses nagri to write sylheti or knows a letter of it. They all use standard bangla script. CorrectionalFacility101 (talk) 23:05, 6 April 2022 (UTC)[reply]

@CorrectionalFacility101: these are already discussed in talk pages as well as pointed out in the article itself. Please go through the discussions here in WT:LING. Chaipau (talk) 23:22, 6 April 2022 (UTC)[reply]

সবাই যানে মমৌলভীবাজারের সবার শ্রেষ্ঠ মো

মৌলভীবাজার কোন তুলনাই হয় না 103.151.132.134 (talk) 13:57, 12 July 2024 (UTC)[reply]

May 2023

@UserNumber, I have reverted your effort to bring in Rasinger (2007) yet again with a rather misleading edit summary. Please look at Talk:Sylheti_language#Rasinger_2007 for a reminder.

@Uanfala: for visibility. Chaipau (talk) 17:34, 17 May 2023 (UTC)[reply]

@UserNumber, in your edit you mention three as linguists. Rasinger (2007) and Chung (2019) are already settled in the discussion above. The new author, Goswami, is not a linguist but a teacher of English, who makes a passing reference to Sylheti as a dialect of Bengali. Chaipau (talk) 23:13, 17 May 2023 (UTC)[reply]

Reliable sources for L1 and L2 speakers

In this edit, Sadidiye roughly doubled the number of L1 and L2 speakers of Sylheti. They replaced source Ethnologue with a Bangladeshi government website and an Indian census page. Neither of the new sources state the number of L1 or L2 speakers, they only give the population of certain geographic areas. Specifically:

[1] says the total population of Sylhet Division is 11,034,863 (2022 census). Previous discussions here have pointed out that not everyone in Sylhet Division speaks Sylheti. The source doesn't say anything about the number of Sylheti speakers.
[2] says the last enumerated population for Assam was 31,205,576 (2011) and the 2023 estimated population was approximately 36.6 million. It contains no information about the number of Sylheti speakers.

From these two sources, Sadidiye concluded that there are 20.02 million L1 speakers of Sylheti and 2.5 million L2 speakers of Sylheti. I invite them to explain their calculation.

I believe Ethnologue, despite its drawbacks, is the most authoritative reliable source for the number of L1 and L2 speakers of Sylheti. The most recent free edition is from 2019.[3] It states "Total users in all countries: 11,800,000 (as L1: 10,300,000; as L2: 1,500,000)." We can cite a more recent edition if someone can check it. --Worldbruce (talk) 23:05, 16 April 2024 (UTC)[reply]

Shylheti a Dialect of Bengali Language. Not a separate language it's a propaganda article, so it should be deleted.

If we are talking about Shylheti, then we must have to know about Bengali. What is Bengali? 1. Bengali is the language of Bengalis, it's a group of dialects or regional language. Those regional languages are connected with eachothe. 2. Bengali does not mean standard or promito Bangla. That also a dialect.During British period the people of West Bengal prospered in both industrial site and Literary side. Because of that they imposed there dialects as the Standard Bengali. Some arguing that standard Bengali the real Bengali language,the language of Bangho(বঙ্গ),i think they never heard of Dhakaiya Kutti, Barishailla, Mymensingh, kumilla and Noyakhailla. Cause they also in Bengal region and kalkata people or Barendri people not gonna understand there language. But they are also Bangali and there Language is the Dialects of Bangla. 3. Language is a political identity, yes there are some Linguistic concept in a Language but majorly political. Otherwise even the Sunamganji, Karimganji or even the people of a upajila have there own style of language. But we can't say that they are language cause they get some Extra words or a separate tone then the Kolkatan's.

This concept that Shylheti a separate language is made up in thise years by the Shylheti living in the London. Cause there ancestors was the real Shylheti Bangali, but they are not. They actually don't even understand local Shylheti.And as they live in abroad they got more money than the common folks of Bengal, they wanning to say hey bro we are Separate cause we dont understand the Standard form of Bengali , now we want our own identity. Even if there ancestors fought for Bengal and Bengali language in 1952, and in Assam Bengali language movement.Also the whole History of Shylhet says that Shylheti are Bengali People , and not a separate Ethnic group. In the "Paschinvagh Tamrosashon" of Shylhet, Shylheti are mentioned as Bonghal.

Living in London, they isolated them from them from the Mainlander Shylhetibangalis, and even can't understand the Mainlanders local Dialects, now telling us yo bro we are different. But I don't think they even don't know about English language. If someone local of London went anywhere 100km from London, I bet he not gonna understand there dialects. Fardin Fateh Ali (talk) 16:57, 23 March 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Shylheti Nagori wasn't a Writing system for a Separate Language

"Shylheti Nagori" It was made during the Bhuiyan Periodo of Bengal. When There was a Ruler or Bhuiyan in Shylhet who first feel to have a Script for his region, and separate from the old Bengali script. So that it can be understand easily. And by using Afghan Grammatical system and old Nagori Lipi (consider as the mother of many Writing system in india) . This lipi wasn't only used in Shylhet, but it was used in Mymensingh, Tripura, Brahmmonbaria, Noyakhali and many other regions in East Bengal. But majorly used in Religious perspectives. It used in writing of islamic literature in Bengali language. That's why no Hindhu texts was written in this script. It used as another Writing system for Bengali, not for Separate Language. Some people argues that having a writing system made Shylheti a separate language. I think they don't even know about language. There are a little relation with a language and writing system. Japanese and many languages got more than 3 writing system. And Turkish, Urdu, and many more don't even have there own writing system. We can say Shylheti Nagori a 2nd writing system of Bengali as i mentioned before what Bengali is. Fardin Fateh Ali (talk) 17:16, 23 March 2025 (UTC)[reply]